MODULE 2 Packet

Module 2 Overview
Welcome to Ready, Set, Investigate! Doing a comprehensive needs analysis

In this module, you will investigate the context and needs of your training participants. This investigation
helps you to plan a training that will be engaging and useful. At the end of the module, you will submit a
needs analysis plan with a checklist for your investigation including steps and tools for needs analysis.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

 describe a needs analysis and its purpose

 decide what to include in a needs analysis
 plan a needs analysis for your context
 conduct a needs analysis in your own context
 collect and interpret data from your needs analysis
 identify the needs to be met in a teacher training

We have created a glossary for you to use as you take the course. In the glossary you will find words and
definitions that will help you in the course tasks. You can find the glossary in the Module 1 Overview on
Canvas.

© 2019 by Arizona Board of Regents. Module 2 Packet for the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State
with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Below is a schedule for Module 2:

Task Description Time to Complete

1 Brainstorm Topics 15-25 minutes
2a Watch a Video 10-25 minutes
2b Take a Quiz 15-25 minutes

3a Read and Review 30-60 minutes

3b Take a Quiz 15-25 minutes

4 OPTIONAL: Create a Tool 30-45 minutes
5a Watch a Video 10-25 minutes
5b Take a Quiz 15-25 minutes
6a Read and Analyze 45-90 minutes
6b Take a Quiz 15-25 minutes

Submit a Needs Analysis OPTION 1

7 60-180 minutes
Submit a Needs Analysis OPTION 2

8 Watch a Video 5-10 minutes

DEADLINE for Module 2: Monday, April 20 at 11:59 pm EST

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Module 2, Task 1: Brainstorm- Identify Possible Professional Development
Topics
Brainstorm: What are some possible professional development topics? (15-25 minutes)

Take a moment and think about your teaching context. Think about the students in your classes, the
other teachers in your school, and your school. What areas of your teaching practice would you like to
develop? What kinds of professional development topics do you think other teachers in your school
could use? Which topics would help you in the classroom?

Instructions:

Make a list of five possible topics of professional development and post them on the discussion
board. (You’ll get one point for each of the five topics you list.)

Later on, you can use this list to choose a topic to design your teacher training workshop.

Below is an example from John:

These are important professional development topics to me:

1. classroom management strategies

2. how to communicate with challenging students

3. using an online portfolio for assessment

4. using technology in the classroom

5. creating student-centered lessons

OPTIONAL: After you write your own post, you can also comment on your peers' ideas.

Do NOT copy language directly from the example. If you copy language directly it is considered
plagiarism. See the plagiarism policy on the Home page and send your instructor a Canvas message if
you have any questions.

Your discussion post will be graded using the rubric below:

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Module 2, Task 2a: What is a Needs Analysis?
Watch a Video (10-25 minutes)
In this video, John and Emilia meet to talk about how to conduct a needs analysis.

Here is the transcript:

Emilia: Welcome back to Ready, Set, Train! I’m here with John to talk about the next
step in our teacher training journey.

John: It’s great to be back, Emilia. I really enjoyed the activities and readings in the
first module and now I’m ready to take that next step. So, last time you mentioned
something pretty interesting….something about investigating?

Emilia: That’s right - our next step is an investigation to find out more about our
participants so we can design our training especially for them.

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John: I love that idea. That way the participants will really find it helpful.

Emilia: Yes, this step is very important and it is also something that you do as a
classroom teacher. So, you know how as classroom teachers we give our students a
diagnostic or a pre-test?
John: Yes. I always do that so I can find out more about my students. I can use the
results of the diagnostic to find out which areas I need to spend more time on, which
areas I should review, and what my students need. This helps me plan out my lessons
and it helps me when I am developing teaching materials and tests.
Emilia: Exactly. That is the perfect example of a needs analysis. Well, as a teacher
trainer, we do the same thing, except we conduct the investigation, or the needs
analysis, with our participants. We explore several different areas related to our
participants to find out more about what they need.

John: Okay, So what are these areas that we need to explore?

Emilia: Well, first of all, we need to think about their educational setting or
environment. This involves the instructional goals of the program, department, or
school. Educational setting also includes the physical condition and the resources of
the school.

John: That makes sense because all of those factors can affect the teachers and what
types of trainings will be appropriate for them in their educational setting.

Emilia: Yes. And we also need to find out about the participants’ class characteristics,
such as the size of their classes and the background of their students.

