Please remember to list all the members of your group with your posting.
Angie Jurisch, Anna Lardinois and Peg Meddaugh
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NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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STRENGTHS
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WEAKNESSES
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APPROPRIATE USE
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DATA GENERATED
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SEFLIN
Southeast Florida Library Information Network Needs Assessment questionnaire (2000)
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- Structure easy to follow
- Offers anonymity for respondents
- Offers familiar, convenient and least intrusive form of direct response
- Cost-effective
- Uniform questioning reduces bias
- Brief (10-15 minutes)
- 100% online
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- Outdated (questions about floppy disks)
- Too many detailed questions about job functions
- Need to revise questions and categories
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- To assist in the effort to provide better training
- Confidentiality
- Respondent must be candid and thorough in completing questionnaire
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- Data can be gathered quickly
- Better chance of participation due to length of survey
- Used to design future training classes
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TTCC
The Teacher Technology Competencies Certification Portfolio Index
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- User friendly
- Empowering for staff to assess own capabilities and to realize what technology may already be available to them
- Easily modified to be utilized with variety of positions (teachers, secretarial staff, administration, etc.)
- 100% online
- Third party evaluation
- Research based portfolio assessment
- Portfolio addresses all 73 of the performance indicators according to the SBEC standards
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- Too short to gather enough data for a comprehensive plan
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- Self assessment provides current knowledge and skills to set a starting point
- Professional growth plan provided for district to implement
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- Data can be gathered quickly
- Better chance of participation due to length of survey
- Portfolio consists of artifacts that demonstrate the participant’s knowledge and skills
- Captions for each artifact demonstrate participants understanding of the standards
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enGauge Survey
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
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- Survey is designed to gather information from a multitude of district employees
- Detailed survey questions participant on Technology Applications
- Integrated Learning Systems
- ECommunication (Video/Audio/Data, Online Environments)
- Problem Solving with Real Data Sets
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- Subscriptions service (may be costly for some districts)
- Only one survey per subscription, no matter how many schools are in district
- Survey is time consuming and detailed. (approximately 30 min to an hour)
- Quick Time and Internet Explorer 4 or higher required
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- Expand horizons to advance student learning
- Adopt 21st Century skills
- Stay informed with the latest research and best practices of technology
- Gauge effectiveness of current technology use
- Report progress of overall improvement efforts
- Profile professionals in the district
- Design professional development plans to impact student learning
- Plan school improvement to advance the vision for learning technology
- Identify research-based resources that compliment school profile
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- Results show the conditions for effective technology in six categories: Vision, Effective Practice, Equity, Systems and Leadership, Access, and Educator Proficiency
- Measures progress toward learning goals and standards
- Analyzes what current uses of technology support thinking and learning, what instructional approaches work most efficiently with which elements of technology, and what applications of technology can be springboards to real-world context for students
- Results are reported under three profiles: school, educator, and project
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There are several complimentary elements for each of these assessments. Both the SEFLIN and the TTCC surveys are short questionnaires which seem less intricate and time consuming than the enGauge survey. For that matter, it would be safe to say that the latter would entail required participation as mandated by the district. Otherwise, there would not be enough response to clearly create a comprehensive plan. Stimulated by Chapter 3 in our text, our group agrees that creating a detailed plan is critical. Another attractive quality is that all three of the surveys are online, adding to the ease and accessibility factors for all participants. Although the enGauge survey takes more time, it does include short videos which assist the participant in comprehension and understanding what is being asked of them. The other two assessments have questions that may be ambiguous to the participant, without any sort of feedback for clarification. While the TTCC emits immediate feedback, the other two assessments require a third party to assess the responses. (However, the TTCC does send results through a third party in portfolio form.) Overall, each of these assessments possesses adequate benefits for any district in search of an impetus to implement effective technology.
