Testing is a Boon
The other half of the discussion…how tests are a boon.
Tests may help pinpoint failure points. We love to prove the students knew the material when they left the classroom. There is some true value to this exercise. In an environment where we all have our success quantified and we have to prove value, the test serves an incredibly important function. We, as trainers, can point to hard data and say, “they knew what to do here, if they aren’t applying it on the job, what are the supervisors doing wrong?” Which, for the record, is a valid point. My favorite litmus test is “can they perform the task if a gun is held to their head?” OK, grusome illustration but it speaks to compliance vs. training which we know is most frequently the issue. I base that statement on no data whatsoever. Just my experience. But how many times have you heard the phrase, “refresher training?” That is an indication of compliance.
Tests can be predictive of behavior. Sometimes. Once in a while if a test is really well done. No, a test cannot predict that the employee will comply and exhibit the desired actions. But if a student leaves the training event after demonstrating they can perform the task (which is a far better task than the true/false, fill in the blank knowledge checks) then you have a better predictor of potential performance than by just a course completion statistic alone.
Tests give us data. We all need to prove our value in the workplace and data goes a long way in doing this. Even if we just need to illustrate how many trainings we delivered and, in general, the performance of all participants at the end of the training event. Never under estimate the power of these numbers to leadership. I used to have a manager that was only interested in the number of times I pulled folks into a classroom to deliver a training. She didn’t understand the other data but she understood that I conducted 20 training sessions over 30 days. That was work I could point to.
Tests can enhance learning. Well-written tests help the student synthesize the information. Better yet, lets get them to imitate how they will be performing on the job so that they get a chance to practice in a safe environment that allows for mistakes and feedback. Tests help define the “important” information they need to remember. I used to look forward to tests so that I could “forget” the extraneous information. Test indicate what is important, need to have, and what is nice to have.
Tests are a boon in that they are a fantastic opportunity to kick the learning up a notch. We can be interactive with our learners. We can provide feedback. We can help them take this knowledge and synthesize it. Tests do provide us with information on the training we have delivered and what we need to do to improve it. Tests can give us an indication that we may have failed a student and we need to look at other strategies for that student. And yes, tests can help pinpoint where training and testing content is failing the students and give us coaching opportunities. If they aren’t struggling with the content, what else could they be struggling with? Think of tests like a soil test. This is just where the student is now. They may be here for a specific reason and there is likely a lot we can do to put them where we need them. And never let the test be the sole check point.
Amy
How to write tests to effectively evaluate material has been a big “?” in my book. How does one write the test so that it targets what needed to be learned?
ljdrew
That is a great question. And I think I’ll expand on this in another post sometime. In the meantime, I’ll tell you it is a very simple 3 step process. So simple in fact that it is often dismissed and overlooked. But it will work every single time.
1. If someone comes to you with a general performance problem they want to address with training, always conduct a root cause analysis so that you can even determine if training is the solution and what kind of training is the solution. Poor performance in an employee can sometimes be best addressed by training for leadership!
2. Training needs analysis. I am sure someone came to you with a specific training they believe they need. Be polite, but conduct a thorough one of your own so that you, the learning professional, can confirm that the training requested is what will be needed and it will also tell you to what level of learning you may need to design your training. Do learners need to know this inside and out or is it best just to create a reference sheet and train them on using the reference sheet?
3. Measurable objectives. The best career advice I can give is never develop a training without a measurable objective. You can’t measure “understand” or “know” either. So it is very easy for you to create the best training in the world and for someone to come back and complain that their employees still don’t “know” the subject well enough. If you have a measurable objective and your training requester agrees this is what is needed, you have covered all your basis and probably saved yourself a lot of time!
Ken Allan
Kia ora e Laurie
I often find the term ‘test’ too broad to be generally useful. What you have brought out in this post and its part 1 shows how diverse the applications of the term can be.
The term ‘assessment’ is no less diverse. I’ve even heard the term ‘assessment test’ would you believe. It’s like the snake swallowing its tail.
I posted a series of writings on assessment (yes it takes a lot of unpacking). In that, I’ve tried to sketch some boundaries between one type of assessment and another with a view to highlighting the usefulness of each.
Frankly, I think the use of the terms ‘test’ and ‘assessment’ can lead to confusion in communication.
Catchya later
from Middle-earth