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The goal of training is to help a learner improve their competence, capacity, and performance. Training helps learners gain new knowledge and skill. The most effective training also helps learners apply this information to their workplace, a process known as transfer of learning or simply learning transfer. Training effectiveness refers to how well your training supports learning and learning transfer. There are many ways to evaluate training effectiveness.What to EvaluateYou should assess both learning and learning transfer, whenever possible.Evaluate LearningDesign your evaluation to assess how successfully the learner met the training’s learning objectives. Look at the combined results for all learners to help you understand their learning and identify data trends that indicate challenging topics for your learners—which might show a need to improve course content or instruction.Evaluate Learning TransferDesign your evaluation to assess how successfully the learner can apply what they learned when they return to the workplace. Look at the combined results for all learners to help you understand if learning transfer is occurring and which topics are challenging for learners to apply—which might show a need for follow-up support for the learners.Top of PageWhen to Evaluate Training EffectivenessYour data collection methods and timing will depend on your evaluation questions. Determine what information you need while considering what is feasible. Your time, resources, and training scope should drive your evaluation approach.Before and After TrainingThe best way to evaluate any change in learning is through assessment before and after the training. Conduct a pretest before and a posttest after your training and then compare the results.
Considerations:
The test can include a demonstration to assess skill in addition to knowledge, if needed.
Using only a posttest, without a pretest, can provide an assessment of skill or knowledge proficiency. This allows you to know if learners achieved a certain level of knowledge or skill by the end of the training, but you will not know if there was a change in learning. Learners might have already had the knowledge or skill at the start of the training.
If you are unable to assess learning through a pretest and posttest, consider using a retrospective pre/post assessment that asks learners to self-assess their knowledge before and after the course as part of a postcourse evaluation. See questions 1 and 2 of the Recommended Training Effectiveness Questions for Postcourse Evaluations.During TrainingBuild knowledge or skill assessment into the training, like knowledge checks, quizzes or observations. This can provide evaluation data and reinforce learning at the same time.
Considerations:
In an e-learning, you might have knowledge checks throughout the course to help reinforce learning. Those same knowledge checks give you data on how learners progress during the course.
For an in-person training, you might ask your learners questions to assess their comprehension or use an activity to gauge how they apply what they are learning. This provides real-time information for the instructor to reinforce content or adapt as needed.Immediately After TrainingIn many situations, you might only be able to gather information from your learners immediately after the training ends. You can design your postcourse evaluation to assess learning and predict learning transfer immediately after the course ends, while learners are available to respond.
Considerations:
Postcourse evaluations traditionally focus on learner satisfaction, but the research shows learner satisfaction does not determine a training’s effectiveness.
Postcourse evaluations cannot objectively assess learning or learning transfer, but focusing on the areas with the strongest, most consistent relationships with learning and learning transfer can provide you with meaningful data about training effectiveness.
Based on factors that predict learning transfer [PDF – 118 KB], Section 3 of the Recommended Training Effectiveness Questions for Postcourse Evaluations User Guide [PDF – 469 KB] can help you determine your training’s effectiveness.Delayed Evaluation or Follow-upDelayed evaluation, also called follow-up evaluation, is the best way to assess learning transfer. This helps training developers understand how much information learners retained, and if they have applied what they learned on the job. You can follow-up with learners to assess learning transfer after they have had time to go back to their workplace and apply what they have learned.
Considerations:
For some trainings, it might also be appropriate to follow-up with learners’ supervisors.
The timing of your delayed evaluation should be based on your program resources, the specific topic of the training, and learners’ capacity to apply what they learned in the workplace.Top of PageRecommended Training Effectiveness QuestionsThese questions focus on themes strongly associated with learning and learning transfer [PDF – 118 KB] that can be measured in-person or online with adult learners. For more information, visit the Recommended Training Effectiveness Questions for Postcourse Evaluations User Guide [PDF – 469 KB]. The user guide includes the recommended questions, rationale for each question, additional context or caveats that you should consider when using the questions, and references to the research that supports the questions.
You can adapt the questions to fit your training evaluation plan and data collection tools. The **NEW!** Example Postcourse and Follow-Up Evaluations [DOC – 95 KB] use the Training Effectiveness questions along with additional questions that inform quality improvement and decision making.For Postcourse EvaluationsRate your knowledge of the course topic **before** the course.
Not at all knowledgeable
Slightly knowledgeable
Moderately knowledgeable
Very knowledgeable
Extremely knowledgeable
Rate your knowledge of (or skill in) the course topic now **after** the course.
Not at all knowledgeable
Slightly knowledgeable
Moderately knowledgeable
Very knowledgeable
Extremely knowledgeable
How relevant is this course to your current work?
Not at all relevant
Slightly relevant
Moderately relevant
Very relevant
Extremely relevant
What is your opinion of the balance of lecture and interactivity in this course?
Too much lecture and not enough interactive learning
Right amount of both lecture and interactive learning
Too much interactive learning and not enough lecture
Will you use what you learned in this course in your work?
Definitely not
Probably not
Possibly
Probably yes
Definitely yes
Not applicable — I did not learn anything new from this course
What factors will keep you from using the content of this course in your work? (Select all that apply)
I need additional training in the subject matter
I will not have the resources I need
I will not be provided opportunities to use what I learned
I will not have the time to use what I learned
My supervisor will not support me in using what I learned
My colleagues will not support me in using what I learned
The course content is not relevant to my current work
Other (please specify):
What, if anything, do you plan to use from this course? (open-ended)
How could this course be improved to make it a more effective learning experience? (open-ended)
What part of this course was most helpful to your learning? (open-ended)For Delayed EvaluationTo what extent have you used what you learned in this course in your work?
Not applicable—I did not learn anything new from this course
Not at all [if selected, go to question on barriers]
Some [if selected, go to question on barriers]
A lot [if selected go to question on facilitators]
What did you use from this course? (open-ended)
What factors helped you use the content of this course in your work? (Select all that apply)
I had reminders of key learning concepts or skills
I had the resources I needed
I had opportunities to use what I learned
I had time to apply what I learned
My supervisor supported me in using what I learned
My colleagues supported me in using what I learned
Other (please specify):
What factors kept you from using the content of this course in your work? (Select all that apply)
I need additional training in the subject matter
I did not remember the course content well enough to use it
I did not have the resources I needed
I did not have opportunities to use what I learned
I did not have the time to use what I learned
My supervisor did not support me in using what I learned
My colleagues did not support me in using what I learned
The course content was not relevant to my work
Other (please specify):The Recommended Training Effectiveness Questions for Postcourse Evaluations are available as a preset TRAIN course evaluation. Follow these three simple steps [PDF – 285 KB] to begin using this evaluation tool and gather important information about the effectiveness of your training.Top of Page
Tools and ResourcesRecommended Training Effectiveness Questions for Postcourse Evaluations User Guide
Training Effectiveness Predictors
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  April 12, 2023						Source: 	Deputy Director for Public Health Science and Surveillance, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development
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