HRD Project: Needs Analysis, Challenges, and Program Plan, CSU

This project is a comprehensive assessment of Human Resource Development (HRD) practices, encompassing three key assessment items. The first part involves a review of articles on employee engagement, the role of HRD, and effective training, followed by an analysis of HRD challenges within an organization, exploring issues like talent availability, employee turnover, organizational commitment, and HR expertise. The second part requires a simulated needs analysis of a specific group within an organization, identifying knowledge or capability gaps and aligning them with topics like technology, onboarding, performance management, and leadership. The third part builds upon the needs analysis, requiring the development of a detailed HRD program plan to address the most critical identified need. The project emphasizes critical thinking, research, and written communication, requiring students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical workplace scenarios and to demonstrate their understanding of HRD principles and practices. The project is designed to encourage reflection on organizational experiences and the role of HR professionals in people development.

Werner, J. & DeSimone, R. (2017). Human Resource Development: Talent
Development. 7th edition. Cengage: USA.
ISBN-10: 1305576640.
ISBN-13: 9781305576643
.
Assessment item 1
The Greatest HRD Challenge
Value: 20%
Length: 1250 words (+/- 10%)
Submission method options
Alternative submission method
Task
This assessment task has the following four (4) parts that students are required to
complete:
1/ Using the Interact2Blog, make a short article review posting (250 words) including
atleast 3 journal artice references on the following topics:
a. Employee engagement
b. Role of HRD
c. Effective training and development
This initial research and posting will give you an opportunity to start thinking about
the topic and expressing your views. We will then discuss your postings together
during face to face session in week 2 & 3.
2/ Submit your 1,250 word answer (plus a cover page and reference list) to the
below two topic questions through Turnitin as a Microsoft Word file (deadline:
Midnight VIC time on Tuesday March 21st). Please don't forget to support your views
using relevant research.

TOPIC QUESTIONS (you need to please answer both of the two (2) topic questions
below)
One: Which of the below is/was the greatest challenge to effectively developing
people (human resources) within an organisation where you have some
current/previous employment experience, and why?
a) Having the right talent available to develop
b) High employee turnover or lack of employee engagement or employee
commitment to development
c) Lack of organisational commitment to or support of human resource development
d) Lack of human resource department expertise or lack of HR personnel to
effectively plan and support the development of employees
and
Two: To what degree is the human resource function responsible for the greatest
challenge you identified above in question one, and what proactive or reactive steps
can and should human resource professionals take to prevent or alleviate that
challenge?
3/ Please completely read at least three other students' article review postings on the
Interact2 Blog. Completing this step will provide you with a chance to share your
ideas with other students, and will also provide a topic and academic learning
experience for you. Note though that you will only be assessed on your Turnitin
submission. i.e. only part 2 of this assessment task will be assessed.
Important Notes:
* Please attend the classes from week 1 from the lecturer which overviews the
assessment task and the marking criteria.
* Please remember to support your views using relevant research including
that from quality practice-based sources, peer reviewed journal articles, and
subject sources such as the prescribed text and/or the online topic modules.
* This is an open assessment and your answer can be read by other students, so if
you are including your current employer organisation in your answer as an example,
then please use a pseudonym (e.g. ABC bank) rather than identify your current
employer organisation by name.
* You are expected to write in the third person. (E.g. The author’s view is
that ... The author’s experience is that ... The author’s research indicates
that ... etc...)
* Please note that the required word count excludes your cover page and your
APA style reference list. Note that a CSU referencing tool to help you is
available at: https://apps.csu.edu.au/reftool/apa-6
* Please stay within 10% below to 10% above the word count (e.g. 1,125 to 1,375
words for this 1,250 word requirement) to avoid receiving a marking penalty.
* Please read all other sections below before commencing work on this assessment.
Rationale
This assessment is designed to encourage you to reflect on your own organisational
experience and context, the challenges to human resource developers, and the role

and responsibilities of HR professionals in the people development process.
The assessment allows you an opportunity to demonstrate your critical thinking,
research, and written communication skills.
This assessment task covers focuses on weeks 1-2 and has been designed to
ensure that you are engaging with the subject content and concepts, including your
ability to reflect on the HRD context, and the role of the HR manager has in this.
The assessment ties into key learning outcomes including your ability to be able to
evaluate individual and organisational human resource development needs.
Marking criteria

