| Getting training delivered is certainly an accomplishment | | | | test for skills and behaviors. This type of testing is |
| in this troubled economic environment. But you must | | | | direct testing of the objectives of the program. For |
| take the time to determine if participants understood | | | | example, if you've trained customer service agents, |
| and are able to apply the objectives of the training | | | | have them set up a customer account from beginning |
| program. Otherwise, you have wasted valuable time | | | | to end within an acceptable margin of error. Or, if |
| and effort. Evaluation, or testing, is used to determine | | | | you've trained phone representatives, have them take |
| the success of a program. You can evaluate the | | | | scripted calls on the subjects in the program, also |
| instruction itself (formative evaluation), which is | | | | graded using certain criteria and within a margin of |
| something you should be doing at all times. But there is | | | | acceptable error. Skills and behavior evaluation can |
| also the matter of evaluating how well the participants | | | | take the form of observed role plays, checklists that |
| learned the objectives (summative evaluation), and this | | | | make sure a participant is achieving operational steps |
| is sometimes "thrown in" as an afterthought. Let's look | | | | or procedures, or even peer evaluation of a customer |
| at some specifics on testing participants. | | | | service interaction. In other words, you'll need to |
| The first thing you'll need to do is determine what | | | | conduct "real" tests of "real" activities. |
| you're testing. Is the program simply aimed at new | | | | Finally, evaluating attitudes can sometimes be difficult. |
| knowledge, such as a new product offering? Or are | | | | An attitude could be the attitude of the participant |
| you training an entire way of doing something, such as | | | | toward the training, the outcome of the training |
| a new position, new sales processes, or operational | | | | program, or their own behavior. For example, your |
| processes? Do you want to see how the attitudes of | | | | training may enable participants to eventually promote |
| the participants changed as a result of the training? | | | | from one level to another within a job group. You may |
| The program could even be a combination of all of | | | | want to evaluate the attitudes of the participants |
| these areas, so becoming aware of the outcomes | | | | toward their jobs and the training by determining how |
| and how they are tested will help you figure out how | | | | many of them promoted within a certain amount of |
| to create meaningful evaluation. Keep in mind that | | | | time. Or, you may need to interview the participants' |
| testing does not have to be intimidating. You can | | | | supervisors at certain points after the training program |
| integrate a "testing feel" throughout the program by | | | | occurs. This type of evaluation can show you if the |
| offering knowledge checks, hands-on activities, and | | | | participants accepted the new knowledge, applied it to |
| role-plays in every segment. | | | | their jobs, and used it to increase their own skills. As |
| Knowledge testing is probably used more often than | | | | we discussed, this can sometimes be difficult to |
| any other kind of testing. But make sure that what | | | | determine and measure, but even in small amounts it's |
| you're looking for is knowledge; if the participants need | | | | worthwhile to discover how training affected |
| to show you how to do something, don't just ask them | | | | participants' attitudes. |
| to describe it on paper. We will discuss this type of | | | | Evaluation can occur in steps, as well. If you're not sure |
| evaluation in a moment. For knowledge testing, paper | | | | which way to go, start out by evaluating knowledge |
| or computer based tests work the best. These are | | | | and then moving up to the other levels as you go |
| objective tests that use multiple choice, true-false, | | | | along. If you know that participants need to do |
| matching, completion, and even essay style questions. | | | | something, combine knowledge evaluation with skills |
| Don't make them too easy. For example, | | | | and behavior evaluation to determine if participants |
| multiple-choice tests should have reasonable choices | | | | understood the knowledge and are able to apply it. |
| for possible answers, but be careful not to give them | | | | You can always add attitude evaluation at a later point. |
| away by making them blatantly obvious, either. | | | | Testing and evaluation does not have to be intimidating |
| Participants should be able to pick out correct answers | | | | for you or the participants. Think about what you're |
| simply based on the knowledge they've absorbed. | | | | evaluating and begin a program. You'll discover what |
| When you need to have participants show you that | | | | participants are learning - and the effectiveness of the |
| they've understood how to do something, you'll need to | | | | training design and delivery. |