Training evaluation
Training Evaluation
- The challenge of training: is it useful?
Although in the business world all activities must be evaluated, the ones that require it most are those activities whose objective is to achieve improvements. We say this because in general they are additional activities, with extraordinary resources, which require time and demand investments and/or costs. And in turn, their launching should be decided on a cost-benefit or return on investment basis, which makes it necessary to effectively verify that this investment “returns” to the business.
Training activities fit into this category, with the additional risk that training can make us fall into the commonplace of thinking of it simply because it is a good practice, or because it is right to do it, or because we think there could be nothing wrong with doing it.
The way of thinking here about the need to evaluate the impact of training is not aimed at evaluating whether training in general is good or not, but whether a training that we deliver in our companies fulfills the purposes for which it was defined and designed.
Having clarified the why and what for, we face the challenge of how, and this is what we will discuss in the following sections of this article.
- Types of evaluations: Levels
The evaluation of the result and impact of a training is organized in different levels, which are related to the moment, and to the actors involved in such measurement.
While some authors present six levels, with a sense of practicality and simplification, in this article we will consider only four:
Level 1: Reaction
Refers to the impact of the training on the participant. It is generally carried out with a satisfaction survey at the end of the course, with specifically targeted questions. In the business environment it is considered necessary and important since we are dealing with an adult and professional audience. It is not an exhaustive evaluation of the effectiveness of the training, but it is a necessary evaluation that provides a first idea. In general, the opinion regarding the contents, the usefulness of the course, the instructor, the materials and the environment is surveyed.
Level 2: Acquired Knowledge
It consists of evaluating the level of knowledge acquired by the participants in the course.
This can be done with a pre-test and a post-test, to obtain this information by comparison, and also through post-course application work, so as to evaluate the understanding and learning of the contents taught.
Training Evaluation
Level 3: Transfer
This level seeks to evaluate to what extent there is a change in the behavior of the participants in their workplace, in relation to what they have learned in the course. This information is obtained from a survey with the participants themselves, inquiring which concepts, tools or other aspects are being applied, which ones are not, and why.
It is a more demanding evaluation, and in addition, time must be allowed to elapse between the training and the evaluation.
Level 4: Results
It consists of measuring whether the trained person is achieving better results, as planned at the time of defining, designing and implementing the training program.
This assessment should be conducted with the stakeholders of the trainees, starting with the boss and continuing with the people involved in the daily work relationship. At the same time, it is advisable to have measurements that allow quantifying, as far as possible, the verification of these better results.
By way of summary we could say then that to evaluate a training we should:
- Gather participants’ opinions about the course (opinion survey at the end of the course).
- Evaluate the level of knowledge acquired (exam or post-course application work).
- Evaluate the application of the knowledge acquired in the field (transfer): interviews after two months of the course.
- Evaluate the results: verify if different results are being achieved due to the training. It should be compared with the starting point that triggered the need for training.
Is the evaluation of a training a performance evaluation?
Performance assessment is a tool used by companies to develop their personnel and to align their performance with business objectives.
Performance evaluation is based on the responsibilities and functions of a position, as well as the specific objectives assigned to it.
The evaluation of a training is oriented to measure the result of an action, and not the performance of a person. This evaluation aims to know the impact of the training, and eventually adjust it, so as to achieve the intended results.
Assessment of the desired trainings. But at all times, even Level 2 evaluation, the focus is on rating the activity and not the person.
Consequently, they are not the same thing and pursue different objectives, which means that they can and should coexist within the management mechanisms of companies.
In brief:
- Providing training is not a free activity for the company, and although it is accepted as a good practice, its purpose and objectives must be duly justified. Being clear about this concept is the basis for evaluating the impact of training.
- There are four sequential levels of training evaluation, all of which allow for evaluation decisions and improvement actions to be taken on training activities.
- Training evaluation is not performance evaluation, but they are synergistic systems that can and should be implemented in parallel as a mechanism for managing the company’s human resources.