Question 1

Affective reaction measures the level of perceived usefulness of a training program.

Accepted Answer

Affective reaction measures the emotional response of participants to a training program, such as their satisfaction or enjoyment. Perceived usefulness is typically measured through cognitive reactions, such as whether participants feel that they have gained new skills or knowledge.

Question 2

Formative evaluations provide data about the worthiness or effectiveness of a training program.

Accepted Answer

Formative evaluations are designed to monitor the learning process during its development or delivery, focusing on improving the program's design and effectiveness rather than assessing its overall worthiness.

Question 3

Those organizations that perform training evaluations tend to focus their metrics on evaluating training benefits associated with return on investment (ROI), with far fewer focusing on behaviour and reaction metrics.

Accepted Answer

Many organizations that perform training evaluations focus not only on ROI but also heavily on reaction (how participants felt about the training) and learning (the increase in knowledge or capability) metrics. Behavioural changes (how participants apply the training on the job) are also a key focus, although measuring ROI is indeed important, it's not the sole focus for most.

Question 4

Measures of self-efficacy tend to focus on a trainee's perceived level of support in transferring newly learned skills to the job.

Accepted Answer

Measures of self-efficacy focus on a trainee's belief in their own ability to perform tasks or achieve specific performance levels, rather than on their perceived level of support for transferring skills to the job.

Question 5

One of the more rigorous evaluation techniques involves measuring the level of satisfaction by trainees after completing a training program.

Accepted Answer

Measuring the level of satisfaction by trainees after completing a training program is a common method, but it is not considered one of the more rigorous evaluation techniques. Rigorous evaluation techniques often involve assessing behavior change, knowledge retention, or performance improvements, rather than just satisfaction.

Question 6

For both self-report and observational data, it is important that the measures focus on specific behaviours as opposed to general behaviours because specific behaviours are more likely to be valid and accurate.

Accepted Answer

Specific behaviours can be defined and measured more accurately than general behaviours, which can vary in interpretation and perception. Therefore, measures that focus on specific behaviours are more likely to be valid and accurate.

Question 7

Causal evaluations require more sophisticated experimental and statistical procedures versus the less sophisticated descriptive evaluations.

Accepted Answer

Causal evaluations aim to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables, which requires controlling for confounding factors through experimental design and statistical analysis. Descriptive evaluations, on the other hand, simply describe the characteristics and patterns of a given phenomenon without making causal inferences. Therefore, causal evaluations typically demand more advanced and rigorous methods than descriptive evaluations.

Question 8

Studies of training professionals show the more sophisticated training evaluations are rarely used because they are perceived to be too complicated to implement, take too long to design, and simply cost too much money.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that more sophisticated training evaluations are not commonly used because of the perceived complications in implementation, design time and costs associated with these evaluations.

Question 9

Declarative learning refers to the acquisition of facts and information and is by far the most frequently assessed learning measure.

Accepted Answer

Declarative learning involves the acquisition of factual knowledge and is the most commonly assessed form of learning.

Question 10

Training evaluation is a process that helps organizations determine if expected training outcomes actually materialize.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Training evaluation is a systematic process that assists organizations in determining whether or not their training programs have achieved expected results, such as changes in knowledge, skills, behavior, or performance.

Question 11

One of the primary advantages of the Decision-Based Evaluation model over the Kirkpatrick model is that it allows different variables to be measured depending on the target of the evaluation process.

Accepted Answer

The Decision-Based Evaluation model is designed to be more flexible compared to the Kirkpatrick model. It recognizes that different training programs and interventions have different goals, and therefore, the evaluation process should be tailored to measure the specific outcomes that matter most. This means that the model allows different variables to be measured depending on the target of the evaluation process, making it a more versatile and comprehensive approach to evaluating training and development programs.

Question 12

The COMA model and the Decision-Based Evaluation model are the most widely used training evaluation methods.

Accepted Answer

While the COMA model and the Decision-Based Evaluation model are two commonly used training evaluation methods, it is not accurate to say that they are the most widely used methods. There are many other evaluation methods and frameworks that are also widely used, such as Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Model and Phillips' ROI Methodology.

Question 13

The main reason procedural learning measures are NOT often used is centred on the level of complexity required to properly assess procedural learning.

Accepted Answer

This is because procedural learning involves the acquisition of motor and perceptual skills, which can be difficult to measure objectively and accurately. It often requires specialized equipment and trained personnel to properly assess procedural learning, which can be time-consuming and costly. As a result, most research on learning and memory focuses on declarative learning, which is easier to measure and involves the acquisition of knowledge and facts.

Question 14

According to the Conference Board of Canada, only 46 percent of Canadian organizations undertook some type of training evaluation in 2010. However, in 2016-17 there was evidence to suggest Canadian companies were improving on the 2010 evaluation results.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the Conference Board of Canada,...

Question 15

A question such as "Has the training program resulted in payoffs for the organization?" is typically associated with summative evaluations.

Accepted Answer

Summative evaluations are used to assess the effectiveness of a program, project, or policy after it has been implemented, and to determine the impact or outcomes achieved. The question about whether the training program resulted in payoffs for the organization is focused on outcomes, which is a typical concern for summative evaluations.

Question 16

Kirkpatrick's hierarchical model has four levels. Of these four levels, a survey provided to trainees after training is often associated with collecting data for calculating behavioural changes at work.

Accepted Answer

Surveys provided to trainees after training are typically associated with Level 1 (Reaction) of Kirkpatrick's model, which measures how the trainees felt about the training, not Level 3 (Behavior), which measures behavioral changes at work.

Question 17

Training evaluation is undertaken for a variety of reasons. Some of the most salient include identifying the costs and benefits of a particular training initiative and determining if expected training outcomes materialized.

Accepted Answer

Training evaluation is conducted to identify the costs and benefits of a training program and to determine if the expected outcomes were achieved.

Question 18

When measuring trainees' "reactions" to a training program, trainers often use questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Trainers use questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews to measure trainees' reactions to a training program. These methods help trainers to obtain honest feedback from trainees about their experience with the program.

Question 19

One of the main implications of the Kirkpatrick model of evaluation is the interdependencies among the four levels of evaluation. In practical terms, "(L1) should cause trainee learning (L2), which in turn should cause behaviour (L3), and so on."

Accepted Answer

The Kirkpatrick model proposes that each level of evaluation leads to and impacts the subsequent level of evaluation, creating an interdependent relationship. Therefore, L1 should lead to L2, L2 to L3, and so on.

Question 20

The "pre-post design with control group" data collection method answers two basic questions: Did trainees change? and Was training responsible for that change?

Accepted Answer

The pre-post design with control group is a method of collecting data that allows researchers to determine whether trainees have changed and whether the training was responsible for that change. The inclusion of a control group helps to control for external factors that may influence the results, and the pre-post design allows for comparisons of individual trainee performance before and after the training.

Quiz 10: Training Evaluation