Evaluations—both of employee learning and of the effectiveness of the training—are an important part of the learning process. So important, in fact, that they can’t be left to the very end. Unfortunately, many people think of evaluation as something that comes only at the end of training—but evaluation should really be built into the session itself.
Follow these tips to incorporate evaluations throughout training:
- Check for understanding throughout the session by asking questions and asking for feedback in order to make sure that employees understand the material you are presenting and are retaining course content.
- At the end of the session, you can check learning again with a written test or quiz.
- You can also use performance tests throughout and at the end of the session and have employees demonstrate competence with new skills or understanding of the concepts presented in each section of training.
Unlimited employee HR training —one low cost—no setup, no software to install. Find out why the Software & Information Industry Association voted TrainingToday the “Best Workforce Training Solution.” Go here for more information or to sign up.
- You can observe employees back on the job to see if they are using what they learned in the classroom correctly on the job. Often there isn’t time to check out performance of each trainee in the classroom, or the necessary materials and equipment are not available, so on-the-job observations are the way to test training effectiveness.
- You can also use self-assessments to evaluate learning. For example, you can have trainees complete a questionnaire in which they are asked to provide specific feedback about how they are using (or not using) what they learned in training and how their performance has improved (or not improved) as a result.
Employees definitely need hands-on training—and now there’s a comprehensive and convenient wealth of employment topics at your fingertips in BLR’s HR Library at the online, 24/7, TrainingToday. Get More Information
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll look at a few more evaluation techniques—and present an easy-to-use online HR training resource that provides built-in evaluation tools.