John: Okay, find out more about class characteristics, what kind of students the
participants are teaching and maybe what a typical class looks like for my participants.
Got it. What else?

Emilia: Next, you need to find out about who has control over the participants’
course content or curriculum. I mean, who decides on the content of what the
participants are teaching? Does the government decide? Does each school decide on
the curriculum?

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John: Oh, I see. Do the participants get to select what they teach? Do they have the
flexibility (freedom) to choose their teaching materials? Can they try something new
or do they need to use a standardized curriculum?
Emilia: Exactly. All of those questions are related to who has control over the
curriculum.

And lastly, we need to think about how participants will be assessed and how our
training will be evaluated. This is especially important if we have to meet
specific assessment requirements.

John: Oh right! For example, my school wants me to give a test at the end of my
training before my participants can receive a certificate.

Emilia: After we finish exploring these areas, we have a better idea of what the
participants need. Then we can design our training to fill those needs. It helps us
decide on the purpose for the training.
John: Okay, so now I understand what it is and why we do it, but HOW do I do it?
What is the best way to collect all of the information from these areas?

Emilia: Good question! There are lots of different tools to collect this information. You
can use surveys, interviews, observations, and focus groups. Also, you can get
information from more casual conversations. You’re going to read about all of these
needs analysis tools and you’re going to see some examples.
John: Good! I’m really curious about what some of these needs analysis tools look like
and how I should use them.

Emilia: You’ll find out in the reading! Don’t worry--I’ll also meet up with you later to
give you some tips for conducting your own needs analysis.

John: Thanks! I could really use your tips. I’m so happy that you’re here to guide me.
This is all new to me, but your tips and advice are helping me every step of the way.

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Module 2, Task 2b: Quiz
Take a Quiz (15-25 minutes)
Now you will take a quiz on the video you just watched or the transcript that you read.

<<This quiz can only be taken online.>>

Module 2, Task 3a: Needs Analysis Tools

Read about Needs Analysis Tools and Review Samples (30-60 minutes)

What is a needs analysis?

Normally, as classroom teachers, we give our students a diagnostic or a pre-test. Then we use the
results of this diagnostic or pre-test to inform our curriculum. This helps us to decide what we will
spend more time on, which areas we should review, and what our students’ needs are. We use the
results of this diagnostic when we are developing teaching materials and tests. This is an example of
a needs analysis.

As teacher trainers, we do the same thing, except we conduct the needs analysis with our participating
teachers in order to inform us as we are designing relevant teacher trainings.
A needs analysis involves collection and examination of the objective and subjective needs of the
participants. Objective needs are needs that are easily measured or quantified by administrators and
teachers, while subjective needs are “needs as seen through the eyes of the learners themselves”
(Brown, 2007).

OBJECTIVE NEEDS SUBJECTIVE NEEDS

Subjective needs are measured with information
Objective needs are measured with information
about participants’:
about:
 attitudes, interests, and expectations
 participants’ educational background and
 perception of training purpose
teaching experience
 goals for learning or improving specific
 participants’ language level and abilities
teaching techniques or skills
 institution/government standards and
 preferences for how they like to learn
targets
(learning styles, strategies)

Why do we conduct a needs analysis?

What is the purpose of conducting a needs analysis? When we conduct a needs analysis, it helps us to
decide on the purpose and set goals for the training. We need to consider the opinions, requests, and

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requirements from administration, participants, and trainers giving the course. Then we can design our
training to fill those needs.

How do we conduct a needs analysis?

We use a combination of tools to get a complete picture of our participants’ needs. For example, you
could use a survey to collect information about participants’ technology needs. Then you could
interview some of the participants to find out more details about their goals for improving their
technology skills. Below are some common tools for conducting a needs analysis.

Surveys
Trainers can collect information through a written survey, which is a series of questions. The questions
are designed to get information about participants’ objective and subjective needs. For example, the
survey could ask participants about their educational background and experience (objective needs) like
in this Sample Demographic Survey.
Surveys are also good to get information about subjective needs like the participants’ goals and
preferences. In this Sample Goals and Preferences Survey you can see questions that ask participants
what specific skills they would like to improve and how they think they learn best.
You can use one survey that includes questions about both objective needs and subjective needs.
However, you may only need one type. For example, if you are planning a training for a small group of
teachers in your school and you already know about their demographics and teaching contexts, you can
just do a survey about their interests.

