PROJECT SCOPE THROUGH A NEEDS ANALYSIS 6
Running head: PROJECT SCOPE THROUGH A NEEDS ANALYSIS 1
Project Scope through a Needs Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
Choosing the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to apply in education is one of the best decisions that an organization of higher learning can make. The demands of education and all the sectors of the current society are mainly based on the application of technology. Information and communication technology needs analysis used to help in evaluating the needs facing an organization and eventually coming up with a way of satisfying the need. The analysis is suitable for helping the organization make the best application of ICT in its learning activities (McPherson & Jameson, 2011). This paper, therefore, focuses on the four main areas in the analysis of it’s the organization’s need. They are inclusive of the organization, the people to use the ICT technology, the technology, and the capital required in the implementation of the project.
Need analysis
All of the information that needs to be obtained from the board members, the head of various departments, the staff member, and students are best got through the use of questionnaires. The boards that govern the organization requires to understand the level of readiness of its group. The most appropriate way of addressing such a need is by having a consultation with the personnel in charge of the implementation of the technology, the members of the teaching staff, the students, and the head of developments department in the organization. The discussion held with the listed groups and individuals would seek to understand whether the organization is willing to use the ICT technology to complement its modes of teaching and learning or it prefers remaining with the old systems. Therefore, the analysis would focus on maximizing the interests of the organization while helping it to have a way of keeping the negative effects at their minimum levels.
The next need to be addressed would be having a meeting with the board governing the organization. The meeting can be done like a small group of committee members that are aware of the financial abilities and operations of the organization. The committee is essential in creating a sense of belonging and ownership to each of its members. Also, it would serve to avoid cases of conflict between various heads of the organization because every head would be involved in the process of evaluating the project implementation. Achieving peace between the members of the committee is necessary because it also helps in attracting volunteers to fund and offer other supports required during the implementation of the project. Some of the volunteers can come from the members of the committee.
After coming into a consensus, the various members of the committee go back to their respective departments to share the ideas with their juniors. The committee members would also ensure that they gather the appropriate information from the members of their departments that would facilitate the project implementation. The committee will review their departments regarding the various ways that they would use to apply the information and communication technology. The lecturers, for instance, would tell whether they were ready for the technology and the level of their abilities towards using the technology. The response given by the lecturers would be included in the records of the project to facilitate the modifications required to ensure adequate delivery of lesson contents to the students.
Conclusion
After all heads and the staff members are consulted, the need that follows would be the preparation of students on the modes that they would apply to use the technology. The staff members and heads of various would need to have various things that would ensure that the running of the technology in the organization is smooth. They need to have the records of the members of their departments, the lecturers would need to have soft copies of the materials that they use while giving lectures, and the institution would need to have administrative powers that would help it to control the peoples accessing the system created by the technology.
The following is a simplified list of the things that would be the sources of the data that needed to be assessed by the needs analysis of the project:
Organization’s finances
The cost of the project implementation
Number of staff members
Types of teaching materials
The lectures
Number of students
The variability of courses offered
The areas of application
The number of ICT personnel
Analysis of possible negative effects
Questionnaire
A questionnaire was used to get information from students, staff members and the heads of various departments. However, the information that was obtained from the board members came through the consultations done in a meeting. A simple and the same questionnaire was used with staff heads, staff members, and the students. The questionnaire would look as represented below:
Application of ICT in education questionnaire
How would the current systems of education in the organization be affected by the introduction of ICT technology in learning?
What would be the current levels of computer literacy in the institutions of high learning?
How can the technology of ICT help in the assessment of the work from students?
Are there differences in the abilities to use ICT among students as well as among the lecturers? If yes, how can the differences be handled to ensure smooth progress in learning?
Should ICT technology be used to replace the old means completely?
What would be the future status of learning after continuous use of technology?
Gives the ways that education should be integrated into the ICT technology to ensure quality maintenance of learning.
Discuss some negatives effects that would result from the use of ICT in education.
References
McPherson, M., & Jameson, J. (2011). Strategic Planning for the Integrated Use of Organizational ICT Processes and e-Learning in Higher Education. Technology Integration in Higher Education, 13-29. doi:10.4018/978-1-60960-147-8.ch002