Presentation
* Your work should include appropriate section headings, however visuals are NOT
required for this first assessment.
* Please only submit a MS Word file for assessment (no PDF files please).
* Please don’t forget to include a cover page and a reference list (in APA style) when
submitting your file through Turnitin.
Requirements
Requirements are covered in the 'Task' section above, including in 'Important Notes'.
Assessment item 2
Needs Analysis Report
Length: 2000 words (+/- 10%)
Submission method options
Alternative submission method
Task
You are required to select an organisation and complete a simulated needs analysis
of a particular group of staff or workplace within that organisation. Your needs
analysis should focus on identifying which particular knowledge or capabilities need
to be acquired or developed for the members of that group or workplace, in order for
them to be able to perform effectively in their roles, and thus meet organisational
objectives. The knowledge or capability that you select must broadly match with one
of the week 9 to 14 subject topics listed below.
Topics:
Your needs analysis knowledge or capability needs to fit broadly within one (1) of
these week 9-14 subject topic areas:
* Technology and/or Technical Skills
* Onboarding, Socialisation and/or Wellness
* Performance Management and/or Career Development
* Leadership Development
* Diversity
REPORT HEADINGS / RECOMMENDED SECTION LENGTHS
When writing up your needs analysis report, you need to address the following
headings as clear and distinct sections:
Table of Contents (not included in word count)
Introduction (about 100 of 2000 words)
- briefly summarise what this needs analysis report will cover.
Organisation (about 100 of 2000 words)
- provide some brief information about the organisation you have chosen, why you
chose this organisation, and your connection to this organisation.

Group/Workplace (about 100 of 2000 words)
- provide some brief information about the group/workplace you have chosen, why
you chose this group/workplace, and your connection to this group/workplace. Note:
you are permitted to combine all 3 above sections into an approximately 300 word
section titled 'Introduction' if you find that to work better for you.
Knowledge/Capability and Subject Topic Match (about 300 of 2000 words)
- briefly describe the knowledge/capability that you have decided to focus on in your
needs analysis, and how/why you decided to focus on this/these.
- also indicate which of the week 9-14 topics listed above that your area of
knowledge/capability matches to/supports development in.
Needs Analysis (about 1,300 of 2000 words)
- methodology/process (in more detail, describe the theoretical methodology and/or
practical process you followed to conduct the needs analysis)
- results (in more detail, present the data you gathered and the results of your needs
analysis, using appropriate visual communication devices)
Conclusions (about 100 of 2000 words)
- briefly summarise your conclusions in a final paragraph.
References (not included in word count)
* in APA style as per CSU Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Science
requirements.
Appendices (optional, not included in word count)
IMPORTANT NOTES
 Please attend classes regularly from the lecturer which overviews the
assessment task and the marking criteria.
 You are recommended to choose your needs analysis topic carefully, as you
will continue on from this choice in your final (third) assessment. Please see
the third assessment below (HRD Program Plan) for further details.
 If you are including existing documents from the organisation then selected
relevant excerpts of these should be partitioned to an optional appendix
section. We do not mark the appendix section, it is merely for extra reference.
Hence please ensure that your main submission text is sufficiently clear to
standalone.
 Please ensure to make appropriate links in your submission to relevant quality
research, subject theory/concepts/sources, and industry best-practices.
 This is a closed assessment that will not be read by other students, so you
are permitted to identify the name of your focus organization.
 Please acknowledge the source of any existing documentation, and be careful
to avoid unwittingly plagiarising anything.
 You are expected to write in the third person for this assessment. (E.g. The
author’s view is that ... The author’s experience is that ... The author’s
research indicates that ... etc.)

