9 Responses

1. Feedback Questions

   1) What do you like about what you did?

   It invites us to self-evaluate by looking at the positive first. A colleague added the question to her performance reviews of staff, asking them to describe what they had enjoyed about their work and of what they were most proud. Looking at the positive first built in an atmosphere of trust and safety for the worker and invited them to identify pride in their work and skills, thus building self-esteem.
   2) If you had the opportunity to do this again, what might you do differently?

   We often know what has gone wrong and why. Given the invitation to reflect to reflect without anticipating punishment, we can describe the error and the solution. The opportunity to trust our perceptions instead of having someone else tell us is another important self-esteem developer.
   My colleague found that this question allowed the colleague to articulate what hadn’t been successful and why. They knew when they had made mistakes and were very honest about their motivation. They told her what they would do differently, which led to discussion of what other work they might like to do.
   3) What help do you need from me?
   This gives permission to the worker to request specific help with tasks and resources. As she listened to their requests she discovered that she had a renewed interest in assisting workers do their jobs. She was eager to help them get the training and resources they needed. Discussion of their responses to this question led to a renewed interest on the part of the worker also, because they could see that the help would be forthcoming. Since the ability to ask for help is a characteristic of high self-esteem, this question is another building block of self-esteem.

2. Feedback questions
   Hi Russell

   You have probably identified these questions already but, using your five headings, here goes:

   TRAINEE JOB ROLE

   How relevant was this training to your current responsibilities?
   Irrelevant 1 2 3 4 5 Highly relevant
   Comment:

   To what extent did this training meet your expectations?
   Not met 1 2 3 4 5 Fully met
   Comment:

   PRESENTATION

   What was the most useful part of this training for you?
   Comment:

   Were there aspects you either didn’t like or found unhelpful? YES/NO
   Comment:

   What changes would improve the value of this training?

   Would you recommend this training to others? YES/NO
   Comment:

   TRAINER

   How would you rate the trainer/facilitator?

   a) Clarity of delivery:
   Confusing 1 2 3 4 5 Extremely clear
   Comment:

   b) Appropriateness of style:
   Inappropriate 1 2 3 4 5 Highly appropriate
   Comment:

   c) Pace of delivery:
   Too slow 1 2 3 4 5 Too fast
   Comment:

   d) Visual aids/handouts:
   Poor quality 1 2 3 4 5 High quality
   Comment:

   ENVIRONMENT

   Was the environment conducive to learning? YES/NO
   Comment:

   OUTCOME

   What do you intend to do differently as a result of this training?

   I think there needs to be some clarification regarding how PRESENTATION differs from TRAINER; these may overlap.

3. 3 questions
   Hi Russell

   Don’t know where you would slot these questions, probably within Outcome.

   1. What have you learnt that is new to you?
   2. What have you been reminded of that you had forgotten
   3. What are you going to do with the knowledge/skills back in the workplace?

