CHAPTER 4 EVALUATION AND EFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING

CHAPTER 4 ? EVALUATION AND EFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING

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Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding. ~William Arthur Ward

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Training is essential because technology is developing at a fast rate. The objective of the organizational policies process and programmes for the delivery of training is to achieve its HRD strategies by ensuring the availability of skilled and competent employees to meet its present and future requirements. Training & Development is essential to remove performance deficiencies. There are two ways in which T&D influences performance. First, they improve the skills of the people for specific job requirement and secondly they add to the job satisfaction. According to Burke J M and Day R R40 training positively influences the performance of the managers. As per Bartel41 the investment in training increases the productivity. McIvor42 says that it influences organizational commitment, participant knowledge and organizational based self esteem.

From the standpoint of employee training serves as an important means for the development of effective and productive work habits, methods of work, and in consequence it improves job performance, it prepares individual for modified jobs, avoids unnecessary absenteeism reduces turnover arising out of faulty selection and placements, it reduces chances of accidents. It also, increases employees` loyalty to the organization and enables them to develop and rise within the organization with full confidence.

4.2 EVALUATION OF TRAINING

Evaluation literally means the assessment of value or worth. It would simply mean the act of judging whether or not the activity to be evaluated is worthwhile in terms of set Criteria.

Hamblin43 defined evaluation of training asAny attempt to obtain information (feedback) on the effects of training programme and to assess the value of training in the light of that information for improving further

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training.

Validation, as against evaluation, applies directly to the programme and its, immediate results. Validation is defined in terms of internal and external validation. It deals with a series of tests and assessments designed to ascertain whether training met with its objective. In internal validation the focus is on the immediacy of the training and learning resulting in the improvement of the trainee.

External Validation involves a series of tests designed to ascertain whether the objectives of an internally valid programme are based on an accurate identification of training needs relation to the criteria of effectiveness adopted by the organization. This is to ensure that: a) Training is carried out in the most efficient and effective manner, b) At the lowest cost; c) With the high implementation value.

Formative Evaluation:

Evaluators often talk about two different types of evaluations: "formative" and "summative." A formative evaluation is usually conducted in the early stages of a programme and addresses questions about implementation and ongoing planning. This is used in the classroom with some planning. Formative evaluations are useful for various purposes. For example: a) They may help find problems early, while they can still be corrected. b) They provide an opportunity to collect basic data for future summative (or "impact") evaluations.

Summative Evaluation:

Summative evaluations assess programme outcomes or impacts. To determine the relationship of different factors to outcomes, similar to formative evaluations, some information used in summative evaluations is collected early in the programme (e.g., basic data, test scores). Some advantages of summative evaluations include:

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a) They can, if designed properly, provide evidence for a cause-and-effect relationship. b) They assess long-term effects. c) They provide data on impacts. d) They can provide data on change across time. 4.2.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION OF TRAINING

Reasons why training should be evaluated: To find out where the desired expectations (goal) are and are not being met. To make the training environment more supportive of learning. To revise and redefine the course to make it more effective. To identify and reduce workplace constraints that inhibits transfer of training. To prove that training is investment and not cost. To get commitment and support of training by management. To give instructors and course developers feed back to help them improve. To justify and perhaps increase the training budget. To influence future decisions like on what kind of programmes to be included. To manage the training function more professionally

4.2.2 VARIOUS THEORIES OF EVALUATION OF TRAINING.

Goldstein44 defines evaluation as .....The systematic collection of descriptive and judgemental information necessary to make effective training decisions related to the selection, adoption, value and modification of various instructional activities.

Hamblin45 defined evaluation of training as any attempt to obtain information on the effects of training programme and to assess the value of the training in the light of that information. He described evaluation as a training aid and identified FIVE levels of evaluation. They are-

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1) Reaction level 2) Learning level 3) Job behaviour level 4) Organization and 5) Ultimate value

Reaction level ? The trainees` reaction to training are important, particularly to the trainees. However from the training mangers perspective they are not as important as whether learning and job behavior effects have taken place. Each trainee`s reactions, attitudes etc. are complex and are a result of many factors such as training content and methods, the training context, location etc. and the trainee`s perceived success at achieving some of the goals of training. These reactions will vary throughout the training, some of which are transitory in the nature. Therefore it has to be given special consideration as what aspects of reactions are important. A questionnaire, using rating scales is preferable method and is supplemented by interview and informal discussion.

Learning level ? The most important aspect is whether the trainees learned the required skill sets through the training for which it was intended. If trainees have failed to learn the required skill sets and knowledge, then it can be inferred that the training system has failed rather than the trainees. Thus the modification in the training system is required.

Any evaluation of learning has to be done very carefully as it has to assess the skills and knowledge that should have been acquired. Evaluation of skill acquisition must ensure that assessment is both reliable and valid. It is important to be aware of the distinction between learning and the performance. Only the performance can be measured and learning can be inferred through the observable performance. That is why the care has to be taken to find out that the performance is a true reflection of the learning and not due to some unrelated reason. The important question here crops up is that when this evaluation should take place. Hamblin says that it should be immediately after the training programme is over, using some post test scores. The training itself should be designed in such a way that the retention of knowledge and skill is for a fairly long period. The training objectives should specify this as to when these skills are to assessed or reassessed and in that case whether the trainees require refresher training .Some skills and knowledge can deteriorate rapidly as compared to

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