School of Education

EDTC Needs Assessment

In keeping with the School of Education’s conceptual framework, EDTC degree candidates are reflective practitioners who learn from the experience of others in developing their own reflective practice. According to this framework, each EDTC student conducts a needs assessment in which local school or workplace needs are identified in light of best practices and research findings documented in the scholarly literature. Informed by this lit review, the candidate writes a term paper that defines the needs and determines the extent to which standards have been published to inform the design of curriculum materials in the chosen content area. Most EDTC candidates conduct this needs assessment in the content area of their intended curriculum project, which is thereby informed by the research reviewed in the term paper.

When evaluating the needs assessment, EDTC faculty use the ISTE rubric for candidates who are teachers working toward the ISTE-TF endorsement. For all other candidates, faculty use the AECT rubric. The tables below present the Needs Assessment rubrics.

AECT Rubric for the Needs Assessment (term paper with lit review)
Required elements: Identification of professional standards in context. Analysis of learner characteristics. Literature review informs recommendations.
Candidate’s Name:			Date:
INDICATORS	Developing	Meets		Exceeds
AECT 1.1.1 The content outline clearly defines what is to be learned, the context in which it is to be learned, and the professional or academic standards it must address.	References to standards are vague or missing, the alignment is unclear, or the citations are used out of context.	Identifies applicable professional or academic standards and proposes curriculum activities based on these standards.		Identifies and reflects on applicable professional or academic standards and proposes curriculum activities based on these standards. Identifies areas in which the standards are vague or open to multiple interpretations.
(circle rating)	0	1		2
AECT 1.4 The analysis of learner characteristics identifies aspects of the learner’s experiential background that impact the effectiveness of a learning process and explains how these characteristics inform the Instructional Design.	Linkages between learner characteristics and instructional design are absent or inappropriately described.	Profiles the targeted student population and describes the impact learner characteristics will have on the instructional design.		Profiles the targeted student population, describes the impact learner characteristics will have on the instructional design. and includes the provision of alternate representations to meet the needs of different kinds of users, especially those with special needs.
(circle rating)	0	1		2
AECT 5.1 Review of the scholarly literature reveals knowledge regarding the nature and parameters of the instructional problem and the recommendations of other practitioners who have tried to solve related problems.	Citations from the scholarly literature are absent or misinterpreted.	Cites relevant research findings and proposes curriculum activities based on the recommendations other practitioners have made in the scholarly literature.		Cites relevant research findings and proposes curriculum activities based on recommendations documented in the scholarly literature. Reflects on the research findings and identifies areas in which there are unanswered questions or contradictions that merit further investigation.
(circle rating)	0	1		2

ISTE Rubric for the Needs Assessment (term paper with lit review)
Required elements: Assess the need for professional development for improving teacher productivity and professional practice within your school. Identify technology resources to empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities. Emphasize the importance of making technology accessible and observing copyright and Fair Use guidelines. Identify campus integration best practices supported by research and cite the sources in the scholarly literature.
Candidate’s Name:			Date:
INDICATORS	Developing	Meets		Exceeds
ISTE-TF-I Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts.	One or more areas of need are unidentified or unclearly specified. Best practices from the scholarly literature are either missing or the citations are used out of context.	Identifies appropriate areas of need for ongoing professional development of teachers and identifies best practices documented in the scholarly literature whereby this development can take place.		Provides scholarly citations to best practices for ongoing professional development and considers the potential impact of emerging technologies on the future of educational technology.
(circle rating)	0	1		2
ISTE-TF-V Apply technology to enhance and improve personal productivity and professional practice.	Recommended methods are undocumented or cited best practices are misunderstood and improperly applied.	Identifies models or methods whereby teachers can develop multimedia skills and apply them effectively in teaching and communicating.		Advocates a dynamic improvement model in which teachers reflect on their multimedia practice and make strategic decisions in support of student learning.
(circle rating)	0	1		2
ISTE-TF-VI Understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in P-12 schools and assist teachers in applying that understanding in their practice	Accessibility, safety, and copyright recommendations are out of date, incomplete, or disorganized.	Recommends a strategy for helping teachers understand how to make media safely accessible and follow copyright and Fair Use guidelines in using media in the classroom and online.		Recommends a strategy for helping teachers understand how to make media safely accessible and includes a strategy whereby teachers help students learn to follow copyright and Fair Use guidelines in student-authored multimedia and hypermedia.
(circle rating)	0	1		2
ISTE-TF-VIII Contribute to the shared vision for campus integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of the vision.	Citations from educational technology research are absent or misinterpreted.	Identifies applicable state or national technology integration standards, proposes curriculum activities based on these standards, and cites relevant research findings documented in the scholarly literature.		Cites the scholarly literature to document the effectiveness of proposed standards-based curriculum activities. Reflects on the research findings and identifies areas in which there are unanswered questions or contradictions that merit further investigation.
(circle rating)	0	1		2