The Learning & Development field has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade. Learning Professionals have expanded their expertise and can now be seen in every facet of the business.
Aligned with this expansion is the role of the trainer.
Trainers and instructors are now as essential to business development as your Sales & Marketing team. Since there is such a large investment in training, it is very important for the business that the learners receive what they need from the training, and they are able to improve or transform from the information. Learner assessments provide a way to measure this and ensure the learning initiatives are successful.
Assessment tools measure the effectiveness of the materials used, the trainer, the use of instructional technology, knowledge transfer, and satisfaction. Many trainers and L&D professionals use Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model (explained in detail below) for measuring the effectiveness of various training solutions. Remember, the objective is to deliver the data and feedback in order to improve training delivery and in turn, impact.
This learning path will explore the benefits of clarifying your performance measures first so you can create or improve upon your own assessment tool, and use it to evaluate the effectiveness of learner assessments.
Ensuring the Effectiveness of Learner Assessments
Before you can measure anything you first have to determine what you are measuring. (No, that one isn't Confucious, that one is an original!) Deciding what your performance metrics will be is not only your first step in creating or improving on an assessment tool, it is also your last step. Your metrics serve as a road map guiding you to the answer of the larger question at hand "What does this data tell us? How will it help us improve?" Your performance measures for your training can include elements like: content knowledge, delivery, assessment effectiveness, course management skills, and many others. Clarifying your metrics is the first step in creating your tool. Also, for a more detailed look at the overall process of assessment development and how your KPI's can assist you in assessing performance, Kirkpatrick's Model is explained below.
Now for the fun part! I suggest you look at other examples and evaluation forms to see what you like and don't like before you create your own. When you are creating your tool make sure you consider your audience. Are your learners in management? Are they your peers? Or are your learners other students? Maybe your audience includes all 3.
Measuring the effectiveness of your training and your tool helps you justify why training and development is such a worthy investment. This also ensures your learners are able to get what they need from the information. There are simple ways you can assess if the training is effective, one way, of course, is your evaluation tool.
Presenting data without context is like speaking words without meaning. "70% of learners _____." Numbers and measurements only matter within the context of the larger story. Also, the story should speak to the metrics which are relevant to the stakeholder. "After the training, we saw a 70% decrease in typing errors on the sales floor. This resulted in a 40% increase in sales over the last 4 weeks."
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