In the ADDIE model, you always evaluate training; otherwise, how would you know what to improve?
In this path, we will be looking at how to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of instruction according to:
• ease of instructional technology use
• student learning & knowledge transfer
• satisfaction
With technology rapidly changing instructional designers now have more than enough tools to choose from when creating content. In section 1 you will explore how to assess the effectiveness of these learning technologies.
Section 2 will explore student learning and knowledge transfer. Our main goal when providing instruction is for our students to learn! If our students are not learning we need to evaluate why. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the instruction but lies with the intrinsic motivation of the student; no amount of change in your instruction will change their motivation level.
When measuring student learning you need to remain cognizant of whether or not your instruction methods were the direct cause of the scores (good or bad) or whether or not your assessment accurately captured the level of learning. Knowledge transfer will provide a more in-depth look into whether or not your learners actually learned what you wanted them to learn (and potentially learn something you never intended). Being able to transfer knowledge from one event into another is one of the highest forms of demonstrating mastery of learning.
Section 3 will look at learner satisfaction, after all, learner satisfaction is key in keeping your learners coming back for more! If your learners aren't engaged in the materials and their perceptions of the quality of the content is poor, you will struggle with gaining or maintaining learners. Regardless of the instructional method used, it is important to gauge the satisfaction of your learners.
At the completion of this learning path, you will know how to best improve your instructional content or approach, based on what you find from these assessments. This path is intended for training professionals needing to focus on improving their assessments.