MIT 530-Evaluation and Change in Instructional Development
Context and Conditions: Examining Diversity within the Watson School of Education Curriculum was a group project designed and developed for the Watson School of Education (WSE) Diversity Committee. The project was completed in spring 2007 under the guidance of Dr. Sue-Jen Chen to fulfill part of the MIT530 course requirements. The project consisted of two integral components: needs assessment and change management. The needs assessment focused on gathering information regarding the optimals, actuals, feelings, causes, and solutions. The change management plan addressed the change proposal, identified stakeholders, and described each phase of the change in great detail. The needs assessment report was completed within ten weeks and the change management plan was completed within three weeks.
Scope: The project for MIT 530 demonstrated the process and techniques involved in the evaluation of instructional modules, programs, and curricula. Allison Rossett’s (1987) Training Needs Assessment and Havelock’s stages of change model (1995) provided guidance for the project. The project began with a plan for needs assessment together with stages of data collection and followed up with the data analysis. Based on the result of the data analysis, the most appropriate solutions to the client’s organization were provided to the Diversity Committee. To ensure successful implementation of the solutions, a change management plan was developed to provide effective strategies for diffusing and disseminating of the innovations.
Role: For the TNA, I worked with three other MIT students. As a team, we studied the current status addressed in the curriculum of WSE. We developed and distributed the survey instrument. We conducted one-on-one and small group interviews with various members of the Diversity Committee. We analyzed all the data collected and proposed solutions. For the change management plan, I conducted an operational analysis of Watson School of Education and suggested the most effective strategies for implementing diversity within the WSE curriculum.
Reflection: MIT 530 reinforced the value of a thorough needs assessment. In our project, the purpose of the needs assessment is to establish feasible and measurable goals; however, it was the biggest challenge my group faced. Once the measurable goals were clarified, we were able to proceed to the needs assessment process to complete the project. The change management plan was a very challenging, but rewarding task. I was able to use the information gathered and create a plan that I felt would be most feasible for the Diversity Committee.