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Running head: NEEDS ASSESSMENT CYCLE

Needs Assessment Cycle


Steven Faris
University of Phoenix
Assessment of Learning
CUR/528
Justin Atwood
May 14, 2016

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Needs Assessment Cycle

A 2014 RAND Corporation study found that incarcerated individuals who received
general education and vocational training were significantly less likely to return to prison after
release and more likely to find employment than their peers who not did not receive such
opportunities (Tolbert, Hudson, & Erwin, 2015). A correctional setting creates significant
barriers that educators, incarcerated students, and program partners must accommodate to
provide an effective teaching and learning environment. These obstacles are even more apparent
with the introduction of advanced technologies (Tolbert et al., 2015). This paper will focus on
the HVAC Technician Apprentice Program at the Federal Correctional Institution Victorville,
California.
As HVAC units become more involved, establishing regular preventive maintenance
programs with technicians who understand how to service them will be made more significant.
Industry experts and research firms are finding that technology and mobile apps will be a key
differentiator for service programs in 2016. Within the training program, the sophisticated
process controls and digital environmental controls will require more than just the book to teach
the students with. Without a working knowledge of the technology used in today's HVAC
industry, the technicians going forward from this program will be at a disadvantage in the field.
Purpose of the Needs Assessment
The goal of this needs assessment is to update the technology equipment in the HVAC
Technician Apprenticeship Program in the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville, CA.
As of today, with the hardships and security restrictions of the Federal Prison system, technology
in the classroom is limited to textbooks only. With the textbooks maintaining an updated

NEEDS ASSESSMENT CYCLE

copywriter of 2010, even the technology covered in the book is still six years old and could place
the inmate students at a disadvantage when moving into the HVAC field once released.
The Level of the Assessment: Institutional
This assessment will take place at the Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville,
California only. The assessment participants will be the correctional and educational staff at the
prison, and include inputs and results from the inmates in the HVAC Technician Apprentice
Program currently. Yearly results are kept for prisoners releasing from prison. Every year
studies are already completed to document recidivism rates with the released inmates
(Ogrezeanu, 2014).
Stakeholders
In the end, the stakeholders will be the inmate students benefitting from the added
technology and training. The overall stakeholders for the institution will be the executive staff in
charge of the prison and the staff involved in the HVAC Program (Royse, Thyer, & Padgett,
2010). This program is managed and taught by two Federal Bureau of Prison officials. One staff
manages the California State requirements for documentation of training and hours. The other
employees, an HVAC Technician Supervisor provides all of the training, practical experience,
testing, and certification exams.
Budget and Available Resources
Since the program is already in place, budget concerns for building and utilities are
already factored into the annual funding for the program. Instructors and support staff are
already funded and will complete all work and assessment data processing while on duty
performing their regular functions. The process of adding this new evaluation won't interfere or
take away from any of the other program review requirements they are tasked with.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT CYCLE

The new budget requirement would be for the initial cost of the laptop, projector, screen,
and tablets available for the student technicians while in the classroom and performing the work
and practical tasks each day. An initial estimate of $2500 for the classroom technology and
software suites will cover what the instructor and support staff will need to bring the classroom
and instruction technology up to the 2016 year curriculum. While an initial estimate of $3000
for the student use tablets that will be employed in the classroom and job site training only will
be required to disseminate the updated learning materials and provide the training necessary for
the students to compete in an ever competitive workforce.
Time Allotted
This assessment will coincide with the current assessments taking place in the Federal
Prison System. Periodic evaluation reporting periods will be quarterly and annually (Tolbert et
al., 2015). Since the prison staff currently collect assessments on education programs, adding
this program and recording the benefits of the program will follow the same format as existing
assessments. No extra time will be allotted or required to perform the assessments necessary for
this program. All assessment times are already built into the standard schedule of the prison and
working staff schedules.
Since the evaluations are performed quarterly and annually, the actual time allotted for
the assessment period will be minimal. The inmate students will receive assessment surveys at
the beginning of the program, and the end of the program. The data will be included in the
monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for participation, levels achieved, and certification exams
were given.
Specific Information Needed to Measure

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Since the Federal Bureau of Prisons currently maintains assessments for recidivism, there
will be no requirement to perform another assessment on recidivism. The Bureau of Justice
Statistics will manage evaluations and collection process of the recidivism data for the Federal
Bureau of Prisons, and that report will accompany our annual report for Victorville, CA. An
example of the data and reports available to be utilized to attain this information can be found at
the Bureau of Justice Statistics website http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid=44.
An assessment of the technology requirement for the HVAC Technician Apprentice
Program and its effectiveness will be done by the staff and as stated before will coincide with the
ongoing evaluations of the educational program (Tolbert et al., 2015). This requirement and
assessment will fall in line with the existing educational equipment evaluations, collecting data
on participation, levels achieved, and certification exams were given. While currently, there is
no policy or assessment tracking the released inmate and their success in the HVAC job field,
both the college staff consulted on this program, and current teaching staff are confident that
adding updated technology to the classroom and refresh the curriculum to the 2016 version and
beyond will increase the value to the program and enable the student inmates to enter the job
field more prepared than before.
Information Sources
The information for the required assessments is already being collected in the form of current
program reviews at the Federal Prison and obtained from the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
No other new or extra assessments will be required or needed for this evaluation purpose.
Instruments or Methodology to Measure the Effectiveness of the Training
The tools of the measure before the program and during the program include formative and
summative assessments prepared by the instructors and consulted college staff (Royse et al.,

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2010). A series of practice exams will be utilized to ensure the inmate students are ready to take
the required certification exam.
Quarterly surveys will be given to the education staff on the effectiveness and use of the
technology equipment (Rahmat & Saudi, 2007). The results of the studies will be evaluated and
summarized in the quarterly and annual reports. Those reports will be included in the budget
reports.
The annual recidivism reports from the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics will track the local
recidivism rates, and those will be compared to our program participation and successful
certification exam results each year.
Conclusion
By conducting a needs assessment and updating the technology equipment in the HVAC
Technician Apprenticeship Program in the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville, CA,
the inmate students will leave prison and enter the job field better prepared and ready for the
work in this area. Improving the technology used to disseminate the program information and
allowing the inmate students access to the technology they will use in the field will result in a
better program overall and a better opportunity for students to find meaningful and fulfilling jobs
when they exit prison.

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References

Ogrezeanu, A. (2014). Benefits and Use of Needs and Impact Assessment for the Management of
E-Learning Programs: Case Study on a Large E-Learning Project for Teachers
(10.12753/2066-026X-14-225). Bucharest: The 10th Annual International Science
Conference.
Rahmat, M., & Saudi, M. M. (2007). E-Learning Assessment Application Based on Bloom
Taxonomy (ISSN 1447-9494). Retrieved from http://www.Learning-Journal.com
Royse, D., Thyer, B. A., & Padgett, D. K. (2010). PROGRAM EVALUATION: An Introduction
(5 th ed.). Retrieved from
https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/1133141021/cfi/0!/4/2/2@0:50.0
Tolbert, M., Hudson, J., & Erwin, H. C. (2015, June). Educational Technology in Corrections
2015. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

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