   Hope these help

   Sue

4. Reaction level questions
   Russell
   There are lots of options, including those suggested below. But I think it is useful to start by asking yourself why you are asking the questions and what you will do with the results.
   If the motivation is to assure the quality of the input (as opposed to the outcome). You may want to focus the questions on the value and accessibility of the content, the style of the design (mix of methods, the degree of challenge, pace, timings, etc.), the quality of the supporting materials and feedback on the effectiveness of the trainer.
   Rating scales are an easy option to get a litmus test of views on these issues. But, to quality improve the programmes, you need open free text questions instead or as well.
   If the motivation is to set and measure a performance standard then you probably need one or two marker questions with a rating scale. For example, to what extent were the following objectives met? (with a rating, say, of 1-6). The performance measure could be to acheive at least 85% or 90% in the top two boxes.
   If the motivation is to provide feedback to the trainer that they can use as evidence for performance management purposes then you might want to pick out the top 3 or 4 attributes most relevant to the training you do. For example, to what extent did the trainer adapt the sessions to meet your needs? To what extent did the trainer encourage participation and learning by doing? To what extent was the feedback you received from the trainer helpful in developing your skills?
   Whichever route you take make sure every question earns its keep. If you are not going to doing anything with the results then don’t bother asking the question.
   I should add that many people feel that there is one killer question, that often features at the end, which is: would you recommend this programme to a colleague? Most use a yes/no response option as a useful quick check on customer satisfaction.
   Although end of course reacton questions are best for reviewing the course, I still think there may be some value in having at least one forward thinking questions about the application of the learining. For example, to what extent will you be able to use what you have learnt on this course to improve your performance and impact on the business. Although it is not a true test what impact there will be in the workplace, it is an early indicator of whether things may or may not go pear shaped in the months ahead. It also allows you in any post event questionnaire to ask a mirror question: ‘On reflection, to what extent have you been able to use the learning to improve your performance and impact on the business’. Obviously at this stage you need more than this but it does make for good comparative data and, with supporting open questions, can help isolate where any problems are based or where further support is needed – in the course or in the workplace.
   Hope this helps
   Graham

5. feelings
   Hi,
   May be outside the original brief but an organisation I deal with lists about 50 words such as happy, energised, thought provoking, informative etc They ring as few or as many as they like. I find them a really useful addition to standard questions. Careful review is important but can be very informative.
   Good luck

   Pete

6. Form
   Russell,

   Don’t you just love the fact that when you ask for a simple answer you get an essay. Fire me an email at kstoilas@claytonsgroup.com.auand I’ll be happy to send you a one pager feedback form. — Kon

7. What questions on a training feedback sheet?
   Russell,
   As has been said by others – it depends what you will be using the information for? Is to to measure the impact of the trainer? the effectivness of the admin? the value of the content? etc?

   Graham has rightly said that you need to think amout HOW you will store and use the data – format here is vital. In addition a free text question can provide a lot more data but is very difficult to manager.

   Some online survey tools allow you to track the frequancy of words and report on that (keypoint from http://www.camsp.com is a great example).

   I generally use a mix of scale & text questions. as a trainer if I am looking for personal feedback about the programme I us ethe following 4 open questions:
   1) What should I stop doing?
   2) what should I change?
   3) What should I start doing?
   4) what should I continue to do?

   Mike Morrison

8. Feedback
   We ought to give you feedback on the rather shallow and abrasive response you had from one correspondent below.Give us feedback on what happens when you send for the form! Hmmm?!
   Best Wishes

   Jennifer

9. A work in progress!
   Hello,

   We are a small team delivering ECDL IT training and assessment to the 11.5K workforce of a large local authority. Whilst our colleagues are having their tests marked we ask them to answer the following questions online. The results go directly into our database from which we can get regular reports to help identify how we and our students are doing.

   These questions are not perfect but with each question having a Drop-down list to chose from and a free form text entry box we manage to cover both the quantative and qualatative side of evaluation. Like the delivery of the training, this questionnaire is a job in progress so we look forward to your comments.

   Here are a selection of the questions but perhaps they should be called ‘probes’?:

   I am satisfied with what I have achieved:

   The module met my personal learning needs:

   The module achieved the module goals:

   The module was aimed at the right level for me:

   If the module wasn’t aimed at the right level, please explain why:

   The training materials were appropriate and of a good standard:

   What did you learn that will be most useful to you?

   Was there anything you would have liked to learn which was not covered?

   The module content was relevant to my work role:

   The module developed or validated my I.T. skills:

   I will apply what I have learned on my return to the workplace:

   The module has improved my I.T. skills:

   The module has increased my I.T. knowledge:

   The module will make me more productive in the workplace:

   The module will enable me to expand my current job/role:

   The module has developed me for future jobs/roles:

   I will be taking further ECDL modules. My next module will be:

   Would you recommend this training to a colleague:

   Any other comments: