Evaluation Guides for Information Technology Training

It goes without saying that by far the most common type of training to undergo in the workplace today is Information Technology. Whether you're a trainer looking to deliver successful IT training programs or are a business manager looking to enact some successful performance measurement for past IT training processes, it can be difficult to know where to start.

In some ways IT training is different to other types of training, but in most aspects it involves the same broad principles, both in terms of the learning process and the evaluation phase.

It's difficult to overstate the importance of IT training in the modern workplace, as so many jobs are now totally dependent on it. From the trainee's point of view it may be vital to performing daily tasks. From the employer's point of view it can yield vast improvements in productivity. Finally, from the trainer's point of view it is a professional activity that should be enacted according to best practice.

Here are a few resources on the subject of evaluating training for IT with links to detailed information from both the training and business management perspectives:

Ambysoft: Strategies for Effective Training and Education in Information Technology (IT)
This is a comprehensive guide to Information Technology training within business organisations. This page distinguishes between training and education, with clear guidance on strategies to facilitate effective learning of IT systems, practices and processes in the workplace context. One of the most useful elements here is a lifecycle model for the training and education experience.

Acend Corporate Learning: Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Learning
This page explores the Kirkpatrick model for evaluating the success of training programs. The model addresses various aspects of performance measurement, including reaction, learning, behaviour and results. This is specifically aimed at people in business contexts, with particular reference to Return on Investment (ROI). The official Kirkpatrick site has lots of info as well.

Free Management Library: Evaluating Training and Results
Detailed guide to evaluation of training processes within business environments. Includes a comprehensive section on training evaluation with regard to Return on Investment (ROI). This page isn't dedicated to IT training specifically, but is a useful general overview of the evaluation task.

FAO Corporate Document Repository: Principles and Methods of Training
Comprehensive overview of training principles including a section on evaluation, covering aims, tools and content of evaluation materials. This is a really useful guide to refer to for all aspects of training, not just for IT and not just for the evaluation process.

Ara Research and Development: Evaluating Training Effectiveness
This is another general, non-IT specific overview but has a range of useful points, tools and techniques for measuring the success of a training process. The focus is on feeding back into the training content to improve it over time.

BusinessBalls: Training Programme Evaluation
Another generic overview, but with links to additional resources. This page has a section on lessons workplace trainers can learn from childhood educational principles. This page is a great reference for links to information about models and sample paperwork for feedback capturing.

Intulogy: The ADDIE Instructional Design Model - Evaluation
The ADDIE model is used by trainers when creating training programmes. This page overviews the evaluation principles within the ADDIE model through a series of broad questions.

Finally here are a couple of mine:
Checklist for IT Training Evaluation
Evaluating IT Training

So there you have it. Although these are not all specific to IT training, they do all contain material that is relevant to it. Hope it proves useful.