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Organizations in the private and public sector provide employee training for different reasons and cover a variety of subject and skill areas. In some cases, training is provided without implementing the complete instructional design process, omitting the needs assessment and analysis step, which can result in less than desired training outcomes. Research details challenges that private and public sector organizations encounter related to needs assessments, along with the benefits of assessing needs prior to the design of a training program. This development study and research supports these details. As a part of this research, a needs assessment tool was designed to assist instructional designers and training managers gather key information to better determine if training is needed and to identify the best means for moving through the instructional design process. An expert review of the needs assessment tool validated the tool and provided feedback for further development of the tool. This study presents the challenges and benefits of identifying needs, describes the development of a needs assessment tool, analyzes and summarizes expert review and feedback, and suggests potential revisions to the tool. / Doctor of Philosophy / Organizations in the private and public sector provide employee training for different reasons and cover a variety of subject and skill areas. In some cases, training is provided without implementing the complete instructional design process. The complete instructional design process involves conducting a needs assessment, analyzing the needs assessment, designing a learning plan, developing the instruction based on the learning plan, implementing the instruction, and evaluating the instructional outcomes. When the first step, conducting the needs assessment is omitted, in some cases this may result in less than desired training outcomes. Research details challenges that private and public sector organizations encounter related to needs assessments, along with the benefits of assessing needs prior to the design of a training program. This development study and research supports these details. As a part of this research, a needs assessment tool was designed to assist training developers, instructional designers, and training managers gather key information to better determine if training is needed and to identify the best means for moving through the instructional design process. A group of individuals who work in the training and instructional design field, also referred to as expert reviewers, reviewed and validated the needs assessment tool and provided feedback for further development of the tool. This study presents the challenges and benefits of assessing needs, describes the development of a needs assessment tool, analyzes and summarizes the expert review and feedback, and suggests potential revisions to the tool.

The Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia is largely defined by its abundant water resources. These water resources are also a source of unique issues for the region. Specifically, water quality challenges related to the Chesapeake Bay and recurrent flooding are the major concerns. Green infrastructure (GI) has emerged in recent years as an alternative to traditional stormwater conveyance and detention focused systems. GI practices focus on integrating infiltration, evapotranspiration, and other components of the water cycle into more conventional stormwater management systems. These systems provide several positive benefits, including local water quality and quantity control, community revitalization, and various public health benefits. In addition, GI implementation has seen strong levels of support from the Cooperative Extension System, with Extension faculty and staff around the U.S. supporting local municipalities through GI research, promotion, and program development. Despite widespread interest, GI has been slow to be adopted due to various barriers to its implementation. This study sought to identify the major barriers to the implementation of GI practices in Hampton Roads by conducting a needs assessment. Municipal stormwater staff were invited to participate in an online survey aimed at identifying the most significant barriers in the region. At the same time, local staff with Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) were interviewed to explore their potential to become involved in promoting GI adoption in Hampton Roads. Survey respondents and interview participants found common ground in identifying costs, funding, and maintenance issues as the most significant barriers to GI implementation in Hampton Roads. In addition, VCE staff were found to be well suited to support widespread GI adoption in the region, having familiarity with the GI concept and access to unique resources in the form of knowledgeable Master Gardener volunteers and connections to Virginia Tech. Recommendations for VCE involvement in promoting GI in Hampton Roads include conducting cost studies, developing and hosting maintenance training programs, and taking advantage of partnerships to identify and obtain funding from diverse sources. By focusing on these widely acknowledged challenges at the regional scale, VCE can support GI implementation throughout all of Hampton Roads. / Master of Science / Hampton Roads is a region with a history and economy tied to its local waters. Today, the region is facing significant challenges related to these waters, including frequent flooding impacts on residents and pollution control needs for the nearby Chesapeake Bay. Green infrastructure (GI), a relatively new approach to managing water in cities, could help local governments address these challenges. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), an organization formed through a partnership between federal and local governments and land grant universities in Virginia, seeks to meet community needs through community outreach and educational programs. As a community-centered organization with a history of advancing environmental education, VCE may also be an important partner for municipalities in Hampton Roads interested in adopting GI practices. To identify the barriers to GI in Hampton Roads and the potential role of VCE in addressing them, a needs assessment of municipalities in the region with stormwater permits was conducted. Based collected documents, surveys of municipal staff, and interviews with VCE personnel, three major barriers to GI adoption were identified. Permitted municipalities in Hampton Roads are uncertain of GI costs, have limited funds to support GI practices, and lack the knowledge and resources needed to maintain GI practices over time. VCE can help municipalities address these challenges using its many resources. Through its connection to Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, VCE can help in developing cost research studies for Hampton Roads. As an educational organization, VCE can also help municipalities win funding for GI projects that they would otherwise not have access to. Finally, local Virginia Tech faculty at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center and experienced Master Gardener volunteers can work to develop GI maintenance training resources for maintenance staff throughout the region. With its strong background, expert knowledge, and existing connections in the region, VCE can play an important role in addressing the GI adoption challenges in Hampton Roads.

