Grounded in the work of W. Edwards Deming, this article describes the basics of systems thinking, viewing a business as a system, and contrasts improving a system with solving a problem. The article uses the human body as a metaphor to describe the various aspects of viewing a business as a system at the concept level and maps the Deming cycle,…

Updates previous work on the Organizational Elements Model that relates needs assessment and needs analysis. Highlights include purpose-based objectives and results-based objectives for organizations; differentiating between ends and means; costs-consequences analysis; and training needs assessment. (LRW)

Discusses the origin of the ADDIE model of instructional design and concludes that the term came into use by word of mouth as a label for the whole family of systematic instructional development models. Examines the underlying ideas behind the acronym analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. (Author/LRW)

Describes a fourth-generation ISD (instructional systems development) model, an integrative problem solving system that dynamically adjusts the authoring activities of instructional development by direct reference to a specific learning problem or need. Includes case studies that illustrate the three model components: situational evaluation,…

Drawn by a vision of solving performance problems in a systematic, systemic and results-based approach, training professionals are turning to human performance technology (HPT). However, many who try to implement HPT find themselves struggling to measure the improvements their interventions are designed to achieve. Ford notes that these…

Discusses training evaluation and shows how an abbreviated form of Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model can be used effectively to evaluate multimedia-based manufacturing training. Topics include trends in manufacturing training, quantifying performance improvement, and statistical comparisons using the Mann-Whitney test and the Tukey Quick…

Explains the Bridge Evaluation Model that illustrates the process and factors that determine the outcome of an evaluation. Highlights include relationships between external factors including goals, interpersonal relationships, ethics, and politics; data collection and collation; and a sidebar that offers a case study involving the evaluation of…

Discussion of the four-level model of training evaluation focuses on the need for evaluation at level III, to show that training has been effective and that trainees behave differently on the job. Suggests data collection and measurement methods, including pretraining-posttraining evaluation, action plan audits, simulations, and unobtrusive…

Just as technology has changed the environment in which businesses operate, it has also changed the way businesses deliver training to employees. Distance delivery, including e-learning, offers organizations a way to improve training while increasing performance initiatives and potentially delivering higher returns on training investments.…

Confirmative evaluation of instructional materials and learners follows some time after formative and summative evaluation; it determines if materials still meet the original objectives and if learners have maintained their level of competence. Discusses the importance of confirmative evaluation and presents a confirmative evaluation model,…

Discussion of adoption models for learning technologies focuses on how the use of models tends to channel and constrain thinking. Topics include the importance of practice over theory; needs assessment; committees or consultants; developing a framework; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; implementation; and evaluation and revision.…

Presents practices from post-training performance evaluation for continuous quality improvement in developing countries. Highlights include performance specification and analysis of performance factors; guidelines for planning follow-up performance evaluations; human performance models and cross-cultural portability; and an example from Togo, West…

Examines the role of training for improving the performance of people in ways that both they and their organizations value, focusing on what the true worth of training is and can be. Proposes a model for calculating return-on-investment (ROI) in training. Presents a case study of its application within an operational context at a bank. (Contains…

Proposes a four-level model for adapting the Kirkpatrick model of training evaluation to suit technical manuals and services assessing: (1) user satisfaction; (2) user performance; (3) client performance; and (4) client satisfaction. Discusses assessing of the value of work, limitations in evaluating technical communication products, and the…

Organizations value the business impact and benefits that accompany e-learning, such as workforce effectiveness, reduced training costs, and improved workforce retention (Taylor, 2001). However, although justifying the value of evaluation is clear, "e-learning evaluations often do not receive the priority that they deserve" (Tanquist, 2000, p. 1).…