Also, you can see that the surveys can include different types of questions (multiple choice,
ranking/scales, and open-ended). You should choose the question type that works best for collecting
your information. There are advantages and disadvantages to all the types. For example, in an open-
ended question the participant can provide information specific to their needs, but these questions
usually take more time to answer.

Interviews
Similar to using surveys trainers can conduct interviews with participants to find out about their
objective and subjective needs. Interviews can be conducted in person, by email, or through a video
chat service.
An interview could be used to measure an objective need like language proficiency. Your interview
would not be an official language exam, but rather a tool for you to know what level to prepare your
training for. There are many strategies for a language proficiency interview including a simple
conversation, a role play or scenario, a picture description, or a narrative. The most important thing to
remember is that you should have a rubric or criteria in order to determine the participant's level.
Trainers also conduct interviews with participants to ask about their attitudes, experience, interests,
goals, and opinions (objective and subjective needs). Talking with the teacher and using open-ended
questions can get more detailed information specific to the participant being interviewed. An interview
also can give you information you didn't even know to ask for! You can read a Sample Experience and
Interests Interview here.

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Observations
Trainers can create an observation form to use when they take notes on teachers’ classes. This
observation form could have different categories, or areas that the observer will focus on. After
observing classes, trainers can use that information to plan their training. You can see a Sample
Observation Form here.

Focus Groups
Trainers can ask a small group of their participants to meet with them for a guided discussion on
potential topics for teacher training. Trainers can get more detailed information about participants’
needs and interests from the guided discussion. This approach will take more time because you will have
to coordinate with the group to set up a time and guide the group during the discussion. However, you
can also learn more about the participants from observing their facial expressions and body language
during the discussion than you can from written responses to a survey. Focus groups and surveys can be
used together to get a better idea of participants’ needs. You can review some advice and example
questions in this Sample Focus Group.
You also do not need to plan a structured focus group and instead can gain information from informal
conversations. For example, maybe you are eating lunch in the teachers’ lounge at your school with a
group of your peers. During lunch everyone is talking about a specific problem in their teaching. After
lunch you might take a few notes to use in designing a training or workshop that will focus on the
problem your peers discussed.

Who is involved in a needs analysis?

We should collect information from participants and stakeholders. In this case, stakeholders are people
who are affected by the training. In addition to the participants, stakeholders also include
administrators, parents, and students. We can get information about their needs using the same tools
described above. For example, you can conduct interviews with administrators or focus on student
behavior in an observation.

Reference
Brown, D. H. (2007). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
(The content of this reference is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public or Creative
Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)

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MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

One tool trainers can use for Needs Analysis is a written survey, which is a series of questions.
The sample below is designed to get information about some of the participants’ objective
needs.

SAMPLE Demographic Survey

In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your teaching background and
experience. This information will help me to design the training to best meet your needs and interests.
The survey should only take 2-5 minutes, and your responses are completely anonymous.

Thank you for your participation!

INSTRUCTIONS: Please mark your answer with an (X).

ex. What is your favorite color?

o blue
o orange
Xo yellow

1. What is your current teaching assignment?

o Full-time English teacher

o Subject-area Teacher (not English) and part-time English Teacher
o Not currently teaching (skip to question 5)

2. What grade do you teach?

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 o University (ages 18+)
o High School (ages 14-18)
o Middle School (ages 10-14)
o Elementary/Primary (ages 5-12)

3. What type of school do you work in?

o Public school
o Private school

4. Do you have an administrative role in the place where you teach?

o yes
o no

5. How many years of teaching experience do you have?

o 0 to 2 years
o 3 to 5 years
o 6 to 10 years
o more than 10 years

6. What is the highest level of education that you possess?

o High School degree

o Bachelor’s degree
o Master’s degree
o Doctoral degree
o Other: _______________________

MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

One tool trainers can use for Needs Analysis is a written survey, which is a series of questions.
The sample below is designed to get information about some of the participants’ subjective
needs.

SAMPLE Goals and Preferences Survey

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In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your interests, goals, and
learning preferences. This information will help me to design the training to best meet your needs and
interests. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes, and your responses are completely anonymous.

Thank you for your participation!