 Please stay within 10% below or 10% above the word count (e.g. 1,800 to
2,200 words for this 2,000 word requirement) to avoid receiving a marking
penalty. Please note that your word count excludes your cover page,
referencing list, and any optional appendix section. Note that a CSU
referencing tool to help you is available at:
https://apps.csu.edu.au/reftool/apa-6.
 It is expected that you will use the prescribed text for this subject as one of
your references in this second assessment.
 Please read the other sections below before commencing work on this
assessment.
Rationale
This assessment is designed to encourage you to reflect on your own organisational
experience and context, the practicalities of conducting a needs analysis, and the
role and responsibilities of HR professionals in this important development planning
process.
The assessment allows you an opportunity to collaborate with others on a critical
HRD related process.
Writing the assessment allows you to demonstrate your research, planning, critical
thinking, presentation and written communication skills.
This assessment task covers topic weeks 3 and 4 and one (your choice) of topic
weeks 9 – 14.
The assessment has been designed to ensure that you are engaging with the
subject content and concepts, and can practice applying them in a practical
workplace context.
The assessment supports the achievement of key learning objectives including your
ability to be able to critically analyse the major human resource development
program types in the context of individual and organisational development,
systematically evaluate individual, group or organisational human resource
development needs, and identify, discuss and apply appropriate learning theories in
the design, assessment and evaluation of human resource development programs.
Marking criteria

Presentation
 You are required to use section headings and also meaningful visual
communication devices such as table/s and/or graph/s, and/or diagram/s in
order to most appropriately and effectively communicate key sections of your
submission such as your values statement or analysis etc... These can also
be used when dealing with theory and practice. Note that self-developed
visuals are generally more highly regarded when marking than 'copy and
paste' external visuals.
 You are permitted to change the length and titles of section headings, or to
add in additional sections. You are recommended to break longer sections
(e.g. Needs Analysis) into sub-sections. However please be wary of loading
extra length into respectively less important sections like your introduction, or
conclusion, because doing so could rob yourself of important content for other
key more critical sections and hence lower your overall submission quality
and ultimately affect your marks.
 Please only submit a MS word file through Turnitin for assessment (i.e. no
PDF files please).

 Please don’t forget to include a cover page and a reference list (in APA style),
and note that your required word count excludes these two sections, and also
excludes any optional appendix section.
Requirements
Requirements are covered in the 'Task' section above (see 'Important Notes').
Assessment item 3
HRD Program Plan
Length: 2500 words (+/- 10%)
Submission method options
Alternative submission method
Task
Select what you consider to be the most important human resource development
need from your needs analysis conducted in assessment item 2, and develop a
human resource development (HRD) program plan which addresses that need.
Topics
Once again your HRD program plan knowledge or capability needs to fit broadly
within one of the following weeks 9-14 topic areas from the subject:
* Technology and/or Technical Skills
* Onboarding, Socialisation and/or Wellness
* Performance Management and/or Career Development
* Leadership Development
* Diversity
Your HRD program plan should focus on the same organisation/group/workplace
where you conducted your needs analysis in assessment item 2. If you are unable
to do this for some reason, please contact me so that I can advise you how best to
proceed.
REPORT HEADINGS / SECTION LENGTHS
When writing up your HRD program plan, you need to address the following sections
as distinct headings:
Table of Contents (not included in word count)
Introduction (about 175 of 2500 words)
• briefly summarise what knowledge/capability this HRD program plan will cover, at
which organisation, for which group of staff/workplace, and what your role/context is
within the organisation.
Program Objectives (about 175 of 2500 words)
• indicate the program objectives (a maximum of 3 is sufficient)

