Bus 680 wEEK 6 FINAL WORK

Required Resources

Text

Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013).  Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices  (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

· Chapter 9: Evaluation

Articles

Kirkpatrick, J. & Kirkpatrick, W.K. (2013, June 8).  Creating a post-training evaluation plan (Links to an external site.). TD Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2013/06/Creating-a-Post-Training-Evaluation-Plan

Kirkpatrick, D.L. (2006, August). Seven keys to unlock the four levels of evaluation. Performance Improvement, 45(7), 5-8. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Kirkpatrick, D. (2005, November). Managing change. Leadership Excellence, 22(11), 15-16. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Miller, C. (2005, November). Measure learning. Leadership Excellence, 22(11), 16. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Rossett, A. (2007, February). Leveling the levels. T + D, 61(2), 49-54. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Tan, K, & Newman, E. (2013, June). The evaluation of sales force training in retail organizations: A test of Kirkpatrick's four-level model. International Journal of Management, 30(2), 692-703. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Yacovelli, S. (2012).  How to effectively evaluate e-learning (Links to an external site.). TD Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2012/07/How-to-Effectively-Evaluate-E-Learning

Discussion 1

Training Evaluation

What is the relationship among Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation? Would you argue for examining all four levels, even if your boss suggested you should look only at the last one (results) and, that if it improved, you would know that training had an impact? Provide at least one example (e.g., tool, device, etc.) that would be used to gather evaluation data at each level.

Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Use this week’s lecture as a foundation for your initial post. In addition to the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text, use at least one additional scholarly source to support your discussion.

Respond to two other posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions:

· What did you learn from the posting?

· What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

· What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

· What differences or similarities do you see between your initial discussion thread and your classmates' postings?

Your reply posts should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.

Discussion 2

Training Effectiveness

Reflect on and explore the reasons why evaluation is critical to training success. Discuss the reasons evaluation is critical to effectiveness of training. Explain the connection between organizational improvement and training effectiveness.

Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Use this week’s lecture as a foundation for your initial post. In addition to the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text, use at least one additional scholarly source to support your discussion.

Respond to two other posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions:

· What did you learn from the posting?

· What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

· What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

· What differences or similarities do you see between your initial discussion thread and your classmates' postings?

Your reply posts should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.

Week 6 - Final Paper

The Training Program (Fabrics, Inc.)

Presented at the end of Chapters 4, 5, 8 and 9 of the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text, are examples of what would be done in a real situation regarding a small business that requested training (these sections can be found in the electronic text by going to the “Summary” section for each chapter and scrolling down). Review the Fabrics Inc. examples at the end of these chapters. These sections are labeled, “The Training Program (Fabrics, Inc.)”. Blanchard and Thacker (2013) have demonstrated the phases of the Training Process Model, from the needs analysis to evaluation. Notice how the phases build on one another.

Chapter 4 presents the needs analysis, the beginning of a step-by-step process for developing a training program, for this small fabrications company. Chapter 5 continues with a description of the Fabrics, Inc., training program identifying the training design. Chapter 8 provides examples of some of the training outputs, starting with the instructor’s manual and elaborates on the development and implementation steps. Finally, Chapter 9 examines the evaluation phase of the Fabrics, Inc. training.

The paper should use APA formatted headings to identify each of the following required sections:

· Abstract

· Background of Fabrics, Inc.

· Needs Analysis

· Training Design

· Development and Implementation

· Evaluation of Training

· Conclusion

· References

The paper should be 2,000 to 2,500 words in length (excluding the title, abstract, and reference page) and respond to the following prompts for each phase of the training process model:

Needs Analysis (Chapter 4) Critique the organizational analysis conducted for Fabrics, Inc. and determine if there are other questions that should have been asked. Review the operational analysis done through the interview. Note that it was not completed. Generate some of the other questions that should be asked.

Training Design (Chapter 5) In the design phase of Fabrics, Inc. Blanchard and Thacker (2013) only developed objectives for conflict resolution. Choose one of the other training requirements and develop three to four learning objectives. Critique the design component and identify areas that were not addressed satisfactorily.

Development and Implementation (Chapter 8) Note that there is no discussion of Fabrics, Inc. in the development or implementation aspects of the training. List and describe additional training modules that could be developed based on the training objectives that were developed in the design phase of Fabrics, Inc.

Evaluation of Training (Chapter 9) Evaluate the two evaluation instruments used in the Fabrics, Inc. case. Discuss how the evaluation results should be used. Be sure to address internal and external validity of the measurements.

The paper

· Must be 2,000 to 2,500 words in length (excluding title and references pages).

· Must be double spaced and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. (Links to an external site.)

· Must include a separate title page with the following:

· Title of The Training Program

· Student’s name

· Course name and number

· Instructor’s name

· Date submitted

· Must include an abstract and the required headings as noted in the prompt above.

· Must use at least six scholarly sources in addition to the course text.

· Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.