Training impact evaluation is an integral part of the capability development process in any given organization. It is the only way to measure how much impact your training made on the learners, their team, and even the business. Therefore, training evaluation forms are powerful diagnostic tools that can help you measure or evaluate the true impact of your training programs. You can even use them to measure the impact of your training programs on the skills of the participants and their job performance later on. 

For learning and development specialists, trainers, and HR professionals out there, these forms are the real diagnostic tool to help them understand how effective or ineffective their training programs really are. 

In this simple & clear guide, we will explore the importance of training evaluation forms, their importance, and how you can maximize their benefits. 

Why Training Evaluation Forms Matter

Usually, a training or learning intervention is designed to grow capability or close a previously recognized skill or knowledge gap. Post-training, you need a tool that can help you decide whether or not your learning intervention was on point. A training evaluation form is a tool that will give the learners an opportunity to provide feedback to the trainer of the Human Resources department.

You need a training evaluation form for the following reasons: 

A. Measure Training Effectiveness

Training is considered one of the most important human capital investments organizations make for their employees. The focus of such investments is skill improvement, addressing the knowledge gap, increasing employees’ productivity, and building better teams. Not all training interventions are successful, especially if they fail to address the set goals. One sure way to tell if your training program is successful is by deploying a training evaluation form at different levels. 

B. Provide feedback to the trainer and Human Resources Department

Should your training intervention fail to achieve success, the feedback received from deploying the training evaluation form will provide useful insight into the grey areas, leaving you with potential areas of improvement the next time you are designing the training. Without the training evaluation form, how would you have known what worked, what did not work, and what needed to be improved?. By doing so, your employees or the target audience of your training program will get a better result next time you deploy the training.

Through this process of evaluation, you would have created a culture of growth. This will help you improve your training process. This will, in turn, help you turn your training process into a continuous improvement engine.

Making the Training Process Relevant by Industry-Specific Customization

Every industry is marked by distinct practices that are native to that industry. A generic training evaluation form rarely does the job. But a well-customized form, according to the industry, provides an opportunity to reflect on the form elements peculiar to the industry in question. How can we customize the training evaluation form according to industry requirements?

A. Tailor the Content to Suit Your Industry

Using off-the-shelf training evaluation forms is not the best option for your company. Industry-specific customization will help you align your forms with the prevailing practices in the industry. Deploying training evaluation forms that are highly relevant to your industry will provide adequate and relevant feedback, which will, in turn, help you improve your team’s performance immediately.

B. How Industry-Specific Customization Can Boost Engagement and Motivation

Using industry-specific customization in your form will help you make your training process interesting and engaging. This will take your process a notch higher by aligning the content of your training with industry competencies and curriculum. 

C. Ensuring Industry-Specific 

Some industries demand that demand strict compliance with regulations, such as the healthcare industry, the finance industry, and the manufacturing industry. Industry-specific customization can ensure that your team is fully compliant, confident, and risk-free.

The use of evaluation forms for industry-specific customization makes the training process measurable, meaningful, and memorable.

Understanding the Training Evaluation Process

What Is Training Evaluation?

Training evaluation is the systematic process of measuring the effectiveness of the training process. It helps to determine whether the training has achieved the desired outcomes or not. Training evaluation can be done at different levels. According to the Kirkpatrick Model, there are four levels of evaluation: Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Result. 

The first level is the Reaction. At this level, participants measure the degree to which the training experience is favourable or capable of supporting their development and growth on the job.

The second level is Learning. This measures the degree to which the target audience acquires the intended knowledge, skill, and attitude.

The third level measures Behaviour. It is believed that learning takes place only when there is a substantial change in behaviour on the job.

The last level is Result, and it has to do with measuring organizational impact recorded as a result of deploying the training intervention. For instance, training all customer-facing employees in a bank has the potential to move the bank up the National Customer Satisfaction Index. 

How Does the Training Evaluation Process Measure Success?

The training evaluation is nothing but a set of questions demanding answers from the respondents. These questions speak to different themes that are important for making decisions around the training. We shall examine the process and some important questions you will find in almost all training evaluation forms.

A training evaluation form is usually deployed following the completion of a training program. It is sent to attendees electronically and, in some instances, using physical paper immediately after the training. The form is completed and submitted(in the case of paper) or transmitted back to the database of the issuer (if electronic).

Sample questions usually asked of  learners include; 

1. Learning Outcome: Was the desired outcome achieved?
2. Participant Satisfaction: Was the training process interesting and relevant to the participants?
3. Impact on Job Performance: Was the training process effective enough to improve the team’s performance?

How Feedback Helps the Training Process

Effective evaluation forms can provide valuable feedback to improve the training process by identifying flaws in the content design and delivery process.

Collection of Training Evaluation Feedback Using Digital Tools

By using digital tools like Paperform, Formplus, or Jotform, training attendees can provide feedback easily, immediately after training. Sometimes, trainers embed their form’s QR code into the last slides for the attendees to scan before leaving the classroom or webinar. This fast-tracks the feedback process.

Designing Questions for Maximum Impact

The way you craft your questions will determine the quality of answers and feedback you get. For instance, using open-ended questions in some thematic areas will help you get the best from respondents instead of a “yes or no” answer.

How can you guarantee maximum impact for your questions?

Ensure Industry Relevance

Utilizing industry-specific terminology and scenarios in your question design is a fail-proof method of customizing the form to the industry. The outcome is that it will highlight challenges faced by the employee daily in that industry.

Clarity for Diverse Roles

Design questions relevant to different roles and functions by providing adequate context and scenario examples. Ensure that you include both technical and non-technical questions.

Rating Scales, Metrics, and Language

Most training evaluation forms are designed like any questionnaire. That means it comes with rating scales. For maximum impact, select question-appropriate, relevant, rating scales that are industry aligned. Next, design for ease of use. Where possible, use visual aids for easy understanding.

Digital Tools for Easy Customization

In the past, before the advent of digital tools like Survey Monkey, most Learning and Development departments served training participants a “Smile Sheet,” which was a level 1 post-training evaluation form. Today, the case is different. Most trainers now use digital tools like Paperform, Survey Monkey, and Formplus to create and deploy training evaluation forms online. 

What features make these tools easy to use and efficient? 

• Paperform: Drag & drop builder, multimedia features, logic features
• Formplus: Customizable templates, form logic, integration features
• Jotform: Templates, widgets, automation features

These forms are easy to use, and they allow for quick design, deployment, and warehousing of data.

Conclusion

The training evaluation forms are not just a series of questions and answers. It is a diagnostic tool capable of transforming the employee training process. Incorporating iindustry-specific detailsin the process can make it relevant. 

Start making changes to your training evaluation forms and start benefiting from these valuable insights, and maximize the training ROI.