INSTRUCTIONS: Please mark your answer with an (X).

ex. What is your favorite color?

o blue
o orange
Xo yellow

1. What do you think is your strongest skill area as a teacher?

o listening
o speaking
o reading
o writing

2. What do you think is your weakest skill area as a teacher?

o listening
o speaking
o reading
o writing

3. How interested would you be in attending a training on the following topics? Please rate your level of
interest:

No interest Some interest High interest

classroom
management

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 project based
learning

using technology

teaching
pronunciation

developing critical
thinking skills

4. How would you describe yourself as a learner? Please rate the following statements as they apply to
your learning preferences:

Never Sometimes Often

I prefer explanations with
visual aids (graphs, pictures,
etc.).

I like to use my hands and

make something in class.

I prefer to read a textbook

rather than listen to a lecture.

I remember something better

if I repeat it out loud than
write it down.

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 I like to draw pictures and
graphs when I take notes.

INSTRUCTIONS: Please write your answers to the questions.

5. What do you think is the biggest challenge in your teaching?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is one of your goals for improving your teaching in the next semester or school year?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

Trainers can also interview participants in their Needs Analysis. An interview can be used to find
out about the participant’s English language proficiency (objective needs). Below is a sample of
language proficiency interview questions.

INTRODUCTION SCRIPT: In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your
English language ability. Please don’t be nervous! This information is to help me to design the training to

SAMPLE Language Proficiency Interview

best meet your needs. The interview should only take 10-20 minutes.

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Thank you for your participation!

QUESTIONS:

1. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What do you like to do in your free time? Why did you
become a teacher?

2. What is your daily routine?

3. Can you tell me about an important event in your life? What happened? Why was it so important?
(past question)

4. What will you be doing five years from now? Where will you be working, living, etc.?

5. If you had a difficult student in class, what would you do? (If you had a student misbehaving, not
paying attention, disrupting, etc.)

6. Would you rather teach children, teenagers or adults?

MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

Trainers can also interview participants in their Needs Analysis. An interview often includes
questions that are similar to survey questions, but talking with the participant can give the trainer
more detailed information. Below is a sample of interview questions.

SAMPLE Teaching Experience and Interests Interview

INTRODUCTION SCRIPT: In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your
experience, interests, and goals as a teacher. This information will help me to design the training to best
meet your needs and interests. The interview should only take 10-20 minutes.

Thank you for your participation!

QUESTIONS:

1. Are you currently teaching? Yes / No (skip to question 3)

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2. Tell me about your teaching position. What type of school or organization do you teach in? What
grade level are the students? How many classes do you have / what types of classes do you teach?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. How long have you been teaching? (less than 1 year, 3 years, 15 years, …)? ______________________

4. What is the highest level of education that you possess? (high school, some college, graduate degree,
etc.)? ________________________________________________________________________________

5. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges to teaching in your context?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Have you attended any professional development conferences or workshops recently? (If no, skip to
question 7). What were the topics of the conference sessions or workshops? Which sessions did you like
best, and why? Which did you like least, and why?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. What professional development topics interest you the most? What is a challenge, skill, or aspect of
teaching that you would like to work on?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

8. What other goals do you have for improving your teaching?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

One method trainers use in Needs Analysis is participant observation. Trainers can create a
form to use while observing the participant’s class. The trainer can create different categories
and write questions to give them a focus in their observation. Below is a sample with general
categories and questions for taking notes during the observation.

SAMPLE Observation Form

Teacher: __________________________ Date of Observation: ______________

Observer: __________________________ Length of Observation: ______________

Class Name / Level: __________________________ Number of Students: ______________

Specific Topic of Class and Teaching Objectives:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Observation Focus: Describe the following teaching characteristics and procedures.

Student Participation
 Does the teacher elicit participation from all students?
 How does the teacher encourage student participation?
 Does the teacher maintain a balance between instruction, facilitation, and student
participation?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Presentation and Delivery

 Teacher speaks audibly and uses language appropriate to students’ level and age?
 Does the presentation style express enthusiasm and engage students?
 Are instructions clear and understandable?
 Does the teacher allow for students to respond to questions?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Instructional materials
 How are materials (blackboard, handouts, books, media, realia, etc.) used?
 Are materials used effectively?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Organization and Time Management

 Is the lesson organized for the content being taught?
 How does the teacher transition between activities?
 Does class begin on time?
 Are activities well-paced (pacing/timing of activities maximizes student interest and
involvement)?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Classroom Environment
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  How are feedback, praise, corrections, etc. given?
 Does the teacher know students’ names and responds to students as individuals?
 Is mutual respect encouraged?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Additional Comments and Notes:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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MODULE 2 Task 3 Tools for Needs Analysis

Trainers can also do a focus group in their Needs Analysis with a small group of participants. In a focus
group you ask the participants questions and facilitate a discussion. Below is a sample of discussion
questions on the topic of student-centered learning and some advice for facilitating the discussion.

