Training Evaluation Plan – Elements in an Evaluation Plan

Training Evaluation: by Dave Basarab, V.A.L.E. Consulting on Mon, Aug 15, 2011

In addition to the evaluation questions, other elements of the training evaluation plan arise from stakeholder interviews and your research into the course. Each element that you should consider as part of the plan is shown below.

Course to be evaluated: List the title and purpose for the course. Provide a history (business reason) for the course and what it is intended to achieve. For new courses (ones yet to be developed), these data can be found in the needs analysis and/or instructional design documents. For existing courses, use the current training materials.

Purpose of the evaluation: Documents why the evaluation is being undertaken and how the information will be used (comes from stakeholder requirements). Example: Our approach is based on moving away from the typical measurement of activity or level-based measures in favor of focusing on value-driven continuous improvement efforts. This ensures that the training investment creates value and produces the behaviors and results that lead to the desired business outcomes.

Questions the evaluation will answer:  These are the basic building blocks for the training evaluation and help will answer determine the elements (Intention, Adoption, and Impact) of this evaluation. They are the questions that key stakeholders would like to see answered. Examples:

• Are participant intentions and beliefs upon program completion aligned with desired values? The Intention evaluation captures goals and beliefs, compares them against the agreed-on standard for goals and list of beliefs, and creates a monthly dashboard that shows the degree to which goals are focused and attainable. Evaluating intentions allows early identification of problems or factors that negatively impact adoption and impact.
• Are participants using (adopting) the skills on the job? This is Adoption evaluation; it assesses how much of the training has been tried on-the-job and successfully integrated into the participant’s work behavior. Evaluating adoption at more than one checkpoint during the year allows us to pinpoint the extent of adoption and identify recommendations to increase it.
• Is the training program contributing to achievement of the business outcomes? If yes, to what degree? If no, why not? Although some outcomes take longer than others to emerge, there should be some evidence after six months that participant’s changed attitudes and behaviors are having a positive effect in relation to the stated business outcomes. This is Impact evaluation.

Key stakeholders: These are the individuals who have a vested interest in the training evaluation information.

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