Evaluating Learning

The development of transformative and impactful L&D offerings relies on effective evaluation practices. Evaluation can help to surface what L&D is needed, what works, and for whom. These insights are important for business planning, decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

“The challenge for the APS is not in the availability of good in-house and external sources of training and professional development but in a system-wide understanding of what development is needed, what is available and what works”

– Independent Review of the APS, 2019

There are many ways to evaluate learning, and we don’t recommend one approach over another (e.g. Kirkpatrick vs. Thalheimer). Rather, we recommendation that you choose an approach that is appropriate for your needs and achievable within your resources.

The good news is that effective evaluation doesn’t need to be complicated. The key is good planning at the start and being clear about what you want to know. For example: ‘Is the content relevant to participants?’ ‘What did participants learn?’ ‘Are participants applying what they learned in the workplace?’.

Once you know what you want to measure, you can choose the evaluation tools that will allow you to collect the data you need. For example, if you are developing a new course, you might want to run focus groups to gain deep user insights. If you want to track the quality of course delivery over time, a post-course survey will be better. But a post-course survey on its own can’t measure the impact of a course on workplace performance. For this, you need an impact evaluation, which is more complex and resource intensive.

Here are 5 key questions to help get you started:

• What do you want to know (and what matters most)?
• What data do you need to collect?
• When is the right time to collect it?
• How will you analyse and use the data?
• What is the appropriate level of resource to commit (and do you have it)?

Learn more about evaluating L&D by exploring the resources below.