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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
/Bowo Witoyo/
Training Evaluation Process
Evaluation should not be confused with assessment as they are sometimes thought
of as the same, but there are clear differences between the two.
Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at improving delegates’ learning, which is
undertaken:
· before (precourse);
· during the course (formative); or
· a final (summative) quiz or test based around the learning objectives.
The outcomes of these processes need to be fair, reliable and valid. This data can
then be used to evaluate the learning and enable an accurate measure of the
intervention at a given time.
Evaluation therefore is typically a broader concept than assessment as it deals with
all aspects of a programme including resources, staffing, organisation, operations,
efficiency and the overall measurement of the learning that has been delivered. It
can therefore be described as the systematic acquisition and assessment of
information to provide useful feedback about some object, in this case training.
The Evaluation & Learning Life Cycle
The evaluation and learning cycle shows how evaluation fits within the overall context
of any learning and development programme.
Training
Evaluate Needs
Business Analysis
Needs Design
Learning
Solution
Evaluation
NHS
Feedback
NPfIT Training
Delivery
Validate
Transfer
Validate
Reinforce Learning
Learning
Evaluation is an integral part of the learning cycle and should not be considered in
isolation.
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
All education, training and development programmes should begin with a training
strategy that clearly links the business objectives and benefits to the training
objectives, so that the training needs analysis (TNA) can be used to identify the real
training needs of the target audience.
The TNA will define the training curriculum and high level content of the proposed
training programme. Alongside this activity the evaluation and assessment
methodology will be defined detailing the evaluation objectives, the data collection
process and the analysis and reporting mechanisms. The evaluation questions must
be linked directly to the training objectives for the evaluation to be meaningful.
The actual evaluation phase of the training programme will then be broken down into
several distinct phases: Validation, Reinforcement, Transfer of Learning and
Evaluation Feedback.
Questionnaire Design
The online questionnaires should be spilt into several sections containing the
following subject areas:
Generic questions relating to the following:
· Trainers performance
· Documentation quality
· If the course met the objectives
· If the course met the delegates needs
· Training room facilities.
· Course logistics (joining instructions, car parking etc)
Application and course questions:
· Questions related to the specific learning objectives of the training course.
These questions are very important as this will enable the measurement of the
learning achieved on the training course and if that learning has been transferred into
the work place. It is these questions that will give the individual Trusts the ability to
evaluate their own training courses.
A number of evaluation templates are included at the end of this document.
Evaluation and Accreditation
In addition to the evaluation of the learning objectives it is proposed that testing and
accreditation is introduced into both the Train the Trainers (TtT) courses and the end
user training programmes.
Note:
Although currently outofscope of this project, we should encourage that these
assessments be fed back to the delegate’s personal development plan (PDP) and
the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF). On a much wider scale each job
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
description should include IT competences that are relevant to the systems used by
the post holder.
To implement this would require a separate project in its own right, however NHS
CFH should recommend that this be dealt with at a local level by the individual SHA’s
and Trusts.
Learning Management System
With the emergence of elearning and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) there
is an impact on training evaluation. Although the overall philosophy remains the
same, due to the very nature of elearning programmes, the evaluation process is
made much simpler with feedback data being captured from tests and practical
exercises readily available for online analysis and reporting.
However this proposed process includes face to face classroom training as well as
elearning so that all evaluation questionnaires and tests are delivered electronically
so that the data can be captured for later evaluation and review.
Training Evaluation Administration
To enable the successful implementation of the national training evaluation process it
will be necessary for the NHS training organisation in each Trust or Shared Service
to recruit at least one training administrator to manage the training course
evaluations. The duties will include the:
· The online creation of questionnaires and tests.
· The production of online reports and evaluations
Analysis & Reporting
The system will support the:
· Creation of tests that track and score learner performance either as topics
within a course, or as standalone assessments.
· Enable the review of test results and analysis of trends through test statistics.
· Manage test question banks to enable extensive reuse of questions.
· Optionally restrict repeated attempts of a test, and set a time delay between
attempts.
· Define which questions are mandatory or optional.
· Creation of a suite of management reports that can be requested on an ad
hoc basis by the training administrators.
Capturing data from the questionnaires and tests will provide the foundation to
empower Trusts to evaluate their own training, whilst at the same time enabling if the
need arises the evaluation of pan SHA, LSP, NASP training programmes etc.
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
System Access
The training administrators will require access to be able to create and maintain a
subset of the above questionnaires, tests and reporting requirements for their
specific Trust.
End users will require access to the questionnaires and tests via the Internet/Intranet
to complete the questionnaires and tests online.