Needs assessment plays a vital role in the field of instructional design. It is considered essential to determine whether instructional needs exist, and to then specify interventions appropriate for the context examined. This process involves the thoughtful analysis of the learner, the task, and the context. Despite the importance of this process, the literature appears to lack recent publications on needs assessment processes in international settings. Given the limited examination of the implementation of the needs assessment process within the context of different countries and cultures, a need exists for the development of a revised needs assessment model for use within international settings. Witkin and Altschuld (1995) have suggested a three-phase model for conducting needs assessments taking place in large organizational change and development contexts. This study attempts to describe the development and the validation process for the three-phase model that has been developed in the United States so that it may be adopted in an international context (Saudi Arabia). Using developmental research methods, the construction and validation of the model for the Saudi context occurred in three phases including: analysis, validation, and revision (Richeyand Klein, 2008). In phase one, a comprehensive overview of the literature was used as a theoretical foundation for developing the three-phase model. In phase two, formative evaluation of the model was conducted by two expert reviewers followed by an open-ended survey of practitioners and scholars in the instructional design field (N = 15). In phase three, the three-phase model was further revised and modified based on the results of the formative evaluation. Data analysis procedures followed qualitative methodologies. Triangulation of the findings from the literature review, expert review, and open-ended survey provided the validation for the three-phase model. As a result, a culturally-based model considering contextual, social, cultural, and political aspects was developed for the Saudi context. This model is proposed to enable instructional designers and developers in the Instructional Design field to better understand the local contextual and cultural factors prior to actual implementation of the needs assessment into the new country. Recommendations were given to practitioners choosing to use the culturally-based model in the Saudi context, and suggestions for future research were provided / Ph. D. / This paper proposes a new revised model of needs assessment for international context. A previous work called “three-phase model” was developed by Witkin and Altschuld (1995) to help practitioners in the United States to conduct needs assessments taking place in large organizational change and development contexts. Given the limited examination of the implementation of needs assessment process internationally, this study attempts to describe the development and the validation process for the three-phase model to be adopted in an international context (Saudi Arabia). Using developmental research methods, the construction and validation of the model for the Saudi context occurred in three phases including: analysis, validation, and revision (Richey& Klein, 2008). In phase one, a comprehensive overview of the literature was used as a theoretical foundation for developing the three-phase model. In phase two, formative evaluation of the model was conducted by two expert reviewers followed by an open-ended survey of practitioners and scholars in the instructional design field (N = 15). In phase three, the three-phase model was further revised and modified based on the results of the formative evaluation. Data analysis procedures followed qualitative methodologies. Triangulation of the findings from the literature review, expert review, and open-ended survey provided the validation for the three-phase model. As a result, a culturally-based model considering contextual, social, cultural, and political aspects was developed for the Saudi context. This model is proposed to enable instructional designers and developers in the Instructional Design field to better understand the local contextual and cultural factors prior to actual implementation of the needs assessment into the new country. Recommendations were given to practitioners choosing to use the culturally-based model in the Saudi context, and suggestions for future research were provided.