SAMPLE Focus Group

INTRODUCTION SCRIPT: In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your
experience with and opinions of student-centered learning. This information will help me to design the
training to best meet your needs and interests. I will ask you a few questions about the topic to discuss
with your peers. There are no right or wrong answers. The discussion should only take 15-30 minutes.
Thank you for your participation!

QUESTIONS:

1. How do you define “student-centered learning?” What does a student-centered class look like?
2. How often do you assess the needs of your students? How do you assess their needs?
3. What do you do to check your students’ understanding?
4. How important is student participation in your teaching? What do you look for in student
participation?
5. What are some challenges to student participation and engagement?
6. How much class time do your students spend working in pairs or groups?
7. What are some challenges to pair and group work?
8. Do you let students make decisions about assignments, grading, pair/group members, materials, etc.?

ADVICE for FACILITATON:

 select a small group of 5-10 people

 meet in a quiet, comfortable space where participants can sit together (and face each other)
 establish “ground rules” or guidelines for a respectful and balanced discussion
 take notes on participant verbal and nonverbal responses (facial expressions, gestures, etc.)
 allow participants to lead the discussion themselves, but interrupt as needed with comments
and questions for changing the topic or discussing something in detail

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Module 2, Task 3b: Quiz
Take a Quiz (15-25 minutes)
Now you will take a quiz about the reading on needs analysis tools.
<<This quiz can only be taken online.>>

Module 2, Task 4: OPTIONAL Create a Needs Analysis Tool

OPTIONAL: Create a Needs Analysis Tool (30-45 minutes)
Below is an optional task to apply all that you have learned so far about needs analysis tools. In this task,
you will create your own needs analysis tool. In Module 2, Task 7 you will use this tool to conduct your
needs analysis. If you are unable to create a tool, we will provide a tool for you to use in Task 7.
Instructions:
1. Think about your teaching context. Choose one type of needs analysis tool and create that tool for
your teaching context. Remember that you can choose from:
 Surveys
 Interviews
 Observations
 Focus groups
2. After you have created one needs analysis tool, submit it for your instructor to review. You can
submit by uploading a file, pasting a link, or writing in a text box.
3. Your instructor will review your tool using the rubric below.

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<<This assignment must be submitted online.>>
<<This is an OPTIONAL assignment. You do not need to submit a tool to pass the course.>>

Module 2, Task 5a: Tips on Conducting a Needs Analysis

Watch a Video (10-25 minutes)
In this video, Emilia gives John some tips on conducting a needs analysis.

Transcript for the video below:

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Emilia: Welcome back, everyone. Good to see you. And great to see you again, John.

John: Thanks! I’ve been pretty busy reading about needs analysis tools and then
creating my own. Whew! Lots of work, but I know that it will be worth it.

Emilia: Yes, it is a lot of work, but your participants will thank you for finding out more
about their interests and needs and then using that information to design the training
to fit their needs.

John: Exactly! So, now that I have my own needs analysis tools, I wanted to get some
tips from you before I actually carry out my needs analysis.

Emilia: Great. I’m glad that you asked me because I can give you some tips based on
mistakes I’ve made in the past. You can learn from my mistakes!

John: Sounds good to me! So what’s the first tip?

Emilia: The first tip is to consider the size of your group and plan accordingly. For
instance, let’s say you have a group of 50 participants and you want to interview them
to find out about their attitudes towards technology.

John: Wow. That would take a long time to interview 50 people!

Emilia: Exactly! So, instead of interviewing all 50 people, you choose 10 people
randomly, for no specific reason, and interview them. This technique is called random
sampling.

John: Okay, let me make sure that I understand this. So instead of interviewing my
whole group, I can choose a part of my group and interview them. What percentage
of my group should I choose?

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Emilia: That’s a great question! 20% of your group is a good general rule. So, if you
have 100 people, you should choose 20 people randomly to interview.

John: Got it! Okay, what’s the next tip?

Emilia: My next tip is to consider the time involved for you and the participants when
conducting your needs analysis. For example, if you are observing participants when
they are teaching, how much time will you spend in the classroom?

