The Role of Needs Assessment

Needs assessment is a critical component of any course. Depending on when it is done, (e. g., up-front, at the beginning, during the course or at the end of the program) the goals of needs assessment change. I believe, the most important types of assessment for the teacher are the formative and summative types. The former one, that I am going to write about, provides the information needed to adjust the teaching and learning process, whereas the latter helps determine what students know and do not at a certain stage of the learning process, and if they need additional help and time to acquire necessary knowledge.

Taking into account our specific roles as future ESL instructors, the needs assessment at the beginning of the course provides us and the learners as well, with the valuable information about the learners’ level of English knowledge and their needs, expectations, and wants. Especially, this type of assessment is important when considering adult learners. Adults come to the classroom with rich life and education experiences. In addition, they usually know what they want and need to know. Therefore, the instructors should value and take into consideration the adults’ opinions, needs, and expectations when planning the course. This will help ensure some success in future learning and establish a student-teacher relationship.

The needs assessment at the beginning of the course provides the teacher with useful information for creating flexible rather than a fixed (with the same content for any group of students) curriculum. Knowing learners’ cultural and educational background, their English skill levels, and their interests, the teacher can choose topics and activities that would best serve for reaching students’ goals. Data on students’ learning styles and strategies helps the teacher determine preferable activities and ways of material delivery.

As a final point, when adult students see that their opinions, experiences and expectations are taken into consideration, these will highly motivate them and they will succeed throughout the course.