Know Thy Learners: Doing Needs Assessment

Time of huge auditoriums or Zoom calls of learners that quietly and diligently take notes while the orator speaks has shown us that it’s not an optimal way to learn, especially gain (soft) skills. Today, we will write about easy methods that you can use to truly come to know your learners to provide experiential, learner-centered learning courses. 

READING EXISTING RESEARCH 

Be sure to not invest a lot of time and energy if someone has already done it. Look into statistical databases of your country for basic questions you have. 

The Internet has made scientific research more accessible than ever. To avoid paywall(s), look for free databases. While looking, keep in mind some criteria: for example, the database has a clear mission statement, includes peer-reviewed articles, has an editorial board, and publication history. We recommend starting with CORE, Directory of Open Acess Journals, and ScienceOpen. 

SURVEYS

Making a survey online is a fast and easy way to gather a lot of responses from many learners at once. It is usually used for quantitative data (“What length of lecture videos do you prefer?”), but can also include qualitative data (“What topics in civic education should we prepare in video format?”). 

Most of the online tools also do a basic analysis and visualization of data. A good free and user-friendly option is Google Forms. For some reliant paid and versatile tools that require a learning curve, in the beginning, we recommend Lime Survey and Alchemer. 

INTERVIEWS 

Interviews provide a chance for in-depth analysis of a select number of your learners. When choosing your subjects, choose those that represent either your average learner or a specific subgroup you want to analyze (for example, learners with disabilities). 

The complexity of interview questions varies depending on your needs and objectives. If you want to compare multiple learners, use structured or semi-structured interviews. Structured interviews have the same set of questions for everyone, no matter their words. Semistructured interviews have a couple of the leading questions, but sub-questions are left to the interviewer and you can choose them depending on the answers you receive. 

Unstructured interviews are closest to everyday conversation, and will also help you build relationships with your learners. They are good to use when you know little about your learners in advance, so you don’t limit them. On the other hand, unstructured interviews are the hardest to analyze. 

Using conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet offers you the option of recording your interviews for later analysis. You can use programs like NVIVO or MAXQDA to help you with that, as well as transcription, but they do ask more time of you to master them. They are not free but offer free trial periods. 

FOCUS GROUPS

In a focus group, you can gather a select few learners that will discuss their interests, needs, and expectations from learning opportunities. It is best to include learners from various backgrounds so the discussion can flourish. 

It is good to have a focus group protocol that includes the opening game or activity to relax your participants, a set of rules that provide boundaries and security, and a closing activity for reflection and summary of the main conclusions. 

Author: M.C. 

RESOURCES 

Gerring, J. (2001). Social Science Methodology. New York: Cambridge University Press. 

Gubrium, J., & Holstein, J. (Eds.). (2002). Handbook of interviewing: Context and method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D. L., & Krueger, R. A. (1998). The focus group kit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Roulston, K., deMarrais, K., Lewis, J.B. (2003). Learning to Interview in the Social Sciences. Qualitative Inquiry, 9, 643 – 668. doi: 10.1177/1077800403252736