A major area of debate in many training programs is whether to evaluate participants, and how to do so. Some people will advocate testing participants to ensure they have learned the content. Others will say that evaluating participants isn't necessary. If you're not sure where you stand on this hot topic, think about the following five questions. They will help you determine what type of evaluation is most appropriate for your training program.
Is training mandatory? Think carefully about this question. If you decide to make training mandatory, your organization's leadership needs to be prepared to follow through and make sure that everyone attends the required training. Consider the training topic to help determine whether it should be mandatory. Mandatory training is ideal for topics that people must understand in order to avoid harming the organization, such as legal regulations or how to properly manage a budget. It may not be necessary though for topics such...