The Importance Of Continuous Training Assessments

Training without measurement is like running blind—you might be moving, but are you heading in the right direction? Our Learning and Development (L&D)/ Training programs must be backed by data to drive business impact. Tracking key performance indicators ensures that training is not just happening but actually making a difference. What questions can we ask to ensure that we are getting the measurements we need to demonstrate a course's value? ✅ Alignment Always ✅ How is this course aligned with the business? How SHOULD it impact the business outcomes? (i.e., more sales, reduced risk, speed, or efficiency) Do we have access to performance metrics that show this information? ✅ Getting to Good ✅ What is the goal we are trying to achieve? Are we creating more empathetic managers? Creating better communicators? Reducing the time to competency of our front line? ✅ Needed Knowledge ✅ Do we know what they know right now? Should we conduct a pre and post-assessment of knowledge, skills, or abilities? ✅ Data Discovery ✅ Where is the performance data stored? Who has access to it? Can automated reports be sent to the team monthly to determine the impact of the training? We all know the standard metrics - participation, completion, satisfaction - but let's go beyond the basics. Measuring learning isn’t about checking a box—it’s about ensuring training works. What questions do you ask - to get the data you need - to prove your work has an awesome impact?? Let’s discuss! 👇 #LearningMetrics #TrainingEffectiveness #TalentDevelopment #ContinuousLearning #WorkplaceAnalytics #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipTraining #TalentDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #TalentManagement #Training #OrganizationalDevelopment

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🗣️ Ever feel like your Learning and Development (L&D) programs are missing the mark? You're not alone. One of the biggest pitfalls in L&D is the lack of mechanisms for collecting and acting on employee feedback. Without this crucial component, your initiatives may fail to address the real needs and preferences of your team, leaving them disengaged and underprepared. 📌 And here's the kicker—if you ignore this, your L&D efforts risk becoming irrelevant, wasting valuable resources, and ultimately failing to develop the skills your workforce truly needs. But don't worry—there’s a straightforward fix: integrate feedback loops into your L&D programs. Here’s a clear plan to get started: 📝 Surveys and Questionnaires: Regularly distribute surveys and questionnaires to gather insights on what’s working and what isn’t. Keep them short and focused to maximize response rates and actionable feedback. 📝 Focus Groups: Organize small focus groups to dive deeper into specific issues. This setting allows for more detailed discussions and nuanced understanding of employee needs and preferences. 📝 Real-Time Polling: Use real-time polling tools during training sessions to gauge immediate reactions and make on-the-fly adjustments. This keeps the learning experience dynamic and responsive. 📝 One-on-One Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews with a diverse cross-section of employees to get a more personal and detailed perspective. This can uncover insights that broader surveys might miss. 📝 Anonymous Feedback Channels: Ensure there are anonymous ways for employees to provide feedback. This encourages honesty and helps identify issues that employees might be hesitant to discuss openly. 📝 Feedback Integration: Don’t just collect feedback—act on it. Regularly review the feedback and make necessary adjustments to your L&D programs. Communicate these changes to employees to show that their input is valued and acted upon. 📝 Continuous Monitoring: Use analytics tools to continuously monitor engagement and performance metrics. This provides ongoing data to help refine and improve your L&D initiatives. Integrating these feedback mechanisms will not only enhance the effectiveness of your L&D programs but also boost employee engagement and satisfaction. When employees see that their feedback leads to tangible changes, they are more likely to be invested in the learning process. Have any innovative ways to incorporate feedback into L&D? Drop your tips in the comments! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEngagement #ContinuousImprovement #FeedbackLoop #ProfessionalDevelopment #TrainingInnovation

Here is something many of us in CPD think about often: Does ongoing learning really make a difference in patient care? According to this research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the answer is yes. In this study of over 4,000 hospitalists participating in the ABIM Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA), those scoring in the top quartile had significantly lower 7-day mortality and readmission rates for their patients compared to those in the bottom quartile. In other words, the physicians who engaged regularly with a longitudinal, feedback-informed learning model rather than a once-a-decade high-stakes test had patients with better outcomes. This reinforces what many of us have been saying for years: - Learning should be continuous, not episodic - An ongoing assessment approach should identify individual gaps and inform future learning, and then we can replace models that just test retention - And yes, as Cervero and Gaines emphasized nearly a decade ago, multiple interventions are far more effective than one-and-done activities The LKA isn’t just a replacement for the traditional MOC exam. It’s a shift in philosophy towards focusing on relevance, reflection, and real-time application. It also helps align the goals of CPD and Board Certification, even if the systems remain administratively separate. It also addresses a question that many in health professions education are currently wondering: What is the value of high stakes exams and are they needed? Maybe it's time we stop treating lifelong learning as a checkbox and start treating it as a strategy for better care. Imagine that. Also see: Cervero RM, Gaines JK. Acad Med. 2015;90(12):1778–1783. https://lnkd.in/gKCpjr45

