Confirmative Evaluation: Practical Strategies for Valuing Continuous Improvement

Your Guide to Confirmative Evaluation
At a time when no expenditure is going unquestioned in organizations, training professionals are under increased pressure to prove the continuing efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and value of training programs as well as the continuing competence of the learners.
This much–needed book offers trainers, consultants, evaluation professionals, and human resource executives and practitioners a hands–on resource for understanding and applying the proven principles of confirmative evaluation. Confirmative evaluation is a marriage of evaluation and continuous improvement. Unlike other types of evaluation–which are used during the design of a learning program or applied immediately after conducting a program–confirmative evaluation follows several months after the program is implemented. It tests the endurance of outcomes, the return on investment, and establishes the effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and value of the training over time.
Throughout Confirmative Evaluation the authors show how to:Develop a complete, accurate, and useful confirmative evaluation planAssess the evaluability of the training processUse a flowchart, a rating form, and other performance support techniques and tools to support confirmative evaluationEmploy hard and soft technologies to conduct an efficient and effective confirmative evaluationSeamlessly add confirmative evaluation to your repertoire of knowledge and skillsInterpret the data and communicate the results
This book provides an on–the–job guide for planning and conducting confirmative evaluation of training programs and is filled with useful tables, figures, performance support tools, references, a glossary, and a thorough case study.

Spis treści:
List of Figures, Tables, and Performance Support Tools xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction: Getting the Most from This Resource xi x
PART 1 The Challenge
Chapter 1: Full–Scope Evaluation: Raising the Bar 3
Evaluation: The Full Scope 5
Comparing the Four Types of Evaluation 11
Evaluation: Full–Scope Model 15
Challenges to Full–Scope Evaluation 17
Chapter 2: Confirmative Evaluation: A Model Guides the Way 21
Confirmative Evaluation Model 22
Challenges to Implementing Confirmative Evaluation 29
Why Bother? 33
PART 2 Meeting the Challenge
Chapter 3: Preplan: Assess Training Program Evaluability 41
When to Plan Confirmative Evaluation 43
How to Plan a Confirmative Evaluation 45
Assess Evaluability 48
Challenges to Evaluability Assessment 68
Chapter 4: Plan: The Plan′s the Thing 73
What′s in a Confirmative Evaluation Plan? 75
Review, Validate, and Approve the Plan 101
Chapter 5: Do: For Goodness′ Sake 107
Jump–Start Data Collection 108
Focus Data Collection 112
Collect the Data 116
Train the Data Collectors 127
Store the Data 127
Manage the Data–Collection Process 128
Chapter 6: Analyze: Everything Old Is New Again 133
Get Ready, Get Set 134
Prepare the Confirmative Evaluation Data 135
Now Analyze 137
Interpret Confirmative Evaluation Results 143
Make Results–Based Recommendations 146
Report Confirmative Evaluation Results 147
Chapter 7: Improve: Now What? 157
Focus on Utilization 158
Assume the Role 162
Accept the Challenge 163
Alignment: The Last Word 168
PART 3 Lessons from Oz
Chapter 8: Case Study: Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! 175
The Case Study 176
Meta Evaluation 186
Final Thoughts 188
Chapter 9: Conclusion: We’re Not in Oz Anymore 191
Issues That Challenge Confirmative Evaluators 192
Evaluation as an Emerging Discipline 197
Improving the Process 198
Put Yourself in the Pict ure 199
Glossary 203
References 211
Index 221
About the Authors 227
About the Series Editors 229
About the Advisory Board Members 233

Nota biograficzna:
Joan Conway Dessinger is founder of and senior consultant with The Lake Group, a performance improvement consulting firm. She is the coauthor of two books with James L. Moseley and Darlene Van Tiem. The books won the 2001 and 2003 Award for Excellence in Instructional Communication from the International Society for Performance Improvement. She is also a contributor to Distance Training and Sustaining Distance Training, both from Jossey–Bass.
James L. Moseley is an associate professor of community medicine at Wayne State University and is also on the faculty of the College of Education, in the instructional technology department. He has won numerous awards for teaching and mentoring and frequently consults with business and industry on program evaluation and needs assessment.

Okładka tylna:
Your Guide to Confirmative Evaluation
At a time when no expenditure is going unquestioned in organizations, training professionals are under increased pressure to prove the continuing efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and value of training programs as well as the continuing competence of the learners.
This much–needed book offers trainers, consultants, evaluation professionals, and human resource executives and practitioners a hands–on resource for understanding and applying the proven principles of confirmative evaluation. Confirmative evaluation is a marriage of evaluation and continuous improvement. Unlike other types of evaluation–which are used during the design of a learning program or applied immediately after conducting a program–confirmative evaluation follows several months after the program is implemented. It tests the endurance of outcomes, the return on investment, and establishes the e ffectiveness, efficiency, impact, and value of the training over time.
Throughout Confirmative Evaluation the authors show how to:Develop a complete, accurate, and useful confirmative evaluation planAssess the evaluability of the training processUse a flowchart, a rating form, and other performance support techniques and tools to support confirmative evaluationEmploy hard and soft technologies to conduct an efficient and effective confirmative evaluationSeamlessly add confirmative evaluation to your repertoire of knowledge and skillsInterpret the data and communicate the results
This book provides an on–the–job guide for planning and conducting confirmative evaluation of training programs and is filled with useful tables, figures, performance support tools, references, a glossary, and a thorough case study.