Needs Assesment

A needs assessment is a “process for defining the gaps between current and desired results and selecting options of closing those gaps” (Kaufman, 1994, p. 22). A gap is defined as a conflict between existing competencies, skills or job performance and what is expected by the organization. Simply put, a gap is a “discrepancy between what the organization expects to happen and what actually happens” (Perera, 2009, p. 18). Once a gap is defined, the assessment is the basis for developing objectives, design, instructional method, and follow up measurements so that the organization can accomplish its goals (Muller, 2010).

Project Overview and Technology Organizational Needs Assessment

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Technology Needs Assessment 3

Problem Statement 8

Project Goals 8

Project Objectives 8

Conclusion 9

References 10

Introduction

Kurzweil predicts that “in 2009, while schools are still not on the cutting edge, the profound importance of the computer as a knowledge tool is widely recognized. Computers play a central role in all facets of education, as they do in other spheres of life” (Kurzweil, 1999, p. 276). It is now 2006 and Kurzweil’s prediction of the computer being widely recognized as a knowledge tool is ahead of schedule. It is also true that schools are far from being on the cutting edge. Some schools are better than others, but the computer is sorely lacking in the classroom.

The writer’s organization is a proprietary art college in Central Florida. The school is part of a large corporation that oversees more than sixty schools across the United States. Thirty one of the schools are art colleges. The art colleges are leaders in using the computer in the classroom. The corporation takes pride in putting high end technology in front of students to produce commercial art work in the form of graphic design, interactive design, digital video and animation. Often students choose the proprietary art college over community college...