It is envisaged that Trust administrators will only be able to access their own data to
create questionnaires and analyse, however there is a requirement for evaluation
across the NPfIT nationally. Therefore access is required to enable a national
training administrator to look at all Trusts data.
Administrator Training
Each training administrator will require systems training in the functions of the
National LMS, questionnaire creation and maintenance and the reporting capabilities
of the system.
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
Training Evaluation Process
Training Evaluation Process will consist of a number of stages which can be represented by the following
diagram:
Level 1 to 3 Evaluation
Level 3 Delegates
PostCourse Provides evidence of the transfer of
Interview/Questionnaire learning into the workplace
Line Managers
PostCourse Provides the opportunity for reflective learning & further discussion
DeBriefing about L&D opportunities
Level 2 Provides evidence of the learning achieved and can be used for the accreditation
Questionnaire
process
& Test
Level 1 End of
Course Provides evidence of how the delegate has reacted to the learning
Questionnaire
Line Managers
PreCourse Positions the L&D intervention in the correct context–
Briefing Return on Investment
Delegates
PreCourse Provides baseline measurement and assessment (TNA) of prerequisite skills
Assessment
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
Level 4 and 5 Evaluation
Provides evidence of the ROI by identifying the benefits
Level 5 – Return on Investment achieved versus the cost of the training.
Measure ROI by reviewing: Can be identified by using the formulae:
ROI % = Benefits of Training (£) X 100
•Cost of Training Cost of Training
•Benefits of the Training
Level 4 – Impact on the Organisation
Analyse organisational performance by:
•Observation Provides evidence of the impact of the learning on the organisation.
•1:1 Interviews
•Measurement of quantifiable process
identified in business analysis stage.
Level 4 and 5 evaluation will not be covered in the first stage of the implementation until levels 1, 2 and 3 have been successfully
implemented.
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
Evaluation Framework
The “Best Practice” evaluation process shown above forms the framework for the
proposed National Evaluation Process which follows the principles of Kirkpatrick’s
(level 1 to 4) and Phillips (level 5) models of evaluation.
The fundamental principles of training evaluation described in these models are:
· Level 1 Shows the delegates reaction to the learning
· Level 2 Testing the learning achieved
· Level 3 Transfer of learning to the workplace
· Level 4 Results, or impact of the training on the organisation
· Level 5 Return on Investment
However for this evaluation method to fully complete the cycle it is necessary to
include an earlier step of pretraining measurement and assessment of prerequisite
skills.
In principle, it should be possible to evaluate the Return on Investment (ROI) from
training (Level 5 above), with a calculation that measures cost reductions or
improvement of results in financial terms, and demonstrates by what factor or
multiple outweigh the costs of the training itself. In practice, however, very few
organisations are able to specify the clear business benefits that derive from training,
and even fewer are able to specify these business benefits in financial terms. In
addition, the ROI will always be affected by a number of unknown variables, e.g.
changing business priorities.
As it will take some time to implement the full evaluation cycle it should be
implemented step by step, with level 4 and 5 only being attempted when the
organisation has fully accepted the principles of training evaluation and implemented
the core process.
The measurement of the ROI will be achieved at a later date in conjunction with the
evaluation of benefits realisation.
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NHS CFH National Training Evaluation Process
Evaluation Building Blocks
Capturing relevant training course data based on learning objectives, which are
linked to the business benefits, are the key building blocks of any training evaluation
process. This can be represented with the following diagram:
Post
Training Evaluation
Analysis Design Delivery
Evaluation Analysis
Training
Programme
Business Evaluation
Objectives
Training
Objectives
Evaluation
Questionnaires
LMS Database
In this diagram the business objectives are identified at the earliest opportunity, and
through the training needs analysis (TNA) process the training objectives are
developed. It is fundamental to the success of any training evaluation exercise that
the evaluation questions are linked to the training objectives and then the business
objectives as shown in the analysis and design phases of the above diagram.
The level 1 questionnaire is then used in the training delivery phase to capture
feedback from the delegates at the end of the training course. The level 2
questionnaire is used to formally test and record the delegates’ knowledge with
questions constructed around the training objectives. Likewise the level 3 evaluation
documents are used to measure the impact of the learning some weeks or even
months after the training programme has been completed. In all cases the data
captured from these documents and tests must be stored in a database for later
analysis
Once these fundamental principles are in place and data is being captured at the
level of the individual training course, it will be possible to analyse the effectiveness
of the training both at local and national level. In addition the recording of this data
will enable largescale evaluation, e.g. pan Trust, SHA, LSP and NASP training
activities.
Failure to capture the data at the level of the individual training course will negate the
whole process and make overall evaluation and review of any training programme –
much less comparisons between programmes, impossible.
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