To help you understand needs assessment and to provide you with a variety of examples within this area, the following links are resources you can access.

Needs Assessment Matrix

This matrix from the Georgia Tech Research Institute is a simple tool that suggests different ways of gathering information regarding audiences, tasks, and content while conducting a needs assessment for an interactive multimedia development project. The easiest way of obtaining needs assessment information is to interview people, but interviews have limitations as well. The ideal procedure is to "triangulate" the information you need by collecting it via two or more ways!

This tool from the Georgia Tech Research Institute is designed to help you select the best method (or methods) for collecting information during the needs assessment portion of your analysis effort. There are three primary information collection methods described in this tool: focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The tool includes a list of questions that when you answer them should assist you in selecting the preferred method of collecting the needs assessment data you desire. Of course, if personnel, temporal, and financial resources permit, it is sound policy to use two or three methods to collect needs data so as to "triangulate" your findings.

A useful approach from the Georgia Tech Research Institute to help define precisely what a multimedia program should contain.  Both types of analysis are quite similar, and in most cases, your analysis will include both job and content analysis. If your multimedia program is focused on a clearly defined job, e.g., training a secretary how to use a new word-processing program, then the emphasis will be on "job analysis." If however, the multimedia program is focused on general knowledge, e.g., the history of World War II, then the emphasis will be on "content analysis."

Just as it is important to conduct a good needs assessment, it is also essential to report the findings in a clear, concise manner that decision-makers can understand and use. The template tool from the Georgia Tech Research Institute lists the major topics that should be included in a needs assessment or task analysis report. The formality of the report will depend upon the size and scope of the project and the nature of your relationship with the client.

From the College of Education, this glossary defines needs assessment.
A systematic study that incorporates data and opinions from varied sources in order to create, install and evaluate educational and informational products and services. The effort commences as a result of a "hand-off" from performance analysis. Also known as training needs assessment, needs analysis, front end analysis, task and subject matter analysis....

This site explains what a needs assessment is and gives a list of some of the tools used when conducting a needs assessment.

This team-based activity provides you with an opportunity to practice planning a needs assessment in either a corporate or public education context.

This site from University of Calgary Educational Technology offers a Needs Assessment model that can be used in many different situations. It is based on a synthesis of the literature and practical experience from conducting a number of needs assessments.

This site explains three needs assessment they conducted--nutrition education, vocational education, and parent involvement.

This definition is part of an on-line course in Instructional Design entitled Toolbox 1999 from Syracuse University.