Caregivers in children’s homes are the front-end workers who care for looked-after children daily. Looked-after children in children’s homes constitute a particularly vulnerable group, who are known to reveal mental health problems, which complicate the care-giving role. In conjunction with the lack of training and support, caregivers experience great challenges. This research study explores and describes the training and holistic care-giving needs of caregivers, by applying qualitative needs assessment design, where the responses of 12caregivers are explored and described. Data from the literature and semi-structured interviews and questionnaires was categorised into themes. Overarching findings include altruistic needs, the need for support and to be valued, with the researcher making recommendations and providing a convincing argument for immediate therapeutic support for caregivers. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Caregivers in children’s homes are the front-end workers who care for looked-after children daily. Looked-after children in children’s homes constitute a particularly vulnerable group, who are known to reveal mental health problems, which complicate the care-giving role. In conjunction with the lack of training and support, caregivers experience great challenges. This research study explores and describes the training and holistic care-giving needs of caregivers, by applying qualitative needs assessment design, where the responses of 12caregivers are explored and described. Data from the literature and semi-structured interviews and questionnaires was categorised into themes. Overarching findings include altruistic needs, the need for support and to be valued, with the researcher making recommendations and providing a convincing argument for immediate therapeutic support for caregivers. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

IT-system är idag en del av i stort sett varje organisation. Tidigare forskning har visat attinförandet och användningen av nya IT-system påverkar organisationens struktur, aktiviteteroch aktörer och att mer forskning behövs för att förstå hur IT-systemen förändrarorganisatoriska processer. Äldreomsorgen är ett exempel på en kontext där mer forskningbehövs enligt tidigare forskning. Det blir allt vanligare att Sveriges kommuner implementerararbetssättet “Individens Behov I Centrum” (IBIC) i äldreomsorgen, vilket förändrar hurbedömning av individers behov utförs. Som stöd i arbetet med behovsbedömning i enlighetmed IBIC har flera av landets kommuner börjat använda behovsbedömningssystemet Kuben.Studien syftar till att bidra med ny kunskap om hur IT-system förändrar organisatoriskaprocesser. Med en abduktiv ansats och kvalitativa intervjuer som metod belyser vi i dennastudie hur Kuben förändrat behovsbedömningsprocessen utifrån en handläggares perspektiv.Med utgångspunkt i vår litteraturstudies tre förändringsområden visade resultatet exempelvisatt Kubens avsaknad av integrering med kommunernas verksamhetssystem leder till en ökadrisk för felaktiga behovsbedömningar. Samtidigt visade resultatet även att användning avKuben bland annat leder till en högre kvalitet i behovsbedömningen. Om förändringen ikvaliteten beror på användning av Kuben eller IBIC är dock svårt att avgöra eftersom Kubenoch IBIC i de flesta fall har införts samtidigt. Studiens slutsatser har bidragit tillrekommendationer för organisationer som avser att implementera behovsbedömningssystemsamt riktlinjer för framtida forskning. / IT systems are today part of virtually every organization. Previous research has shown thatthe introduction and use of new IT systems affects the structure, activities and actors of theorganization and that more research is needed to understand how IT systems changeorganizational processes. According to previous research the elderly care is an example of acontext where more research is needed. It is becoming increasingly common for Sweden'smunicipalities to implement the "Individens behov i centrum" approach (IBIC) in the elderlycare, which changes how assessment of individuals' needs is carried out. In support of thework on needs assessment in accordance with IBIC, several of the country's municipalitieshave started to use the needs assessment system Kuben. The aim of this study is to contributewith new knowledge about how IT systems change organizational processes. Using anabductive approach and qualitative interviews as a method, we illustrate how Kuben haschanged the needs assessment process from the perspective of a practitioner. On the basis ofthe three areas of change in our literature study, the results showed for example that Kubenslack of integration with the municipalities' ERP systems leads to an increased risk of incorrectneeds assessments. At the same time, the results also showed for example that the use ofKuben leads to higher quality in the needs assessment. However, whether the change inquality is due to the use of Kuben or IBIC is difficult to determine since in most cases Kubenand IBIC have been introduced simultaneously. The study's conclusions have contributed torecommendations for organizations that intend to implement needs assessment systems aswell as guidelines for future research.