John: Yes, if I’m spending an hour in each classroom and I have 10 people to observe,
that will take up quite a bit of time. That doesn’t even include the time that I would be
looking over my notes after the observation.

Emilia: Right. So you definitely need to think about the amount of time involved from
you AND from the participants. If you’re interviewing participants, how much time will
you spend with each participant? Remember that participants are also really busy and
their time is valuable.

John: Good point. I’ll keep track of the time during the interview. If it’s too long, I’ll
shorten it.

Emilia: Yes, you’ve got the right idea. Okay, on to the last tip. The last tip is also
related to time. Make sure that you allow enough time to collect the information and
interpret the results before you plan the training.

John: Okay, yes, after I interpret the results, I will need time to plan the curriculum for
the training. That makes sense. Wow, thanks. This has been really helpful.

Emilia: Glad to hear it. So before you conduct your needs analysis, let's review the tips.

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 John: Ok, first you need to consider the size of your group, then think about the time
involved for you and the participants. Lastly, you should allow enough time to collect
the information and interpret the results before you plan the training.

Emilia: That's right, sounds like you're ready! Good luck, John! I’ll check in with you
again later to see how everything is going. Goodbye for now.

Module 2, Task 5b: Quiz

Take a Quiz (15-25 minutes)
Now that you've watched the video, it's time to take a quiz on what you learned.

<<This quiz must be taken online.>>

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Module 2, Task 6a: Interpreting Needs Analysis Data
Read about how to interpret needs analysis data (45-90 minutes)
Below Emilia and John talk about the next steps in Needs Analysis - interpreting your data. Read their
conversation to learn about compiling your data, identifying patterns, creating and implementing follow-
up tools, and prioritizing the needs. This final step leads into selecting the topic for your training, which
we'll talk about more in Module 3.

Hey John, how's it going?

It’s going well, Emilia. I just completed my needs analysis. I used a survey to ask my
participants about their educational background, teaching experience, teaching
contexts, and interests. Then I observed two of my peers teaching their class.

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 “Class, Discussion Girls” by Andros 1234 on Pixabay is licensed under
CC0

That’s great John. So now you have to interpret your data.

Ok… How do I do that?

Well, your first step is to compile or group your data together in a way that you can
use it. Let’s start with the objective needs data you collected in your survey.
After you receive responses to your survey you want to organize them all together. For
example, you could make a table or spreadsheet where you list all the different
responses to one question or category of questions.

I used an online survey tool actually, and I think it already created a spreadsheet with
the results.

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That’s great John! Yes, one advantage to using an online survey tool is that it probably
will create a table, spreadsheet, or some other document with all your results already
compiled.
And then you want to also compile the responses to the subjective questions in your
survey.

Or have the online tool do it for you!

Ha! Right, John. Ok and how about the observations? You used an observation form,
right?

Yes, I used a form where I took notes on the student participation, the teacher’s
presentation and delivery, instructional materials, organization and time management,
and the classroom environment.

Ok, so now to compile this data you should review your notes and highlight, or
find things you noticed that could be improved.

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Right, so like when I observed Alexandra, I noticed that not all students were
participating and that just one or two students would dominate, or control the
discussions.

Yes, that definitely sounds like a challenge the teacher could work on improving.
Great! I think you’re ready for the next step. Now that you have compiled all your
data, you want to identify patterns, or things that are common among all the
participants. Let’s look back to your survey responses.

Ok, here’s my spreadsheet again with the information I learned about my teacher’s
educational background, teaching experience, language proficiency, and teaching
contexts.

Good, now you should look at that information and summarize it into a description of
your participants. Reviewing your chart, how would you describe your participants?

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 Well, it looks like they all have high school degrees, they’re mostly new teachers with
less than 5 years of experience, they mostly are intermediate level English speakers,
and they all teach high school EFL.

Description of Participants:

 new teachers (2-5 years of experience)

 intermediate level English
 high school EFL

That sounds like a good description. Now let’s look at your data for their problems,
challenges, interests, and goals. What were the most common responses?

Well three teachers said teaching classes with multi-level proficiency was a challenge,
there were several different problems relating to student engagement and
participation, and some problems with classroom management in general.

And their interests and goals?

Well several teachers said they want to improve their own level of English. Five
teachers have goals in improving their students’ grades. And a lot of teachers want to
use more technology in class.

