FYI
Begin forwarded message:
From: Darlene Russ-Eft <zmresearch@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Spring Needs Assessment TIG update: AEA Ohio 2018
Date: March 2, 2018 at 2:36:04 PM EST
To: lhites@xxxxxxx, catherine.sleezer@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: rwatkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, altschuld.1@xxxxxxx, HsinLing.Hung@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
yifanglee2@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Lisle and All,
Another issue is that Cathy and I are seeking needs assessment case studies
for a book to be published by Sage. So, if you or others are interested, we
would love to hear from you. Here are more of the details:
I am writing to you to invite you or one of your colleagues to submit a case
for the textbook, Casebook of Needs Assessments, which will be published by
Sage. The aim of this textbook is to help students apply the abstract
concepts and theories of needs assessment in dynamic real-world
organizations. The textbook will be used in graduate-and undergraduate
courses in Instructional Design and Technology, Program Planning, Human
Resource Development, Adult Education, and Evaluation.
As you know, needs assessment is often presented as a linear process devoid
of influences. However, the cases in this text will show real-world
applications of needs assessments, which are influenced by the
characteristics of the analyst, the decision makers, and the organization.
The influences include politics, culture, language, competing interests,
interactions among people in social situations, technology choices, and much
more..
For example, whether a needs assessment is conducted in an institution of
higher education on a routine basis for updating an academic program or in a
multi-national organization as needed to address specific strategic
needs—whatever type of organization, the analyst must understand how the
organization does its work, its culture and so forth. In the past, students
and HR professionals armed themselves with the jargon of needs assessment
before venturing into an organization (gap analysis, needs analysis vs needs
assessment, performance improvement potential, etc.) and business leaders
were expected to learn their jargon. By contrast, students and needs
assessment professionals today are expected to quickly understand the
industry and the business of the organization and have the know-how to
contribute their specialized knowledge to the organization. This expectation
presents a challenge for novices who have little experience in translating
needs assessment concepts into organizational contexts, little understanding
of the real-world applications of needs assessments, and/or little knowledge
of how to successfully conduct a needs assessment when there are competing
interests. This textbook will address the challenge by presenting 20
real-world case studies including discussions the influences and the issues
that had to be addressed for success. You are invited to submit an original
case study for this book.
Each case study should be a maximum of 3500 words, use APA format, and
contain the following information:
1. Abstract (50-75 words)
2. Background: Describe why you are conducting a needs
assessment and the presenting problems.
3. Profile of the organization: This includes organization
type (i.e., higher education, business & industry, government, health care,
non-governmental organizations) and size (small
business / organization, large national organization, global organization)
4. Pre-assessment information: for example, describe what
led to the decision to conduct a needs assessment, the boundaries for the
effort, the key players, and the focus of the needs
assessment (i.e. individuals, team, organization, or community)
5. Needs Assessment Process: This including the needs
assessment approach (i.e., knowledge and skill assessment, job and task
analysis, competency-based needs
assessment, strategic needs assessment, complex needs assessment), data
collection (e.g., surveys, interviews,
observations, archival records, some combination) and data analysis
6. Results of the needs assessment
7. Influences: (e.g., politics, culture, language,
interactions among people in social situations, and so forth)
8. Issues and challenges Describe issues, problems, and
challenges that had to be addressed for success and how you addressed them.
9. Discussion questions
10. The author (i.e., your name and institution as you want it
to appear in the publication)
11. References
To meet the publication deadline the schedule is
Completed by:
Mar 12, 2018
Authors submit abstracts & outlines of the cases [and we can be flexible on
this date]
Mar 19, 2018
Feedback to authors on abstracts and outlines
April 30, 2018
Authors submit completed cases
June 25, 2018
Feedback to authors on completed cases
Sept 10, 2018
Nov 12, 2018
Authors submit revised case studies
Submit final manuscript to Sage
We want this book to include different types of organizations, approaches to
needs assessment and problems and issues. Cases will be selected for
inclusion in the book based on their ability to contribute to the book’s
purpose. Given that we want an honest reporting of the case, we require that
the organization’s name be anonymous as well the names of decision makers and
individuals involved in the case study. As we review the cases, we will
follow up with each contributor with feedback and questions, as needed. We
hope you contribute to this effort.
Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions.
Regards,
Darlene
On behalf of:
Thomas Michael Power
Darlene Russ Eft
Cathy Sleezer
Darlene Russ-Eft
zmresearch@xxxxxxx <mailto:zmresearch@xxxxxxx>