Resources (about 100 of 2500 words)
• indicate the physical / other resources required to develop, implement and operate
the program, including any financial costs.
Organisational Level Implementation Schedule and Challenges (about 600 of
2500 words)
• indicate the steps and timeframes required to successfully planning, develop,
implementation, operate, assess and evaluate the program, including any likely
challenges to successfully completing this program and how these might be dealt
with.
Participant Level Program Schedule and Brief Summary of Key
Activities (about 500 of 2500 words.)
• indicate the program schedule for participants (i.e. when particular aspects of the
program start and finish) and briefly overview the activities participants (and related
organisational stakeholders) will be undertaking during each part of the program.
The total run time of your HRD program plan should be no longer than 24 months.
Learning Technologies (about 100 of 2500 words)
• indicate the learning technologies (if any) that are being used in the program and
how they are being used.
Learning Theory / Subject Theory and Practice (about 450 of 2500 words)
• indicate how learning theory and subject theory and industry best practice been
used to inform this HRD program plan. Note: this content can be listed in a separate
section or integrated throughout your submission, or a mix of both.
Participant Assessment (about 175 of 2500 words, excluding sample assessment
form)
• indicate how participant success will be assessed during and after the program in
terms of outcomes (please include a sample assessment form in the appendix
section)
Program Evaluation (about 175 of 2500 words, excluding sample assessment form)
• indicate how the program success will be evaluated during and after the program in
terms of outcomes (please include a sample evaluation form in the appendix section)
Conclusions (about 100 of 2500 words)
- briefly summarise your conclusions in a final paragraph.
References (not included in word count)
* in APA style as per CSU Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Science
requirements.
Appendices (optional, not included in word count)
IMPORTANT NOTES
 Please attend classes from the lecturer which overviews the assessment
task and the marking criteria.

 The target audience for your program package are those leaders and
managers who would have decision-making power over whether to actually
proceed to fund/approve your proposed HRD program or not.
 The above notes around the recommended word length for each section are
just recommendations. However they indicate how relatively important we
consider each section to be when we are marking, so please be careful not to
stray too far from those recommendations. i.e. don’t put too much content into
sections that we consider less important, at the expense of other sections that
we consider to be more important.
 Remember that a HRD program is not necessarily always in the form of a
single/specific ‘training course’. The type of program plan you develop, should
match the knowledge/capability that you are trying to impart.
 Please ensure to make appropriate links in your submission to relevant quality
research, subject theory/concepts/sources, and industry best-practices.
 This is a closed assessment that will not be read by other students, so you
are permitted to identify the name of your focus organization.
 Please acknowledge the source of any existing documentation, and be careful
to avoid unwittingly plagiarising anything.
 You are expected to write in the third person for this assessment. (E.g. The
author’s view is that ... The author’s experience is that ... The author’s
research indicates that ... etc.)
 Please note that your required word count excludes your cover page, APA
style reference list, and any optional appendix section. Note that a CSU
referencing tool to help you is available at:
https://apps.csu.edu.au/reftool/apa-6
 Please stay within 10% below or 10% above the word count (e.g. 2,250 to
2,750 words for this 2,500 word requirement) to avoid receiving a marking
penalty.
 It is expected that you will use the prescribed text for this subject as one of
your references in this assessment.
 Please read the other sections below before commencing work on this
assessment.
Rationale
This assessment is designed to encourage you to develop a simulated practical HR
deliverable for your own organisational context or area of interest. The practicalities
of developing a HRD program plan, and the role and responsibilities of HR
professionals in this important development planning process, are also critical
aspects of this assessment.
The assessment allows you an opportunity to collaborate with others on a critical
HRD process.
Writing the assessment allows you to demonstrate your research, planning, critical
thinking, presentation and written communication skills.
This assessment task covers topic weeks 3-6 and one (your choice) of topic weeks 9
– 14.
The assessment has been designed to ensure that you are engaging with the
subject content and concepts, and can practice applying them in a practical

workplace context.
The assessment supports the achievement of key subject learning outcomes
including your ability to be able to develop a plan/proposal that effectively meets
individual, group, or organisational human resource development needs.
Additionally the assessment supports the learning outcomes of assessing your ability
to plan the implementation of a human resource development program for an
individual and/or organisational context, and to critically analyse the major human
resource development program types in the context of individual, group and/or
organisational development. Identifying, discussing and applying appropriate
learning theories in the design, assessment and evaluation of a human resource
development program is another critical learning outcome covered in this
assessment.
Marking criteria