TRAINING EVALUATION

Measuring the Effectiveness of Training Program through Training Evaluation Method



Measuring the Effectiveness of Training Program through Training Evaluation Method

Introduction

In common parlance, evaluation is the objective assessment of the past to facilitate better forecasting and controlling of the future. In the context of training, it is used to determine the effectiveness of a training program. Hamblin defined it as “any attempt to obtain information (feedback) on the effects of a training program, and to assess the value of the training in the light of that information”. Training evaluation method should involve the following important elements (Barnes, Christensen & Hansen, 1994):

Evaluation is a planned process;

It aims at improving the Knowledge and skill of the participants, changing his behavior in the organization, improving other key result areas of he organization such as cost of production, absenteeism and turnover rate as well as taking, decisions about the desirability, nature and content of future training.

It involves collection to information from the trainees (on both pre - training and post - training situation), from his superiors, his subordinates and peers.

Training is evaluated in terms of objectively variable standards or criteria.

Levels of Evaluation

U.S. ARMEDCOM's in order to assess the effectiveness of its training program should measure its program on the following levels (Phillips, 2010):

Reaction

Learning

Job behavior

Results

1. Reaction

U.S. ARMEDCOM should document the reaction in responses to its employees after training. This reflects the feelings of the trainees about the training program, its methods, contents, quality of the speaker, physical facilities of the program, suggestion about what will make the program more effective in future, etc (Phillips, 2010).

1.2 Uses

The trainer at U.S. ARMEDCOM through documenting the responses can get the views of the participants about the methods, contents and nature of the training program. This helps trainer to modify, revise and improve the subsequent part of the same program or the subsequent program. Secondly, the participants get a common forum to ventilate their individual feelings which facilitates the trainers to understand the situation and take corrective measure so that communication gap is reduced.

1.3 Modus operandi for evaluating reactions

Objectives are to be set up in verifiable terms

Data analysis plan should then be decided.

Questionnaires should be designed and developed reflecting the major objectives.

Information about the honest reaction should be collected by making the questionnaire anonymous.

The question should be open-ended and multiple-choice but easy.

1.4 When to evaluate the reaction?

A reaction may be evaluated either at the end of the training program or at the check points during the program (Phillips, 2010).

1.5 Methods of tests used for evaluation of reaction

The method to test questionnaire U.S. ARMEDCOM should use is well-designed questionnaire. Through, questionnaires, it would be easy for the company to document the responses of the questionnaire.

2. Learning

This reflects the change in the level of knowledge and/or skills of these participants during the training program. This is the subsequent tool comes after documenting reaction, in which U.S. ARMEDCOM can assess the retention and application of the training content (Shapiro, 1995).

2.2 Uses

The increase of knowledge and/or skill of training ...