There has been a recent upswing in the online buzz on the evaluation of Learning/ Training/ Knowledge Management, whether Formal and/or Informal, etc., etc.

I always feel that most of the authors don’t provide us with their context – which I see as these 3:

1. Personal Learning
2. Educational Learning and
3. Enterprise Learning.

Most of the time it seems as if Evaluating Learning is set up as some straw man.

In the Enterprise Learning Context – it’s all about whether you can apply it to the job, that one is “on the payroll” to perform. As that is my “context” for most of my writing in this Blog – that’s where I am coming from. A Performance Test – actually doing the job – or a simulation of the job – is required. Then if they can and did – and then later don’t – you don’t have a training issue. Seek answers elsewhere – not in the training bin.

In the Educational Learning Context it is all about whether or not you learned the knowledge or skills intended. Performance Tests (play this piece of music), or a Knowledge Test or Quiz via a written means or verbal means – is required.

In a Personal Learning Context it is all about what I want to learn and to what levels. Measuring my self satisfaction with my progress (or completion) of learning – is personal – and I should know when I’ve learned enough.

I’ve written about Evaluation here and here – and about these 3 Contexts before in the Blog here and here and here. You can search this Blog for those and others.

The important perspective anyone leading a business (of any significance) is – whether or not that investment will pay off better than other investment opportunities would have/ or will.

# # #