Description
Engage in preliminary steps to prepare for conducting a needs assessment by focusing on retention issues at an Arkansas Community College. As a part of this preliminary work, you will interview the Vice-President of Student Affairs in the organization.
Accurately and precisely defining the problem of practice you choose to address for your doctoral project is the foundation of your entire applied improvement project (AIP). In almost all cases, the problem of practice can be defined in terms of a gap between a current unacceptable or suboptimal state and a future improved state. The goal of this gap analysis is to find the difference between the current reality and the desired or expected state of performance in your organizational setting.
Leaders, both formal and informal, are critical to effectively addressing problems of practice. Understanding various leadership models and being able to work with the leaders who express those styles are invaluable skills to possess as you work to uncover and address organizational problems of practice.
To prepare for this assessment: Identify an organization that can serve as the research site for your applied improvement project (AIP). Identify an area of interest at that organization from which you might formulate a problem of practice. Describe a problem of practice related to a current issue. Identify a problem of practice, not a solution to a problem. For instance, training is a solution, not a problem. Bear in mind that this is a preliminary description of the problem. You will need to keep an open mind because you will dig deeper into the problem in future assessments. Explain the benefits of conducting a needs assessment to investigate the problem. Determine whether your scope is strategic, tactical, or operational. In your explanation, consider the following questions: What information might you uncover when conducting a needs assessment? How would the information you uncover help define or redefine the problem? Identify and interview a leader or stakeholder at that organization to gain insight into and in-depth knowledge about the potential problem of practice. Your interviewee should be familiar with and have some accountability for the issue you are studying. Your conversation will have two main purposes: To articulate the purpose of your needs assessment and to gain permission to conduct the needs assessment. You will need the support of key executive or leadership staff to conduct your proposed needs assessment, with the goal that this assessment will pave the way for an organizational improvement project you will undertake as part of your doctoral capstone project requirements. Note: you will be required to produce evidence that you have this support.
You will need to arrange for data collection for your needs assessment. Negotiate an agreement on data-collection methods at your meeting. You may need to conduct interviews, hold a focus-group interview, distribute a survey, or conduct observations. You will need to review documents or existing data, such as student performance data.
To capture key insights, facts, and opinions about the nature and causes of the issue you are investigating.
Choose an interviewee who can help focus your efforts. You want his or her responses to help you explore and better understand the context, causes, and background of the issue under study so you can determine the next steps.
You may find that your initial definition of the issue has evolved slightly or even changed significantly after your interview. Plan on revising the problem or opportunity in light of the insights you gain from the interview. Use the following prompts to structure a preliminary report on identifying your problem of practice:
Provide a brief organizational overview. Identify the type of organization it is. Note the size of the organization: the approximate number of employees, teachers, and students or clients. Describe the organization’s mission or purpose. Describe the organizational issue you will be exploring or investigating. Describe the general issue, process, or organizational challenge to be explored as a potential applied improvement project (AIP). Where in the organization can the problem be seen? Describe the specific process, activity, or task that needs to improve. What is the existing problem with that process, activity, or task? Why do you think this problem is occurring? Explain why you believe this organizational problem or opportunity should be investigated. Explain how the issue is related to the organizational mission, vision, or values. Describe any legal, regulatory, or ethical components or consequences related to this issue if left unattended. Explain why this problem matters to the organization and what could happen if it is not improved. Describe needs assessment details. Cite organizational documents, course texts, journal articles, and other credible sources.
Apply current edition APA style and formatting conventions when citing sources. Identify (by role) the organizational members whose support you will need to conduct an assessment of this problem. Explain the type of needs assessment you anticipate will be needed: strategic, tactical, or operational. Explain the benefits of needs assessment in investigating the problem. Explain how support for a needs assessment and an eventual applied improvement project (your AIP) were secured. If support was not gained, explain what your next steps will be to obtain it. Provide evidence that you enlisted the support of the interviewee for conducting the hands-on research (survey, interview, existing records review, and so on) required to do your needs assessment on that issue. Describe leader or stakeholder interview results and impacts. Explain how a preliminary interview can inform further research regarding an organizational performance issue. Describe the nature and cause of the performance issue as communicated to you by your interviewee. Discuss how the interview results will inform further research for your needs assessment. List any questions the results raise for you. List the additional information will you need to gather. Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.Add Interview questions and responses
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