An exciting and dynamic use of the Internet for lifelong learning programs is with needs assessments and surveys. To remain successful and relevant for your participants, your organization has to be customer-driven.

Your participants need to provide the answers for every question you and your staff have. So the demand is to continually survey your participants, to constantly be asking your customers action-oriented questions about what programs you should offer, when, how, what kind of format, and what kind of content.

The Internet provides you with a low cost, fast and efficient way to survey your participants. LERN uses SurveyMonkey.com A major change in how the Internet helps you conduct needs assessment and surveys is that online tools enable participants to provide and update their own information and responses.

Your customers will eventually enter the information directly, reducing staff input time greatly.