Class of 2009 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: Truck drivers one of the most vital components of a country’s economy, and also one of the most medically underserved populations. To date, few studies have explored the healthcare needs of over the road truck drivers. The objective of this study is to determine if a need exists for the creation of a healthcare education program for over the road truck drivers and if retail pharmacy could be an effective setting for such a program. METHODS: A needs assessment analysis was used to examine available literature concerning the healthcare of over the road truck drivers. A multi-question survey was designed to illicit the feasibility of initiating a healthcare education program to over the road truck drivers in a retail pharmacy setting. This survey was administered to third year pharmacy interns, and 67 completed surveys were collected. RESULTS: Statistics from the selected literature showed over the road truck drivers had increased health risks and barriers to receive proper healthcare. Sixty-two percent of the pharmacy interns felt they could help provide healthcare education to over the road truck drivers, but 71% of interns felt that management wanted to have as little time as possible expended providing education and counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Over the road truck drivers are at increased risk of healthcare problems due to the demands of the profession and a healthcare education program is warranted to help

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 2016. / INTRODUCTION: Homoeopathy is a medical system that offers a gentle approach to healing. In the Republic of South Africa, homoeopathic medicines are readily available in most retail pharmacies, hyper-stores, supermarkets and health shops. It is common and expected that in a pharmacy setting, one will find a qualified pharmacist dispensing medicines he/she is highly knowledgeable about, as well as advising customers/patients on the indication, administration and contraindications of these medicines. With this premise in mind, where complementary and alternative medicines are sold, we ideally expect qualified personnel dispensing and advising customers on the use of complementary and alternative medicines also not only conventional medicines. At the time of conducting this study, the knowledge of pharmacy staff was questionable pertaining to the depth of homoeopathic knowledge they possess, as there is limited formal training available on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their curriculum in South Africa. It has been noted that, prior to the development of short courses, a needs analysis should be conducted. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the needs of pharmacy front shop assistants when dealing with homoeopathic medicines with the prospect of developing a short course. METHODOLOGY: The research was a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study. A measurement of views on what homoeopathy is, where pharmacy staff currently attain training on homoeopathy, and perceptions on the need for further training were conducted by means of a semi structured interview guide. Tesch’s Eight Step method was utilised for data analysis. CONCLUSION: The study clearly highlighted that there exists a poor level of knowledge of homoeopathy amongst pharmacy staff in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, at the time of conducting the study. Despite low knowledge levels, the study was able to establish a keen interest amongst pharmacy staff on furthering and advancing their knowledge of homoeopathy to better serve the public and improve the quality of health care offered by pharmacy staff. / M

Since the implementation of the latest reform in the education programs of Quebec, the adaptation of teaching has taken on an important place in the concerns of all actors in education. However, this adjustment towards the adoption of teaching practices that require more participation on the part of the pupil is not accomplished so easily, particularly in the field of science and technology (ST). In order to gain a better understanding of these processes of adaptation, it is opportune to question ourselves on the factors and dynamics of interest at stake, especially in disadvantaged environments. Such environments are faced with situations where other difficulties coexist: integration of pupils, lack of interest, problems in classroom management, multi-ethnicity, etc. As a result, such difficulties give rise. to particular limitations, expressed in the form of needs, by pupils and teachers, likely to have a restrictive effect on the adaptation of teaching practices. Accordingly, our research focuses on the needs perceived by teachers in high school ST classrooms in disadvantaged school environments, since they present a privileged means to better understand the processes involved in the adaptation of practices. The adoption of an ecosystemic perspective, centered on these needs and their contribution towards the dynamics of decision-making, enabled us to better apprehend the complexity of these processes in ST classrooms. We were able to identify the needs perceived by teachers by following the methodology of conceptanalysis of needs, and by combining focus groups with the DRAP software. The results account for the large variety of needs to be considered in the equation of adaptation of teaching practices. These needs generally belong to the classroom system (microsystem). For pupils, they are mainly cognitive needs, but for teachers, they pertain to organization and structure. The influence of these needs on the adaptation processes depends on the interpretation by teachers of teaching situations, so much so that a same need can at times be assumed as negative pressure, generating obstacles, or at other times as a positive impulse, facilitating adaptation.