There are generally considered five different levels at which a training or learning intervention can be evaluated, ranging from “Level 1” (which simply captures learners’ reactions to the intervention) up to “Level 5” (which calculates business-level return on investment). [This widely-used labeling system is based on an evaluation model first developed by Donald Kirkpatrick.] Simpler evaluations are less expensive than more advanced levels of evaluation, which can require significant investments of time and effort. Therefore, careful consideration should be given to determining the appropriate level of evaluation for any given specific curriculum, course, or learning initiative. Different courses or curricula need different evaluation strategies, and you should always keep in mind that it may not be necessary to do all levels of evaluation.

In this last of three articles designed to compel you to start putting the point back in PowerPoint, compare your top four strategies with mine. Here you will discover my next four pointers and why you need an Xtreme PowerPoint Makeover (see fall conference brochure for contest details). STOP using PowerPoint as a delivery mechanism! It is a support media for your message. Before my next four ideas, let’s see if you can fill in the blanks at random from my first two in this series:

Free Open Source Learning Content Coming The Learning CONSORTIUM is launching an open-source learning project. Training Tax Credit Bill Introduced A Senate bill entitled "Competitiveness through Education, Technology, and Enterprise (COMPETE) Act of 2007" was introduced March 9. Soon-to-be Tech Trends A new report identifies six emerging technology trends expected to have broad adoption in higher education within the next one to five years.

It all started when my beloved laptop of seven years started to slow down and I decided it was time for a new laptop. I purchased my new laptop and discovered it included software for building web sites. Then I also learned that the computer store gave free computer lessons on how to use the software. In addition, I learned my internet service provided “free” web space where I could practice posting my new web site as I learned the web software. How could I resist?

I actually have a plastic tool box, which I purchased at a hardware store. It is the kind with little compartments built into the lid, a lift out tray and a deeper compartment inside. In it, I always keep the following: • Paperclips and binderclips • Extra batteries (2 each of AA and AAA) • A set of colored flipchart markers • 2 dry erase markers • 2 overhead projector markers • A couple of pencils and ballpoint pens • A small school-type pencil sharpener • Masking tape...

On February 13, the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association Educational Foundation held its fifth annual Hospitality Games. Started after 9-11, the games were created to help boost employee morale when other incentive programs were cut due to slumping business travel. Competitions include Bell Cart Wheelies, table-setting competitions, and Bednastics—where teams of employees work to make beds according to industry guidelines, then strip it and “pass the baton” to the next team. The games also include a trivia portion where employees answer questions guests might ask about Chicago. This year 40 hotels were represented by 400 employees. “Everyone from the dishwashers and room attendants to the managers share the goal of striving to be the best…

Seen the latest CareerBuilder.com commercial? The one where the training department uses poison pens instead of darts to “recruit” the latest trainees for their seminars? I bet their motto is, “Why not just lecture?” After all, it is easier, you can cover more material, and you have more control of you, your pace and the participants. You only have to worry about your energy level, right? This thinking seems to be the rationale of many a workshop leader these days. They are following in the footsteps of their predecessors of days gone by. “That's how it has always been done...” Or was it? Perhaps the great leaders or teachers used processing to aid in their teaching.

The Old School Of Selling Is Closed Forever! MINNEAPOLIS – (Mar. 6, 2007) Can sales people sell more by disqualifying prospects more quickly and efficiently? The answer is an unqualified “yes” according to the presenters of the Sales Autopsy workshop, a two-day course in breakthrough selling strategies that will be held April 26-27 in the Chicago area. “Every other sales program does a great job at teaching people how to qualify prospects,” says Dan Seidman, Chicago-based author of the best-selling business book “Sales Autopsy” and presenter of the workshop. “We show sales pros how to increase their productivity by actively seeking to disqualify those prospects who are least likely to buy from them.”

STOP using PowerPoint as a delivery mechanism! It is a support media for your message. This is the second of three articles designed to compel you to start putting the point back in PowerPoint. Here you will discover my next four pointers and why you need an Xtreme PowerPoint Makeover. Before my next four ideas, let’s see if you can fill in the blanks from my first article: 12. Don’t print your _ _ _ _ _ _ as your _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

2006 State of the Industry In American Society for Training and Development’s 2006 State of the Industry report, ASTD estimates that U.S. organizations spend more than $109 billion on employee development each year. I Predict…eLearn Ideas for 2007 Each year, eLearn magazine asks industry experts and visionaries to predict what the coming year will bring in the realm of elearning. Twenty-one experts offered their ideas of what this year would bring. Following is one expert’s opinion: Silence Fails The Silence Fails study, conducted by VitalSmarts and The Concours Group, collected data from more than 1,000 executives and project management professionals across 40 companies and a wide variety of industries.