Evaluating Corporate Training: Models and Issues

We are glad to have the opportunity to work together again in the planning and preparation of this edited volume on the evaluation of corporate training. Our respective professional careers have provided us with experience in this area, both as practitioners and as academicians. It is from both of these perspectives that we approached the preparation of this volume. Our purpose is to provide training professionals in business and industry, and students of human resources development with an overview of current models and issues in educational evaluation. The book is organized around three themes: context, models, and issues. The chapters in the context section are intended to provide the reader with an understanding of the social, organizational, and interpersonal factors that provide background and give meaning to evaluation practice. The models section brings together contributions from some of the most influential thinkers and practitioners in the field. The chapters in this section provide perspective on the dominant themes and emergent trends from individuals who have been, and continue to be, the drivers of those trends. Contributions to the issues section highlight some pervasive themes as well as illuminate new areas of concern and interest that will affect how we assess learning interventions in the organizations of today and tomorrow.

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Preface. Section I: The Context of Evaluation. 1. The Changing Context of Practice; S.M. Brown. 2. Organizational Strategy and Training Evaluation; C.A. Moore, C.J. Seidner. 3. What Stakeholders Want to Know; O.W. Cummings. 4. The Learning Organization: Implications for Training; B. Sugarman. Section II: Models of Evaluation. 5. The Four Levels of Evaluation; D.L. Kirkpatrick. 6. Level 4 and Beyond: An ROI Model; J.J. Phillips. 7. Clarifying and Directing Impact Evaluation; R.O. Brinkerhoff. 8. Formative Evaluation; W. Parrott. 9. Assessing Employee Competencies; S. Ennis. 10. The Organizational Action Research Model; M. Elfenbein, et al. Section III: Issues in Evaluation. 11. The Ethics of Evaluating Training; P.A. Lawler. 12. Cultural Dimensions of Evaluation; S. Burton-Goss, M. Kaska. 13. Impact of Technology on Training Evaluation; H.E. Touger. 14. Design Team Performance: Metrics and the Impact of Technology; L. Leifer. 15. Using Quality to Drive Evaluation: A Case Study; D.J. Basarab. 16. Certification: Business and Legal Issues; E.S. Kahane, W. McCook. 17. Lessons from Education; J. Moon. Subject Index.