Participant Challenges: Participant Interests and Goals:

 (participants’) language proficiency

 multi-level classes  student performance
 student participation  technology
 classroom management  student centered learning
 content based instruction

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 Ok, and did you notice any patterns or similarities in your
observations?

Yes, I did notice that in both classes not all the students were
participating. But actually, Emilia, I have some more questions about
that and would love to know what the teachers think about engaging
students.
Me too, and that leads me to our third step! So, you don’t
always have to do this step, but sometimes you might want to create
and implement another Needs Analysis tool. If you want more
information or have some more questions you can do a follow-up
tool.

Oh yeah, I bet if I did a focus group I could learn more about the
teachers’ thoughts and opinions about student participation and
engagement.

“Innovation Discussion” by ASU on Flickr is licensed under CCBY 4.0

That’s a great idea! A focus group could give you some ideas to help you
plan your training. But again, this step is optional. If you have compiled your
data, identified patterns, and still have questions, you might want to design
a follow-up tool, a survey, interview, focus group, or observation to get
more information. But if you think you have enough information already,
you can skip this step.
Excellent! We’re almost done. Our last step is to prioritize the needs you
found in your analysis.

Hmm, what does that mean?

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 Well, you found several needs that could lead to training topics and activities, but you
can’t do it all, right?

Right, there’s no way I could plan a training on everything!

Yeah, so you’ll have to prioritize, or put the needs in order of what is the most
important or most common among your participants.
Review the patterns you identified, and now try to select just 2 or 3 of the needs that
were the most common.

Participant Challenges: Participant Interests and Goals:

 multi-level classes  (participants’) language proficiency

 student participation  student performance
 classroom management  technology
 student centered learning
 content based instruction

Ok, well as we already talked about student participation and engagement is definitely
one, and then there was a lot of interest in using more technology in class.

Great, looks like you have some ideas for selecting your training topic! But… don’t
worry about that just yet. We’ll talk more about that next time!

Module 2, Task 6b: Quiz

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Take a Quiz (15-25 minutes)
After reading about interpreting your Needs Analysis results, answer the questions to test your
understanding.

<<This quiz can only be taken online.>>

Module 2, Task 7: Needs Analysis Submission OPTION 1 or OPTION 2

Submit your Needs Analysis (60-180 minutes)
In your next assignment for this course, you will use the template provided to complete your Needs
Analysis. This assignment will allow you to practice using this template, which you can add to
your Training Toolbox for Cascading New Knowledge. In the future this template will help you in
conducting Needs Analysis as you plan trainings and can be shared with participants to use in their own
teaching context.

This assignment is required. However, there are two options for submission. Please use OPTION 1 (this
option). Click Next for an alternative submission option ONLY if you do not have the ability to edit and
upload a Word document.

In this assignment you will conduct your needs analysis and collect information about your training
participants. This process may take extra time, therefore please send your instructor a Canvas message
to ask for an extension if needed.

Or if you are not able to collect data for your needs analysis, please send your instructor a Canvas
message to discuss other options.

Instructions:

To complete this assignment you will conduct your Needs Analysis and reflect on the experience.

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First, download the Needs Analysis Template HERE. This will guide you through the steps of completing
your Needs Analysis. This is the part of the assignment that you will submit. Save the document
as YourName_Needs Analysis (ex. JohnLastName_Needs Analysis) and upload the file.

You will also use the tool you created in Task 4, OR you can use the survey tool that can
be downloaded HERE. You will not be submitting the tool, but rather, using it to collect data for your
Needs Analysis.

See the template and survey tool on the following pages. You can also view an example of the
completed template below. This example received a full score according to the rubric. Do NOT copy
language directly from the example. The example is the work of a former participant in the course. If
you copy their language directly it is considered plagiarism. See the plagiarism policy on the Course
Home page and send your instructor a Canvas message if you have any questions.

Your assignment will be graded using the rubric below:

<<This assignment can only be submitted online.>>

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MODULE 2 Task 7 Needs Analysis Template

In your next assignment for this course, you will use this template to complete your Needs
Analysis and share your experience. You can use the tool provided (below) or if you created a
tool in Task 4, please use your tool to get the data. In the future, this template will help you in
conducting Needs Analysis as you plan trainings and can be shared with participants to use in
their context.
Plan how you will conduct your Needs Analysis. Think about what you have read about the
process and Emilia’s tips for John. As you read in Task 3a, we want to get data from all of our
stakeholders, but for this template you will just practice getting information from teachers.