REFERENCES
NCREL, (2004). enGauge®: A Framework for Effective Technology Use. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from North
Central Regional Educational Laboratory Web site: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/
Pearson, M.J. (2007). Teacher technology competencies certification portfolio index . Retrieved September 15, 2007, from Texas Teacher
Technology Competencies Certification Web site: http://www.texasttcc.net/teacherchecklist.html
The Southeast Florida Library Information Network, Inc., (2000). SEFLIN technology needs assessment
questionnaire (2000). Retrieved September 16, 2007, from The Southeast Florida Library Information Network Web site:
http://www.seflin.org/clp/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.TechnologyNeedsAssessmentQuestionnaire
Amanda Wagner, Rosanda Green, Penni Uribe
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Needs Assessment Overview
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Needs Assessment Tool
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Appropriate Use
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General Data
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Sun
Associates
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Comprehensive,
Thoughtful, well-developed, probing questions
User friendly ( quick & easy to complete)
Appealing format & design
Offers a variety of multiple choices response formats including: drop down menus, yes/no buttons, and short answer options
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This lengthy assessment can be intimidating at first glance
Some of the questions appear to be redundant, but this may intentional so as to guarantee response consistency
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Assesses how information technology is used to support teaching and learning.
A comprehensive way to gather information, opinions, beliefs, and experiences related to technology integration.
The goal is to provide expert and strategic support necessary for educators, administrators, students, and parents to create the finest environment for teaching and learning
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Sun Associates offers program evaluation services to educational organizations such as schools, districts, and states.
Anonymous responses are collected and analyzed along with:
school observation
classroom observation
observation of teachers & students
teacher /administrator interviews
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Texas TTCC
Texas Teacher Technology Competencies Certification
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Quick and easy to checklist format
Provides immediate feedback
Automatically calculates percentage as participant responds to each question
Detailed questions related to basic computer & technology, and telecommunications use
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Narrow in its scope of questions
Fails to address teacher attitudes & beliefs related to technology integration
Limited to individual teacher skills.
Does not address broader based audience
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A teacher checklist designed for teachers seeking a Technology Competencies Certification
Based on and correlated with state and national standards, including ISTE standards
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Designed to meet the needs of teachers, districts, and the state of Texas to document that teachers have the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate technology into effective instruction in every classroom.
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MCSSC Needs Assessment Worksheet
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Very Comprehensive
Incorporates “big-picture” thinking, with a focus on long-term planning
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Long
Time consuming to complete
No option for multiple choice
Complicated, multiple steps may deter potential users from completing
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Assesses technology use at a variety of levels including: curriculum integration, professional development, equitable use of technology, infrastructure and telecommunication needs, and administrative needs.
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Maricopa County Small School Consortium
www.septa.arizona.edu/BIA%20Admin/Presenters/technology%20planning/TechPlanNeedsAssessmentworksheet.rtf
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Sun Associates
What we most appreciate about this assessment tool is that, in addition to the participant’s technology skills, it also incorporates information related to the participant’s values and beliefs about technology integration. While experience and skill are important factors related to successful technology integration, teacher attitudes and beliefs are just as (if not more) important. This tool was easy to use, yet provided a lot of detail and insight.
Texas TTCC
Texas TTCCis a performance-based assessment program designed as a culminating activity for teachers who have achieved instructional technology proficiency through professional development offered by local districts. While this assessment tool was very easy to use and provided immediate feedback, we found this to be a very limited survey in that it only assessed individual technology skills and experiences. This particular survey did not request information relative to teacher beliefs and attitudes about technology integration, a component we feel is essential toward designing successful technology-based programs.
Maricopa County Small School Consortium
Our first needs assessment was created by the Maricopa County Small School Consortium for use in its schools. We found a positive of this assessment to be that it asks individuals to take a close look at how technology is being used at a variety of levels including: curriculum integration, professional development, equitable use of technology, infrastructure and telecommunication needs, and administrative needs. We found all of these categories to be extremely important in planning for the use of technology. So often many of the other needs assessments only focused on the classroom teachers’ views of their own subject matter, not the whole picture. We also found it positive that a technology need is identified first and then the person must explain the current district profile before describing where he/she wants to go and how he/she will get there. We feel this type of structure really forces people to think about the process of change versus just the solution. Lastly, there is a box for questions and comments that we viewed as a positive. A negative of this assessment is that it would take a long time to fill out seeing that there are many steps and we feel some people would not take the time to do it appropriately. Overall, we feel this type of assessment along with discussions and informal observations would truly help a school to establish its technology plan.
