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Evaluation of Training Essay The evaluation of training identifies the extent to which the program has succeeded in enhancing the knowledge or skill-set of the participants. Kilpatrick’s model of training evaluation identifies four levels of evaluation: trainee reaction, participant’s learning, behavioral change, and impact on business. The major tools of training evaluation include interviews, questionnaires and surveys, observations and secondary data, and pre and post assignments or tests. The emerging trend is empowered evaluation, or making participants responsible for the evaluation. Introduction: Objectives of Training Evaluation The broad objective of evaluating training is to measure the effectiveness of the program in relation to the enhancement of knowledge or skills and the application of such skills and knowledge at work by the participants. The secondary objective of evaluating training is to improve future editions of the program in terms of modules, facilities, and contextual factors. The evaluation of training also helps identify the factors that help and hinder effective training of individuals and provide a guide map for support the participant requires at work The successful evaluation of a training program depends on application of the correct objectives while designing the evaluation exercise and the correct feedback from the participants in relation to the inputs received from the trainer. Kilpatrick’s Model of Training Evaluation Donald L Kilpatrick of the University of Wisconsin proposed four levels of evaluation. The first level of Kilpatrick’s model is seeking trainee reaction, or the participant feelings regarding the training experience. The instruments used to capture such reaction include post-survey questionnaires or feedback forms and verbal reactions of the participants during the conclusion of the training program. Some of the common questions included in such surveys include whether the participants enjoyed the training, whether they considered the training relevant, whether they liked the venue, style, timings and the like, their opinion on the ease and comfort of the experience, and the like. The answers to such questions could be in either an open-ended format or a series of multiple-choice options. This level of evaluation is easy to obtain and analyze and takes place immediately after the training ends. It gives a broad and general indication regarding the success or failure of the training program. The second level of Kilpatrick’s evaluation model focuses on the participants learning, and measures the whether the desired skill and knowledge enhancements have taken place. The measures in this level indicate the extent of advancement or change in the intended direction or area. The common measurement instruments for this factor include pre and post training tests or assignments and interviews. The success of evaluation however depends on the establishment of a reliable and clear scoring measurement scale. The third level of Kilpatrick’s evaluation model focuses on measuring behavior change, or the extent of application of the acquired knowledge or the implementation of acquired skills on the job. The evaluation of this factor depends on any noticeable and measurable change in the activity and performance of the participants when they return to their job roles after the training, and on whether such changes are sustained or temporary. The evaluation also extends to measuring whether the participants could transfer their learning to others and whether they are aware of their change in behavior, knowledge, skill level. The common evaluation tools for such measures include ongoing observation and interview over time. The use of 360-degree feedback is a convenient tool to measure performance on a continuous basis. The measures required at this level are not easy to quantify and arbitrary snapshot assessments and subjective ratings often hamper successful evaluation at this level. The fourth level of evaluation in Kilpatrick’s model is measuring business results, or the effects of the training on the business or environment. The measures would typically be business or organizational key performance indices such as volumes, values, percentages, timescales, return on investment, staff turnover, quality ratings, achievement of standards and accreditations. Most of such measures would already be in place as part of the normal management reporting systems. Organizations traditionally focused on the first two levels of evaluation. In recent years, the third and fourth levels have also become common points of evaluation. The Process of Training Evaluations The process of conducting the training evaluation depends on the objective of evaluation, or the level of evaluation required. The instruments used to measure of participant’s reaction to the program and their acquisition of knowledge and skills need to be devised prior to the program and administered to the participants immediately after the program concludes. The evaluation of the behavioral change or the application of the acquired knowledge and skills to the job and measuring their impact on the business is complicated and a sustained effort. The various tools to evaluate such measures, such as interviews, questionnaires, 360-degree appraisals, feedback from supervisors, secondary data, observations and the like need to be structured and phased over a period of time, and the results compared with the previous data and the intended objectives of the training program. Conclusion The latest concept in training evaluation is empowered evaluation, wherein participants improve their programs themselves through self-evaluation and reflection. The responsibility for evaluation in this model rests with the participants and professional agency or entity conducting the training on a collective basis, and the process of evaluation necessitate cooperation, collaboration, and sharing of resources. References Goodstein, J. Goodstein, L. D. (1991). A Matrix for Evaluating Training in The 1991 Annual: Developing Human Resources (pg: 184). San Deigo: University Associates.