Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring

Are you being asked to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of the learning programs you created for your company, but don’t know where to start and have limited resources?

Measure Learning Impact Despite Limited Resources

Year after year, talent development professionals report that lack of time, lack of support or partnership from stakeholders, and limited budgets are key barriers to measuring and evaluating their learning programs. Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring offers TD professionals a process to measure what matters to the organization with the tools and resources they have available. M&E pro Alaina Szlachta applies the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to provide guidance, quick tips, and shortcuts for making measurement easier while still demonstrating the value and impact of organizational learning.

With this book, you will learn to ask the right questions, brainstorm metrics to evaluate learning, and build a measurement strategy that fits your needs. It also guides you on integrating measurement and evaluation into your instructional design approach from the beginning as well as using and analyzing data sources you might already have. You’ll discover how to build stakeholder relationships to secure buy-in and when to look beyond your expertise for external support and technology.

The Association for Talent Development’s On a Shoestring series helps professionals successfully execute core topics in training and talent development when facing limitations of time, money, staff, and other resources. Using the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to problem solving, this series is designed for practitioners who work as a department of one; for new or ＂accidental＂ trainers, instructional designers, and learning managers who need fast, inexpensive access to practical strategies that work; and for those who work for small organizations or in industries that have limited training and development resources.

Alaina L. Szlachta is the founder of and chief learning architect at By Design Development Solutions, a boutique learning design firm serving personal and professional development companies through data-enabled curriculum writing, measurement, and evaluation. She has played nearly every role in the knowledge industry over the past 15 years, including university professor, corporate trainer, director of training, instructional designer, researcher, and former competitive public speaker. Alaina holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and marketing from Seattle University, a master’s degree in education from Widener University, and a doctorate degree in health education from Widener University. She lives in Austin, Texas.