References:
1) Sun Associates. (2007) . Retrieved September 18, 2007, from Sun Asociates Web site: http://www.sunassociates.com
2) Texas Teacher Technology Certification TTCC. (2007) Retrieved September 18, 2007, from Website: http://www.texasttcc.net/teacherchecklist.html
3). Maricopa County Small School Consortium (2005) Retrieved September 17, 2007 from Website: http://www.septa.arizona.edu
Kristin Haefke, Kristin Hubmann, Melissa Schuett, Janet Yunker
(1998, December). Archived: Technology Needs Assessment Survey. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from An Educator's Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/appc-5.html
Some strengths of this needs assessment are; it is short, easy to use, and can be done quickly by anyone using the assessment. It is also easy to evaluate to see where peoples needs are. A weakness is that it has some technology in it which a teacher wouldn't typically use. It also doesn't list specific software. This would most appropriately be used as an initial assessment of teachers' needs. With this data we could quickly and easily see what the needs of the school are before beginning any planning. We would be able to see the generic types of hardware and software being used by the teachers.
(1997). Learning with Technology Profile Tool. Retrieved September 15, 2007, from North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium Web site: http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/profwww.htm
A strength of this is that it is easy and quick to complete. This also allows you to graph the responses for quick analysis. This survey was quite comprehensive and user friendly.One weakness is that the site is no longer supported. This one would also be good to use as an initial assessment of needs within the school. The data would be able to establish a current vision of learning, tasks and instructional models within the school. This would help in any future planning the school would be doing.
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Oklahoma State University, (2005). Information Technology Needs Assessment. Retrieved September 13, 2007, Web site: http://www.it.okstate.edu/itprojects/needsassessment/finalreport.pdf
Strength of this needs assessment include the fact that it is extremely intensive and in-depth. The entire assessment takes place over more than four months. The surveys are short check boxes and space is allowed for free response if desired. In-depth interviews are also conducted with stakeholders from a variety of roles. The fact that this assessment is so long it can also be cumbersome and unrealistic for a school district to complete. Finding time to conduct interviews with a variety of individuals can be difficult. Further, districts are on strict schedules which may not allow for such a time intensive process. The assessment would be best used as a whole for a major revamp. Using bits and pieces of this assessment will not be as influential as using the entire program. Important components include the preliminary surveys, satisfaction surveys, and strength and weakness surveys. It should be used as a comprehensive assessment. With this data, slow and well planned changes can be made. The data encompasses so many important components. The abundance of data and information may be overwhelming but definitely thorough.
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Thunder: Jamie Beckman, Jim Nelson, Paul Pulvermacher, and Dan Simonson
Needs Assessment Overview
It is not uncommon to hear these days how technology is changing the ways people communicate. In this every increasing world of Globalization our students need to remain on the cutting edge of new technology. Unfortunately, economically wise, this is a want and not a need in many districts due to the fiscal budget constraints it has to comply with. Since school districts have unlimited wants when it comes to technology and the fact there is only so much money to comply with school districts need to make decisions on what is best for the school district and for the kids. So the question is where we start? How do we determine what needs to be changed?
In order to bring about change the need for change needs to be recognized. If the status quo is working, why change. The need for change is difficult to recognize and is effectively camouflaged when the standard mode of operations appear to be running smoothly. It is human nature to resist change. The three needs assessment surveys below were chosen carefully to begin planting seeds that change may be needed. The following tools were chosen to be implemented in a specific order. Once the participants begin thinking a change may be in order the second survey will be more comprehensively designed to provide the data necessary to help a district determine where they are technology wise. Finally a survey will help a school create a comprehensive improvement plan and assistance in adapting technology to the curriculum.
