chapter 6
Describe the various reasons for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs.
- to identify which trainees benefit the most or least from the program - to determine the financial benefits and costs of the program
Identify the circumstances when a company should consider employing a more rigorous design for evaluating a training program.
- training program is ongoing and has potentioal to have an important influence on the employees or customers - cost justification for the training is based on numerical indicators
Which of the following statements is most true of comparison groups?
A comparison group consists of a group of employees who do not attend the training program.
Evaluation designs without pre-test or comparison groups are most appropriate when _____.
a company is only interested in whether trainees have achieved a certain proficiency level
_____ relate to whether trainees are using training content back on the job.
behavior and skill based outcomes
Once the costs and benefits of the training program are determined, ROI is calculated by dividing costs by benefits.
false
Outcome measures are often perfectly related to each other.
false
The Hawthorne effect refers to employees performing at a low level because of the attention they receive.
false
The believability of study results refers to external validity.
false
Which of the following is an affective learning outcome?
greater appreciation of diversity
Behavior and skill-based outcomes are best measured by _____.
observations
Typically, _____ are used to assess cognitive outcomes.
pencil and paper tests
_____ refers to the ease with which training outcomes can be collected.
practicality
reaction learning
represents a person's reaction to the learning based on knowledge
If a firm measures its sales volume before and after a training program, which training outcome is it focused on?
results
Return on investment (ROI) analysis is best suited for training programs that are _____.
significant financial investments
A firm that aims at improving readily observable outcomes such as productivity by collecting related data at periodic intervals before and after training is typically applying the _____ evaluation design.
time series
_____ refers to the process of collecting the outcomes needed to determine whether training is effective.
training evaluation
A comparison group refers to a group of employees who participate in the evaluation study but do not attend the training program.
true
Cognitive outcomes generally do not help determine how much trainees use training content on the job.
true
Among all training outcomes, cognitive outcomes are most frequently assessed.
false
Favorable trainee reactions are strongly connected with transfer.
false
_____ is a time period in which participants no longer receive training intervention.
reversal
It is necessary to limit return on investment (ROI) analysis to certain training programs as it can be costly.
true
Negative transfer is evident when learning occurs, but on-the-job behavior is lower than pre-training levels.
true
Pilot testing is more useful for formative evaluation than summative evaluation.
true
In the context of big data, _____ refers to the large number of sources and types of data.
variety
A pencil-and-paper test is the best means for measuring skill-based outcomes.
false
Which of the following statements is true of random assignment?
It assigns employees to a training program without considering their individual differences.
Which of the following statements is true of Solomon four-group evaluation design?
It combines both pre-test/post-test comparison group and post-test-only control group design.
affective learning
based on feelings, beliefs & attitudes.
Front-line supervisors are likely most concerned with which training outcomes?
behavior and skill based outcomes
The evaluation process ideally begins with _____.
conducting a needs analysis
Which of the following statements best differentiates formative evaluation from summative evaluation?
Formative evaluation focuses on how to make a training program better, whereas summative evaluation helps to determine the extent to which trainees have changed after training.
