Blog Post #10: Why Assess?

2. Let's assume that a learning and performance department completed a needs assessment by identifying a group of employees who need to learn project management skills. How would you go about identifying relevant evaluation criteria?

According to the book in pages 308 to 309 the best way to go about identifying relevant evaluation criteria is to find the criteria that'll impact the most. I'd have a survey tool used to collect data to find out what they feel they know and don't know and then I'd induce brainstorming to anonymously see what they actually know. Stated in http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/5044_Davidson__Chapter_3.pdf the evaluative criteria can be explained in five checkpoints, "consumer, values, process evaluation, outcome evaluation, and comparative cost-effectiveness". These checkpoints are simplified uses to create a checklist of what's needed for identifying a relevant evaluation criteria. Consumer defines who will be impacted by the criteria. Values is determining what's needed, and where to get is. Process evaluation is determining if the criteria is sufficient. Outcome evaluation is determining whether the criteria has impacted the intended recipients and if it has been of value to the recipients. Comparative cost-effectiveness is determining the overall cost and compared to alternative uses, if it was a better choice.