Phylise Banner
This site from Meera (My Environmental Education Evaluation Resources Assistant), provides a great overview of what evaluation is, explaining different types of evaluation and detailing their purpose. Of note are the sections on what makes a good evaluation, and how you can make evaluation an integral part of your program.
This blog post from CommLab India brings up four aspects that evaluation uncovers: how well the training program met the learner’s needs and objectives; the knowledge and skills it has imparted to learners; the desirable change it has brought in the learners’ performance; and the organizational benefits it has yielded. Take some time to explore the discussion comments at the end of the post for more insight.
This article from Human Resources Management Research explores the purpose of training evaluation, and reasons why it needs to happen throughout the design, development, and delivery process. Take some time to review the evaluation techniques detailed here for ideas on methods to use in your own work.
This article from Growth Engineering dives into five reasons why training managers avoid implementing a full evaluation strategy, followed up by two solid reasons why everyone should embrace a full evaluation strategy. Of note is how important evaluation data is in showing how learning has benefitted the company overall.
A fantastic blog post from InSync’s Dawn Mahoney, this piece posits the idea that conversations that take place in our workplace should be brought into the needs assessment mix. Think about how your stories and the stories of your learners can be woven into your own evaluation strategies. Also, think about creating more narrative questions as you develop a needs assessment and evaluation strategy.
This short blog post poses quite a few questions, but they are questions worthy of asking when you begin to develop your evaluation strategy. You can use these questions as a start, and add your own, to keep on hand as you work through the design, development, and delivery of your learning solutions. Be sure to read through to the last (and most important) question!
This article from the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) does an excellent job of explaining the difference between a needs assessment and needs analysis, with examples and concept maps that you can use and share. There are also some excellent references with links to external resources if you’re interested in learning more.
This 320 page eBook is a magnificent resource. Take some time to read through the introduction and first chapter or two. Even if you don’t have time to read this eBook fully, you will find great value in the Needs Assessment guides, as well as other templates that you will find in the appendices.
This article from Training Industry magazine highlights five evaluation mistakes and actions you can take to avoid them. Pay close attention to mistake #1 – waiting to evaluate until after a program has launched. Yes, that’s certainly mistake #1! Follow the narrative examples in this article and pick up tips on how you can avoid making these mistakes.
