Reflections on Program Planning

I found it interesting to hear about the planning of programs from our class of diverse students and our guest speakers who all hail from various backgrounds.  What I take away initially is how all planning does not take place in the classroom.  Our guest speaker, Pierre Dobson, informed us of how the program planning he designs is for a corporate entity and the tasks he has to complete to ensure everyone involved knows what is expected of the program and its participants.  Our classmate, Maria Semby, often develops her Spanish language programs so that they are more of a social event to ease the tension of her participants. She professes that having the learning set up like a social event is a way to help the learners participate more freely.

I understand how having solid learning objectives for your participants can help to ensure that what is being taught will be learned, absorbed and used by your adult students.  Using action words to describe what the participants will walk away with learning from the program or workshop will be helpful in assessing whether or not the program objectives have been met.

One of the challenges I know I am going to face in creating a literacy center is the ability to get together a core group of people who will act as a support system for me and the Center.  Additionally, finding a location was mentioned as one of the key components to having a successful workshop.  The location can make or break a program if it does not fit into the needs of the participants.  If it is not near transportation or has limited access to transportation it will not be feasible for many adults.  There are so many factors to look at when planning programs and thankfully Caffarella’s Interactive Model of Program Planning looks at almost any  situation we may encounter as planners.  Because of the circular diagram, I am reminded that no one section is more important than the other and that no section has to be completed before the other sections are handled.  In fact, this model can be broken down and delegated to the planning committee who can later meet to determine if all aspects have been completed or satisfied.

In the end, I am thrilled to have taken this class and not only learn from our instructor, Denise Williams, Ed.D., but also our class and guest speakers who have brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise into these 15 weeks.

Needs Assessments

Needs assessment is a major and primary step in most program planning modes. There are five areas a planner should consider when developing a workshop or program: context, scope, coordinator, standards and ground rules. In considering context, the planner should assess the organization's mission, goal, resources, location subject matter content as well as the participants to be served. When looking at scope, the planner is to take into account the obstacles, incentives, timing, methods, even what data to collect. Coordinator is important because this person is responsible for the needs assessment. Will the person be internal or external? There are a multitude of reasons why an organization may choose an internal person rather than an external person. Will the effort be collaborative or solitary? This information is important as it will be used to validate or negate the need for the program and the data collected should be objective. Therefore, when looking at standards, a planner must ensure that the data received must be accurate, reliable and valid. Lastly, the planner should take into account the ground rules by stating what they will be to conduct a sound assessment and increase cooperation.

Types of Needs Assessments

Surveys (See surveymonkey.com)
Observations
Interviews
Focus groups/forums (30 participants is a good number of participants)
Job and task analysis
Tests
Information from printed materials
Performance and product reviews
Conversations and informal data

Important points to remember when looking at needs assessment:

- Clarify the purpose of the needs assessment.
- Consider various types of needs assessment.
- Involve potential participants in needs of assessment.
- Consider formal needs assessment if program or participants are new.
- Clarify standards and ground rules.
- Recognize indicators of unmet learning needs.
- Include multiple sources to identify common themes.
- Ensure sources are credible so findings will be reliable.
- Use existing data when possible.
- Research or review characteristics of adult learners.