❗ As many of you probably know, before I was an FBI Special Agent, I was a teacher. Because of this background, I am focused on blending the concepts of cybersecurity and education together to help businesses and individuals stay safe so they can reduce the chance of becoming a cyber victim. I think the current method most companies take in offering cyber training once or twice a year is ineffective. In today's evolving cyber landscape, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face unprecedented challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. There is a fallacy out there that cybersecurity attacks mainly target large corporations, but the reality is far different. In fact, according to a recent report, nearly 43% of all cyber-attacks are aimed at SMBs, often because attackers expect less sophisticated defense mechanisms. Training and education is an area that is often also lacking in the SMB world. 🔑 Why One-Time Training Isn't Enough Initial training sessions on cybersecurity might give your team a foundational understanding, but cybersecurity is not a one-and-done endeavor. The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and what was secure yesterday might not be secure today. Here's why continual training is crucial: 1️⃣ New Threats Emerge Daily: Cybercriminals are innovating faster than ever. Your team needs to keep up. 2️⃣ Technology Evolves: As your business adopts new technologies, new vulnerabilities may emerge that your team needs to be aware of. 3️⃣ Human Error: The most common cause of breaches is still human error. Regular training helps keep best practices at the top of mind. 🎯 Benefits of Continual Cybersecurity Education 1️⃣ Proactive Defense: Ongoing training helps employees recognize threats before they become incidents. 2️⃣ Compliance: Many industries require regular cybersecurity training for compliance purposes. 3️⃣ Employee Confidence: A well-educated staff is more confident in their daily operations, reducing stress and increasing productivity. 💡 Action Steps for SMBs 1️⃣ Annual Assessments: Conduct cybersecurity risk assessments annually, if not bi-annually. 2️⃣ Quarterly Training: Implement quarterly cybersecurity training and frequent drills. 3️⃣ Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the latest in cybersecurity news and update your training materials accordingly. Remember, cybersecurity is a journey, not a destination. As a business owner of leader, you need to prioritize the safety of your businesses, employees, and customers by investing in ongoing cybersecurity education. Stay safe and secure! 🔒 #Cybersecurity #SMBs #DataProtection #ContinualTraining #DigitalSafety #BusinessSecurity #knowledgeisprotection (image source - cyberpilot dot com)

When it comes to Professional Development Units (PDUs) do you know what you are looking for? I ask some of the Certified professionals I met this question and many of them responded; "60 every 3 years"! Their answer is partially correct if all you care about is keeping your Certification active, 60 PDUs will accomplish that. Post 1984, the PMP committee realized that simply amassing 60 PDUs in that 3 year period was inadequate and the concept of the Talent Triangle was implemented to assure that the 60 PDUs generated a minimum in the three Talent Triangle categories (currently Way of Working, Business Acumen, and Power Skills) in hopes of maintaining a balance in the person's project management knowledge base. Earning the necessary PDUs to maintain a person's Certification is not difficult or expensive. In fact all the PDUs you need in each 3 year period can be found easily and free of charge. But I think there is a whole lot more to PDUs than meet the eye. PDUs are meant to keep you current with the constantly evolving Body of Knowledge. For that reason the PMI Standard PMBoK is revised approximately every 4 years. These revisions to the PMBoK reflect the advancement of the inner workings of profession. When you earn your Certifcation your knowledge base should be consistent with the status of the profession currently in use at the time relative to tools, techniques, etc. However, as time passes and new concepts, tools and techniques come along, they potentially make your knowledge base inadequate or inferior. This is the real purpose of PDUs -- to give everyone a chance to practice continuous learning and maintain syncronization with the status of the profession"s knowledge base. Simple example, professionals who were certificed several years ago when AI was not being talked about much (if at all), would need to take learning programs that augmented their current personal knowledge base to stay current. So, at the beginning of each year you must conduct a personal "Knowledge Assessment" to determine where you have voids from the existing profession's status. You must conduct this assessment with a candid examination of your weaknesses and plan those learning programs that will fill your knowledge voids. From a career perspective the 60 PDUs are not nearly as critical as are they the right PDUs needed to keep your knowledge base current. Don't look for easy PDUs, look for the right PDUs. The question might be; "if you earned your PMP in 1990 and you have not practiced targeted learning since, are you actually still a PMP? It's your career, manage it! #leepmp Dave Garrett Sierra Hampton-Simmons Gina Alesse