Formal evaluation is the most solid way to collect reliable data on your online training. There are a variety of methods you could use to conduct a formal evaluation including the following.
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You could gather responses to key evaluative questions from participants. Methods used could include conducting online, print-based or telephone surveys; engaging in quarterly participant satisfaction surveys; or surveying participants after a period of time has passed. Some online learning technology allows you to easily incorporate evaluation during the training. In the GO research, formal surveys were overwhelmingly the most common way to conduct an evaluation.
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You could formally track and assess the success, retention, and failure rates of your participants. Several colleges and school boards in the GO research used this method of evaluation.
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Some organizations, typically larger ones or ones who receive special project funding for this activity, could engage an external evaluator to evaluate their training. For example, one organization in the GO research received special funding to hire an external evaluator to conduct telephone interviews with all participants after each online training session.
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Another formal evaluation method could be to measure the outcomes of the online learning offered by your organization. For example, one organization in the GO research (that had the training goal of assisting participants to find employment) tracked whether in fact participants reported finding a job after taking their online training. Another organization tracked whether participants implemented what they had learned during their online course.
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Evaluation can be conducted both before and after your online training or course to determine specific skills or knowledge gained by the participants.