The first tool, SIEC Technology Assessment, is short and easy to use. Staff members being asked to complete the survey will be less likely to become frustrated by the amount of time it will take to complete the survey. Secondly the survey asks for input from the user in regards to what their needs are. If thought is put into the questions by the respondents they may begin to realize a need and be open to potential change.
The second tool, KeySurvey, is a web-based sample only at http://www.keysurvey.com/survey/134127/1516/. It comes from KeySoftware, a company who specializes in professional surveys. Cost is involved. The evaluator can scroll through to preview the design and layout, ease of usage, and the questions involved. The survey clearly defines its purpose and intended audience. Instructions are easy to follow and questions are categorized into subtopics.
The final tool, enGauge, comes from the NCREL website. It is by far the most comprehensive. It is designed with education in mind and has been used at AHS. After some digging around, sample surveys can be found at http://engauge.ncrel.org/survey/select.htm. This page allows the reviewer to preview multiple sample surveys for administrators, teachers, parent, student, and many more. The sample questions were grouped together in relevant categories. Many were traditional survey questions. Few offered video scenarios to choose from instead of just a question. Certainly video is a nice touch and can convey more meaning than so that "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Neutral", etc. has more meaning. Obviously, the services provided come at a cost. But enGauge will provide a framework for analyzing school/district technology policies. It saves time and places data in the hands of administration and/or educational teams in charge of the research.
References
1). Key Survey Software. (2007) School technology needs assessments. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from KeySurvey Web site: http://www.keysurvey.com/
2). North Central Regional Education Library, (2004). Welcome to enGauge. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from enGauge Web site: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/
3). SIEC Technology, (2002). Retrieved September 12, 2007, from 2002 Technology Needs Assessment and Evaluation Survey Web site: http://www.siec.k12.in.us/assessment.htm/
Christopher See, Brian Yearling, and Heather Slosarek
Needs Assessment #1: SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association)
Strengths:
• Evaluates user skills
• Evaluate user perceptions
• Questions mapped to NCLB Standards
• Different surveys for teachers and administrators
• Provides sample report template to aid in reporting
• Organizations can provide survey in paper or online format
Weaknesses:
• High number of questions/time required
• Does not survey students or other ed community members
• Online survey format requires organization to create a web-based creation
• Data must be summarized/ analyzed by an organization
Appropriate Use:
• Can be used to measure current skills and expectations
• Information can be used to develop a change plan
• Organizations can use the information to evaluate plan progress
Data Generated/Provided:
• Raw data showing number of users selecting each choice in the survey
Needs Assessment #2: Nellie Deutsch - Needs Assessment Survey
Strengths:
• Relatively simple design that is easy to follow
• Collects a complete amount of information
• Can be used to gather information about district employees (focusing on presence/focus/ and direction of technology)
• Gathers information on employee attitudes towards technology
• Evaluates the perceived skills of employees in the district
Weaknesses:
• Created with the specific intentions to survey teachers and not other members that would contribute to technology planning
• Data must be interpreted on an individual survey basis
Appropriate Use:
• Results will help the technology committee develop a technology plan to improve students' learning and raise the academic standards of the school
Data Generated/Provided:
• Data on teacher computer use, attitudes towards technology, and ability levels
Needs Assessment #3: enGauge Survey
Strengths:
• Geared towards various members of a school district including educator, district administrator, building administrator, district technology
coordinator, building technology coordinator, board member, community member, student, and parent
• The assessment includes alignment to the vision, learning environment, range of use, relevance, proficiency with technology, digital age equity,
access, systems and leadership, and shared vision.
• Designed to be taken online
• Simple questions with drill and practice type answers
Weaknesses:
• Subscription fee may be costly
• High number of questions/time required – some time will need to be allotted to fill out the survey (takes away from class time)
• Specific software requirements for proper use
Appropriate Use:
• Helps identify gaps in technology knowledge and application on several different fronts
• Identifies benefits or drawbacks of current technology use
• Helps design professional plans that cater to the specific school versus a general need
• Information can be used to create a change plan or to identify student learning needs
Data Generated/Provided:
• Results are tabulated using the various areas of assessment listed under Strengths.
