Measuring Learning Satisfaction. The Three Most Important Questions

If you invest in a learning program, you naturally also want to know whether the investment has added any value. You can do this following 5 key steps, as we showed in our previous blog. The first step is to measure learning satisfaction. You can always measure that with endless questionnaires, or, instead, you can also limit yourself to the core. We figured out what the three most important questions are.

ROI: Pyramid of Learning satisfaction and Performance

In our previous blog, we introduced the ROI Pyramid of Learning and Performance, a pyramid used to forecast and evaluate investments in Human Resources and L&D. With the help of this pyramid you first analyze whether the problem to be solved is worth the investment. Furthermore, if that is the case and you decide to implement a learning program, the measurement and evaluation will follow.

Learning satisfaction

The first thing that needs to be measured is learning satisfaction: how satisfied are the employees with the learning program? Evaluations at this level aim to determine whether a training program has created the right conditions for optimal learning to take place. Do the participants feel that they have learned something and to what extent can the information learned be useful in their work? What are the three most important questions in such a core survey? The three mentioned questions are the following.

1. What did you think of the training or program?

First of all, you naturally want to know how the employee experienced each training. The best way to do this is to ask for a grade on a ten-point scale. However, there is a small pointer to consider. Research shows that this method works as a reflection of the relationship between the trainer and the other participants, therefore, in order to gain more feedback, it is important to not only ask for a mark on a ten-point scale, but to also ask for an additional explanation of why the grade was given.

2. What did you think of the trainer or instructor?

A very similar concept applies here. This question asks for an assessment of the trainer on a ten-point scale, while also asking for an explanation. What feedback would the employee like to give to the trainer?. This can be constructive criticism, but of course also a compliment. If you’d like, you can also ask additional questions that dig deeper into the instructor’s performance. Consider the following options: What was the knowledge level of the trainer? How well prepared was the trainer? How enthusiastic was the trainer?

3. What did you think of the training method?

A good training must be a mix of instructor-led presentation sessions, as well as activities where students work on specific tasks – individually, or in groups. A training that is solely composed of heavy presentations may lack practice, therefore, offering a less effective result.

The next steps in the pyramid

The next steps in the pyramid are about the learning outcome – what have the employees learned – and about the learning application – will they actually apply what they have learned. It is up to the managers to assess whether the behavior of the employees has actually changed – the learning outcome – and finally we come to the question of the learning efficiency: was the learning program worth the investment.

Do you want to know more about Learning Satisfaction?

In the blog series about an impactful learning program, we use the ROI Pyramid of Learning and Performance as our construction sketch. In subsequent blogs, we will zoom into the other steps of the pyramid. Do you have questions after reading this blog, or would you like to spar with someone who is also working on this? Let us know! Even if you want to talk further, you can reach us at info@lepaya.com.