, , , Why Evaluate Your E-learning

E-learning projects have recorded some spectacular successes. These successes may suggest that your e-learning projects will work equally well. Reported success should encourage you but not convince you. As they say in the auto-mobile advertisements: "Your mileage may vary," or, as is printed at the bot-tom of a stock prospectus: "Past results do not guarantee future performance."

First, realize that only successful projects tend to be reported. If a project was not completed, or if its failure would embarrass the sponsors, the project will probably not make it into the academic or trade press. And, even if other projects have succeeded, their success may not signify much for your project if it differs in substantial ways. You have different goals, face different problems,and rely on different resources. By the time you complete your project, the conditions that led to success in earlier projects may have vanished. Or, new technology may offer solutions to problems that stymied earlier projects. In any case, someone else's success does not benefit you. Only your success does that. Only your evaluation can measure your success.

Specific Reasons to Evaluate

Before evaluating e-learning, you need to be clear about why you are evaluating. Consider a few specific reasons to evaluate your e-learning:

Justify investments in training. An effective evaluation can prove that training is not a net expense but a strong contributor to profit. Such proof can help training jump from the cost column to the benefit column in the mental ledger of top executives. Proving that training is an effective business investment spurs increased investment in training. Make better decisions about training. A proper evaluation process can aid in making informed business decisions regarding training, such as whether to buy, license, or build particular courses; whether to hire particular individuals or firms to develop training; which training media to use; and which internal and external suppliers to hire. Hold participants accountable. Evaluation reveals whether individual training departments, developers, instructors, facilitators, and suppliers delivered the results they promised. Demonstrate financial responsibility. Evaluation demonstrates to executives, stockholders, and employees that the training department is financially disciplined and clearly focused on the business goals of the overall organization. Improve training quality. Evaluation can measure the quality and effectiveness of various aspects of training, such as materials, instructors, facilities, and presentation techniques. It can identify areas that need improvement and ones that can serve as models of excellence. Encourage learning. The very process of evaluating learning focuses attention on results and encourages learners to try harder. Tracking job performance signals the importance of applying what was learned in training. The evaluation process may be more important than the data it gathers if it strengthens efforts to apply knowledge.

Anticipate Objections to Evaluation

For all the reasons to evaluate e-learning, there are as many concerns about evaluation, especially as commonly practiced. Though some objections to evaluation are ill informed, you should honestly consider them and be prepared to overcome them before embarking on the evaluation, AH these objections can be countered with a carefully crafted evaluation plan. That's what this book is about. Here is a list of some of the common reasons for not evaluating e-learning:

Evaluation is too expensive and difficult. Many training organizations believe they lack the budget, time, or skills necessary to mount an effective evaluation program without endangering their primary mission of conducting training. Results will be meaningless. Many in training fear that all the effort of an evaluation program may be pointless as it is nearly impossible to accurately gauge the effectiveness of training. Some fret that benefits are too subjective and ephemeral to measure and that they take too long to accrue. Irrelevant factors dominate results. Training can fail for reasons other than the training product itself. Real-world results have many causes. Many believe that it is too difficult to dissect out the effects of training. Anyway, e-learning is so new, much of what is measured will be the novelty effect.Evaluation is too political. In a highly contentious organization, the idea of evaluation can set off political battles and organizational paranoia. Who sets the criteria? Who is evaluated? Who sees results? Instructors who teach in classrooms and managers who preside over large training facilities may feel threatened if evaluation compares e-learning to conventional training.