WebJunction

 Evaluation is …

… a standard practice in training that measure changes in behavior that occur as a result of the training. Evaluations can be used to measure whether or not specific objectives were met, the students' opinions of the experience, the training environment, and the trainer's performance.

Why are you evaluating the training?

___ To determine the effectiveness of a training class.

___ To measure benchmarks in the training program.

___ To show value of program to leaders, directors and communities.

___ To evaluate whether the objectives were achieved.

___ To find out if material was relevant to the students.

___ To find out if content met students' needs.

___ To find out if facilities were adequate.

___ To learn more about what students want in the future so new classes can be created.

___ To find out how the trainer did and what he or she could improve on.

What will you evaluate?

Students' Reaction - How do students feel about the experience?

Sample Questions:

• Overall I thought the class was:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

• Overall I found the content to be:

Very useful Useful Somewhat Useful Not Useful

Students' Learning - Did students' knowledge increase and/or skills improve?

Sample Questions:

• What level of confidence do you have that you can effectively use the learned skills?

Low 1 2 3 4 High

• After this class I am able to use the electronic help menus:

With ease With difficulty With assistance Not at all

• How will you use the new information?

Content - What were students' impression of the class layout and materials?

Sample Questions:

• Handouts were concise, legible, and appropriate.

NA 1 2 3 4 5

• What suggestions do you have for improving the content?

• What topics were most useful?

Trainer's Performance - How did the trainer do? Knowledge? Skill? Pace? Voice?

Sample Questions:

• Using the scale: 5=Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree=1

The trainer was well prepared. NA 5 4 3 2 1

The trainer involved participants. NA 5 4 3 2 1

The trainer answered questions appropriately. NA 5 4 3 2 1

Facilities - What did students think about the learning environment, classroom setup, etc.?

Sample Questions:

• The classroom was a comfortable place to work. Yes No

• The facility was easy to find. Yes No

General Questions - What additional information would you like from students?

Sample Questions:

• What other comments do you have about today's class?

• What classes would you like to see taught in the future? Why?

How will you design your evaluation?

When designing an evaluation ask yourself:

• What do I want to find out from this evaluation?

• How do I plan to use this information?

• What measurement tools should I use?

• What do you want to know about the students' skills? (Can they transfer the knowledge? Are they able to perform the skill? How will they use the skills?)

• How will the information help the class?

• How will the information help the program?

• How will the questions help improve the content or material?

What tools will you use?

Web-based Tools

• SurveyMonkey.com, Zoomerang.com, and Websurveyor.com - For a small monthly fee, these Web sites will provide the user with the ability to create and distribute Web-based questionnaires and surveys, and design distance-learning courses, using a variety of design options. They also streamline collecting responses and analyzing results through different reporting options.

• Microsoft FrontPage - FrontPage, which is included on the Gates Library Computer, is a Web development tool, allowing users to create their own Web pages. Users can develop and post Web-based forms in FrontPage, and have all form responses sent to an e-mail account.

• Other -

Paper-based Tools

• Microsoft Word, Publisher, or FrontPage -- You can create evaluation forms in any of these applications and distribute them by either passing them out at the end of the class or sending them electronically to students.

What measurement scales will you use?

There are a variety of measuring tools that are appropriate for use with evaluations. Each type yields different information, so you'll need to consider exactly what you are trying to find out from your evaluation before you choose a tool. In addition, each tool is appropriate for different kinds of questions. The following handout describes types of scales and provides some examples.

Opinion Scale asks the student to give his/her opinion about particular aspects of the training.

Please circle the word that describes how you feel about each statement.

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Please circle the word that describes how you feel about each statement.

Very Useful

Useful

Somewhat Useful

Not Useful

Likert Scale asks the student to rate his/her agreement or disagreement with the question by using a set standard.

Please circle the number that indicates how you feel about each statement.

1 = Strongly Agree

2 = Often

3 = No Opinion

4 = Disagree

5 = Strongly Disagree

N/A = Not Applicable

Semantic Differential uses words that are opposite from one another to elicit responses.

Please check the response that most closely indicates your reaction to . . .

Very Somewhat Neither Somewhat Very

Complex Simple

Boring Interesting

Useful Useless

Frequency Scale asks “how often”

Please circle the number that indicates how often you participate in each of the activities listed below.

1 = Always

2 = Often

3 = Sometimes

4 = Seldom

5 = Never

Multiple Choice asks the student to make a choice between the items listed….

Please check the one answer that best describes . . .

Please check all the items that apply . . .

___ I use Microsoft Word at home.

___ I use Microsoft Word at work.

___ I have created a resume using Microsoft Word.

Open-ended questions provide room for comments.

• What did you find most helpful about the program?

• What information will you …?

• Briefly describe how you will go about familiarizing your staff with the software on the computer when you return to your library.

• What three things will you implement from the Knowing Your Learner section? Any additional comments?

Things to Think About

After Evaluations are Completed

Look over all of the responses and comments. If you are using a scale, try to set it up so the information can be quantified; this will make trends easier to spot. Think about what the responses are telling you. Are there suggestions that will improve future classes? Is an opinion isolated? Or are there several similar comments?

If You Remember Nothing Else

Why - Why are you evaluating?

What - What will you evaluate?

How - How will you design your evaluation?

• What tools will you use?

• What questions will you ask?

• What scales will you use?

How will you design an evaluation that allows you to get the information you need without requiring the trainees to spend too much time completing it?