STEP 1 Plan

Answer the questions below to describe your plan.

1. Will you use the Needs Analysis Survey Tool provided or a tool you created? If you are using
your own tool, what type of tool will you use?

2. Will you get data from all of your teachers or a random sample? How many teachers will you
survey (interview, use in a focus group, or observe)?

3. When and how will you conduct your Needs Analysis? (ex. In our weekly teachers’ meeting I
will ask the teachers to complete the survey. Or ex. I will distribute the survey to all the teachers
on Monday and ask them to return it to me no later than Wednesday).

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STEP 2 Conduct

Conduct your Needs Analysis. Now that you have planned, you're ready to conduct your own needs
analysis.

Use your needs analysis tool that you created or the provided survey tool in your teaching context.
For example, if you are using the provided survey, give the survey to the teachers in your school and
collect the results.

STEP 3 Share and Reflect

Share and reflect on your experience conducting your Needs Analysis.

Think about the questions below and write your answers. Write 4-10 sentences.

 How would you describe your experience with conducting your needs analysis?
 What went well with your needs analysis?
 What would you do differently next time?
 Would you make any changes to the tool you used?

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MODULE 2 Task 7 Needs Analysis Survey

In preparation for our training session, I would like to know more about your teaching background and
experience and your interests, goals, and learning preferences. This information will help me to design
the training to best meet your needs and interests. The survey should only take 5-15 minutes, and your
responses are completely anonymous.

Thank you for your participation!

INSTRUCTIONS: Please mark your answer with an (X) or write your answers on the lines provided.

ex. What is your favorite color?

o blue
o orange
Xo yellow

1. Please describe your current teaching assignment (full-time/part-time, grade level, type of
school/program, etc.):

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. How many years of teaching experience do you have?

o 0 to 2 years
o 3 to 5 years
o 6 to 10 years
o more than 10 years

3. What is the highest level of education that you possess?

o High School degree

o Bachelor’s degree
o Master’s degree
o Doctoral degree
o Other: _______________________

4. What do you think is your strongest skill area as a teacher?

o listening

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 o speaking
o reading
o writing

5. What do you think is your weakest skill area as a teacher?

o listening
o speaking
o reading
o writing

6. How interested would you be in attending a training on the following topics? Please rate your level of
interest:

No interest Some interest High interest

classroom
management

project based
learning

using technology

teaching
pronunciation

developing critical
thinking skills

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7. How would you describe yourself as a learner? Please rate the following statements as they apply to
your learning preferences:

Never Sometimes Often

I prefer explanations with
visual aids (graphs, pictures,
etc.).

I like to use my hands and

make something in class.

I prefer to read a textbook

rather than listen to a lecture.

I remember something better

if I repeat it out loud than
write it down.

I like to draw pictures and

graphs when I take notes.

8. What do you think is the biggest challenge in your teaching?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

9. What is one of your goals for improving your teaching in the next semester or school year?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Module 2, Task 7: Sample Needs Analysis

You can view an example of the completed template below. This example received a full score according
to the rubric. Do NOT copy language directly from the example. The example is the work of a former
40
participant in the course. If you copy their language directly it is considered plagiarism. See the
plagiarism policy on the Course Home page and send your instructor a Canvas message if you have any
questions.

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Module 2, Task 8: Conclusion
Watch a Video (5-10 minutes)
In this video, Emilia and John discuss this module and preview the next module. Here is a transcript of
the video:
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Emilia: Welcome back everyone. I hope you’ve enjoyed creating and conducting your
own needs analysis. I’m sure that you’ve learned a lot during this process.

John: I know I have! At the beginning of this module, I didn’t even know what a needs
analysis was and now I have carried out my own! I learned about so many different
types...surveys, interviews, observations, and focus groups. So many tools to choose
from!
Emilia: Yes. You have a variety of ways to learn about the participants’ objective and
subjective needs.

John: Right. And I learned about creating follow-up tools after analyzing the results.
That was really helpful when I met with a focus group.

Emilia: Absolutely. Now that you have gathered and prioritized some valuable
information about your participants’ needs, you’re going to use it in the next module.

John: I figured that it was all part of the plan. What are we doing next?

Emilia: We’re going to use the information from your needs analysis to create learning
objectives.

John: Sounds exciting! I can’t wait to find out more.

Emilia: You won’t have to wait long! See you soon.

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