Needs Assessment In Curriculum Development

Curriculum Development. Curriculum development should be viewed as a process by which meeting learners’ needs leads to improvement of learners’ learning. Therefore, curriculum developers should gather as much information as possible toward the learners’ needs. Those who are affected by the curriculum should be involved in the process of planning and then in the process of implantation and evaluation (Lunenborg and Ornstein, 2012)

Reyes and Dizon (2015) and Bilbao, Lucido, Iringan, and Javier (2011) claimed that there are three types of curriculum:

1) The intended curriculum – content specified by the state/ province course or at a particular grade level,district or school, which must be addressed in a particular

2) The implemented curriculum-content

Improving results - that is, moving from current to desired performance - is typically a worthwhile and valuable effort. The results of a needs assessment will guide subsequent decisions—including the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects and programs that will lead to achieving desired results (Watkins, 2012).

Completing a needs assessment is the first step in the cycle of improvement. The real work begins with using the findings to develop an improvement plan (including immediate next steps, milestones, goals, and timelines) and then implementing that plan. Short-cycle and longer-range plans are ideal, with periodic review of progress and plan adjustments.

Purposes of Needs Assessment

Needs assessment is an initial step in designing a course which motivates the subsequent course activities through its validity and relevancy. According to Richards (2002), “on his discussion toward needs assessment, the first step in conducting a needs assessment is to decide exactly what its purpose or purposes are”. The following are some of the major purposes of needs

Diagnostic assessment establishes a baseline for standards within the course, allows student to determine their preparedness for their current learning activities and also permit teachers to adjust their introductory activities so that majority of the learners are able to participate at a meaningful level. Formative assessment intends to improve the teaching and learning process through the feedback it gathers. Summative assessment is used primarily for progression and certification purposes. Integrative assessment describes specific types of task with specific outcomes and reward mechanism. The primary purpose of this assessment is to provide feedback (judgement) on the learner’s ability to be self-regulated. The following are the characteristics of integrative