Workshop evaluations have an integral part in each training, including workshops. This is because it provides information regarding the learning and teaching that occur during the workshop and documents the extent to which long-term objectives were achieved after the workshop. Like your workshop design, the evaluation of your workshop focuses on the workshop’s goals and how effective the goals should be met.
For this, workshop evaluation forms are commonly used. The benefits of using these forms is as:
- These forms reflect on the quality of the workshop.
- Helps to earn more about the teacher’s progress and also experiences.
- Workshop evaluation forms encourage tutors to reflect on their future plans and practice.
Requirements for a Cutting Edge Workshop
When planning a workshop evaluation, you need to keep in mind that a cutting edge workshop is expected to:
- Collect individual action plans and end workshop surveys from every participant.
- Come up with a post-workshop evaluation summary, which includes evidence from collected evaluation instruments and also convener observations.
- Complete the post-workshops follow-ups and surveys of participants which focuses on action plan responses
- Decide on who needs to come
- Decide on the location
- Detail all the activities within each section
- Delegate when need be
Methods for Workshop Evaluation
Every workshop has to be successful. To understand how successful the soliciting feedback from your workshop is, you can choose to incorporate an assessment into your workshop and also after the workshop. There are various types of workshop assessment to consider including;
Informal assessments
This approach is best within classrooms and education environments. The informal assessment refers to teacher observations of body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and work performance. These observations complement the formal assessment as the basis for instructional adjustments.
Dynamic assessment
There are available technologies for incorporating a continuous dynamic assessment into the learning materials. Therefore, this assessment can be seamlessly incorporated into a meaningful learning outcome or experience instead of being left to the end.
Outcome assessment
Here you can discuss and critique products grounded in an authentic context, including projects, portfolios, performances, and compositions. The application of work products will complement more direct and traditional measures of understanding and knowledge acquisition.
Evaluation format
The goal of coming up with a design in an evaluation instrument is by making it easy for all participants to respond easily and also return to you within the shortest time possible. This includes;
- Paper handouts
- Emails
- Web site online forms
Creating a proper listserv is also one of the means of evaluation that will provide the right follow-up supports and also continue the dialogue created within the workshop. It also helps in developing a response feedback form by delivering the paper copies to mailboxes.
Survey
This is the most popular form of participant survey. The participants can complete the survey at the end of the workshop. Evaluation results, on the other hand, will assist developers in making meaningful changes to a workshop. The ideas provided by the participants will also offer ideas for your future workshops.
However, you have to keep in mind that the survey should make it easier for the participants to respond easily and return the evaluation on time. You can choose to use handouts or emails, depending on the circumstance at hand.
Free Workshop Evaluation Forms
Following are free workshop evaluation forms that can be customized after downloading:
workshop-evaluation-form-template-old-07-2020
The Benefits of Workshop Evaluation Forms
Following are the major benefits of workshop evaluation using workshop evaluation forms:
- Using workshop evaluation forms is one of the best ways of determining the value of specific learning programs, tools, and activities. The finding can be used in making improvements, changes, and modifications to the learning methodologies while at the same time eliminating those that are considered ineffective.
- Workshop evaluation forms measure the participant’s reactions. Being a simple and straightforward answer and question process. You will want to understand whether the participants enjoyed the training, how they feel about the trainer, and importantly if the material covered was beneficial to their work.
- Measures the knowledge acquired and learning. Knowledge learning and acquisition are the major purposes of training. If the participants are not gaining new experiences and knowledge, then the whole process becomes ineffective.
- To achieve the best results, you need to include questions in workshop evaluation form that will gauge how much information from training stays with your participants after a training session ends. Measuring the training effectiveness through online survey software should be done at least twice within a month of training to gauge the initial reactions and help determine the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of your training.
Conclusion
While many people forget to see the need for a workshop survey, the truth is that it carries some weight when it comes to the overall performance of both the teacher and learners participating in the workshop. It also gives a clear understanding of what is being done right or wrong. On the other hand, this provides an open chance of rectifying where things are not working out by introducing new approaches that work well.