3 Proven ways to evaluate a training program — Kloudlearn LMS + LXP
A select few organizations who offer training program fail to evaluate them. As a result, there is hardly any improvements done to the programs. These organizations tend to put a lot of effort and resources into employee training programs. It is important for them to keep regular tabs on these programs by analyzing and evaluating them so that you know what’s working, what’s not and why. Based on the results, you can make required changes to the training model. In this post, we have covered the different ways in which training models can be evaluated.
Select the Appropriate Training Evaluation Techniques
The evaluation technique must be chosen at the beginning of the training program. You can decide the evaluation technique even before you decide on what to measure and how to measure it, by knowing your evaluation needs. Let’s take a look at a few of the most trusted evaluation techniques used by companies today.
Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model
It is one of the oldest training models but is still in use today for its easy 4-step process.
Step 1: Get feedback from the learners about what they think about the program. This can be done by conducting a survey capturing their learning experience at the end of the program.
Step 2: By assessing the skills and knowledge of the employee before and after the training. This way you can measure what was learned during the training.
Step 3: Behaviour change can be assessed through workplace observation and conducting review before and after training
Step 4: Finally evaluate the impact of your business based on employee training. Measure the results of productivity, efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction.
In recent times experts suggest following Kirkpatrick’s model in reverse order as step 4 is very vital for the organization.
The Philips ROI Model
This is same as the Kirkpatrick’s Model but with an additional step at the end. Step 5 is measuring the Return on Investment, which is the difference between the training cost and training results.
The simple rule is — ROI will be positive if everything is going great and it will be negative if something is wrong. You can find the problem in the model by evaluating ROI for each step and identifying which step needs improvement.
You can also check various other Evaluation techniques like Kaufman’s Five Level of Evaluation, Anderson’s Model of Learning Evaluation, and Summative vs Formative Evaluation
Determine what you’ll measure when evaluating your training program
There are multiple types of training programs that train employees based on knowledge, teamwork, work culture, and much more, So an organization needs to decide what are the different parameters that determine the effectiveness of the program. Here are some of them-
New Skills and Knowledge: To gain new skills and knowledge, training is very important. If an organization wants to train sales team they can train them with new persuasion techniques, details about new products, various new methods in marketing the product and even how to build a proper database. Then measure the skills and knowledge developed by the learners using LMS tools.
Employee Happiness: As per a LinkedIn learning report, the number one reason for employees to be happy at work is the opportunities to learn new things. As learning helps employees to keep them up to date on the latest developments, which also provides them with better career opportunities. Also, happy employees tend to work harder, stay in the organization for long, be committed to their work, and produce results. So employee happiness is the best thing organization can do to increase their business.
Financial Impact: It is very important to measure the financial impact the employee training program has created for the organization. You can easily measure the changes in revenue and profit. If the training is gaining good momentum then we can see positive results like increase in sales or reduction in costs. Sometimes both can happen. Then the organization can be sure that the training program is a big success.
Choose the Right Training Evaluating Tools
Here are some of the most common training evaluation tools -
Observation: In this, the employee’s tasks and processes are observed by an observer, and changes in behavior is identified. This is the cheapest process and there is hardly any cost involved for the organization. This is better than self-evaluation as the answers cannot be biased or influenced due to poor memory.
Tests: When it comes to measuring the knowledge, test is a great option. Using an LMS, it becomes quite easy. Questions and assignments can be created and graded in few simple steps. For skills that can’t be quantified through normal tests, simulations type tests should be utilized.
Apart from these, there are multiple other evaluation tools like Surveys, Interviews, Focus groups, and Performance Records.
Conclusion
Any training program requires continuous improvements to make learning the top priority for the organization. Organizations can achieve their goals by following the steps discussed in this article. To create training programs and evaluate them, take the help of a next-gen LMS like KloudLearn. To know more about how it can help you, contact us today.
