I'm working on a project involving how to evaluate training. However, maybe the real question is how do you evaluate learning, which happens many places than in a classroom. The blog post by +Jane Hart
linked below makes a couple of points that resonated with me in terms of this project.
First, learning is different from training. Learning is what happens in the person while training is something done to them (that hopefully results in learning, but doesn't always).
Second, since learning happens in the person, individual differences become important. And in this time of quickly changing technology and processes and business, individuals need characteristics like taking initiative and being responsible for their own learning if they want to succeed. That raises questions for organizations such as how do you find those people and can you help your employees develop those characteristics.
Third, she asks a key question "But how can you demonstrate the value of this?" where this is the learning that occurs informally during each and every day and the professional development you undertake by being actively involved in networks related to your field. She suggests reflecting on the learning, not just a one liner like i learned to unjam the printer today or I talked to so and so. Reflection came up in a piece of research I read where they were talking about Schon's The Reflective Practitioner. She mentions reflecting on what you learn even from your failures, which seems so important to me if we're going to give people permission to fail in order to encourage them to experiment.
Fourth, and here's the evaluation bit I need to consider for my report, she suggests keeping a learning portfolio, like designers and artists do. Links to things you produce, journaled thoughts, recommendations/references from other people about how you've used what you've learned. You are responsible for your learning so you should be responsible for evaluating it, organizing evidence of it as you grow in your career. Colleges are implementing portfolio's for students that are online collections of assignments, references, and reflections with tools to help students organize and present what they have learned. Jane points out, such a portfolio lets you show the employer you are ready to do the job from day one without a lot of hand holding or additional training.
Like a lot of tools and ideas about evaluating learning this one might not be feasible in all cases. But if all the cards are on the table about evaluation, then this needs to be in the mix. Portfolios don't preclude formal learning. In fact those experience should be reflected upon to help reinforce the things taught in the class and integrate them more deeply with what was known already. They don't have to be elaborate productions, but can be created with simple to use tools that the person is already familiar with; an accountant might set up a spreadsheet, others might use a web page. The thoughtfulness of the content is more important than the appearance.