• Data analyzes current technology use and suggestions for future technology use
• Results are reported for individuals schools, educators, etc.
• Measures progress towards learning goals
References:
SETDA (2004). The Suite of Tools. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from Profiling Educational Technology Integration (PETI) Web site: http://www.setda-peti.org/tools.html
Deutsch, Nellie (2003). Needs assessment survey. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from Nellie's English Projects Web site:
http://www.nelliemuller.com/Needs_Assessment_Surveys.asp
Learning Point Associates, (2004). enGauge Online Assessment. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Web site: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/assess/assess.htm
3 Horsemen +2 (Rob Grisar, Bob Boyd, Kim Struve, Lisa Chase, Carl Dehne)
Monroe County Community School Corporation Technology Skills/Interests/Needs Assessment
Description:
This assessment is a survey that could be used to judge how much indiviuals are willing to get profesional development, find out skills and usage of technology both at home and at school, and find out who is willing to share their knowledge.
Strengths:
This survey is a little different, because it has multiple parts. We liked this one because it gives a place for comments and tells what type of computers they feel comfortable using. Again this survey is relatively short and not very time consuming for the teachers to fill out. The provider has allowed it to be modified and used for educational purposes.
Weaknesses:
Overall, the consensus of the group was that the survey was a good instrument for determining staff use with the exception that the formatting was weak.
Appropriate Use:
This format may be used by all staff in the district to give a detailed picture of who a person is as a technology users.
Data Generated:
This assessment gives a detailed picture of who a person is as a technology user, with a break down of each skill. Knowing strengths of others is a huge asset. This form may uncover experts in the district that are quiet about their skills but might be will to share or teach others. This also opens the door to how people may think they are not good with technology but really have great knowledge and experience. Sometimes people need a boost of confidence and they will open and up and share with others.
Monroe County Community School Corporation, (1996). MCCSC Technology Skills, Interests, Needs Assessment. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from Monroe County Community School Corporation Web site:http://www.mccsc.edu/survey.html
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enGauge : North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Description:
The next assessment that we selected was from the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium. This tool was developed to compare current instructional practices with a set of indicators for engaged learning and high-performance technology. The assessment is divided into categories and for each category their is a description of indicators and examples that fall along a continuum.
Strengths:
Comprehensive questions
Easy to use
Well-respected due to use across many districts
Computer based, so low data collection costs.
Weaknesses:
Costs
Time consuming for staff already overloaded on other projects
Appropriate Use:
Study effectiveness of current technology efforts
Used for analysis of 21st Century Skills
Data Generated:
There are three examples for each indicator and those completing the assessment have to select the example that best describes their current practice. It is not intended to be a rating of a teacher's skill or ability, but rather a tool to help think through the kinds of activities teachers use to help students learn. After completing the assessment, a graph is generated to indicate responses. That graph can then be used to think about the types of activities teachers would like to use more frequently in their classroom.
NCREL, (2004). enGauge®: A Framework for Effective Technology Use. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Web site: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/
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Sun Associates
Description:
The last needs assessment process that we discussed in our group was designed by an organization named Sun Associates. It often helps to have an outside voice when doing reviews of internal processes. The process outlined on the website shows the need for a systematic effort that is focused and customized to the district in question.
Strengths:
Outside voice of consultant company sometimes helpful in showing need for change
User-friendly in general
Researched and developed using educationally sound practices
Opportunities for free-form comments allows for staff members with specific needs to air their concerns
Weaknesses:
Can be a very long survey instrument
Cost may be prohibitive to smaller organizations
Not available for modification by the general public
Appropriate Use:
This instrument should be used as part of a larger strategic planning process to provide direction for building and district administrators.
Data Generated:
Multiple-choice and short answer surveys
Systemic analysis of current technology usage at the building and district level
Sun Associates, (2007). Evaluating the Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from Sun Associates Web site: http://www.sun-associates.com/eval/sample.html
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