Looking Beyond Training: How Needs Assessment Changed My Perspective as a Learning Designer
When I first started this course, I thought of needs assessment mostly as the first step before developing training. I believed that if an organization asked for training, my job as a learning designer was to find the best way to create and deliver it. Looking back, I see that I was approaching problems with a solution-first mindset. I assumed that because someone requested training, it had to be the answer. However, throughout this course, I learned that effective learning designers do much more than create instruction; they examine performance issues before suggesting any solutions. My thinking has shifted from asking, "What training should I build?" to asking, "What problem am I really trying to solve?" This change in perspective has become one of the most valuable lessons I will take into my future career. One major turning point for me was the EduCore Dynamics case at the start of the course. Leadership thought poor customer service stemmed f...