United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 National Employee Development Center Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





Instructional Systems Design (ISD) - Evaluating Instruction

Job Aids

The following job aids are available for needs assessment purposes. Before using the job aids be sure to read this entire section.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentEvaluation Check Sheet - Use this job aid to guide the evaluation of training as it is being delivered.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentTraining Design Evaluation Check Sheet - Use this job aid to evaluate the overall design of training.

Overview

Instructional design is not finished until it is apparent that targeted learners can learn from the materials and the delivery methods used. Evaluation is conducted before instructional materials are delivered to a majority of the targeted learners.

This is the final step in the instructional design process.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the subject instruction includes an evaluation of both the materials used in the instruction and the methods used to deliver the instruction.

There are four major approaches to conducting an evaluation:

  • Expert reviews
  • Management or executive rehearsals
  • Individualized pilot tests
  • Group pilot tests

Evaluation Approaches

Expert reviews - These reviews are conducted by subject matter experts and evaluate the content of the instruction.

Management or executive rehearsals - In this review an experienced instructor describes the content and delivery methods to key managers or supervisors of the targeted learners. There is no attempt to "train" the participants. The purpose is to gain support for the training and to familiarize managers with the material so they can hold employees accountable for the instruction.

Individualized pilot tests - Individualized pilot tests are intensive "tryouts" of instructional materials. The purpose is to find just out how well one person fares with the materials.

Group pilot tests - Group pilot tests are used to determine how well a group of randomly selected participants from the targeted learners fares with the materials and the methods of delivery in an instructor led session.

At times all four approaches are used to evaluate the appropriateness of the materials and the delivery methods.

Previous Step - Designing Instructional Materials