The Benefits Of Online Assessment Methods
Performance management training is the lifeblood of your organization. It identifies issues that compromise your brand image, monitors employee development, and modifies behaviors that aren’t conducive to your success. But how do you know which areas staffers need to work on in order to hone skills and improve task mastery? Multiple-choice exams may gauge how much they’ve acquired, but not how well they apply knowledge. Thankfully, the following 6 online assessment methods can track employee growth and detect hidden weaknesses that plague their on-the-job performance.
1. Detailed Task Simulations
Performance management simulations are often used in mistake-driven learning. Employees can take all the risks they like without having to worry about the repercussions, at least in the real world. However, they’re also a great way to assess employees’ reactions and identify pain points discreetly. For example, a trainee makes numerous errors during a task simulation and angers a customer or offends a co-worker. They immediately know where they need to improve and how their actions translate in real-world settings. Use realistic challenges, characters, and surroundings to immerse them in a situation. You want them to feel like they’re part of the action so that your LMS data is accurate and truly reflects their performance.
2. Decision-Making Scenarios
Employees must be able to make choices on the spot, based on their experience and training. They don’t have the luxury of telling a client to wait five minutes while they look up the answer to a question, or participate in a simulation to build skills they need right now. Decision-making scenarios test their ability to apply what they’ve learned and use their skills in different contexts. They’re under pressure and must keep their wits about them to achieve the desired outcome. If not, the scenario shows them the negative repercussions that come from bad choices and lack of preparation. Of course, you should also provide supplemental training suggestions they may find useful, instead of simply highlighting their shortcomings and making them feel less-than.
3. Peer-Based Q&As
Schedule a live peer Q&A where one trainee fields questions from co-workers. The person hosting the event must know their stuff to teach it to others. Otherwise, participants will challenge their assumptions and fill in the blanks for them. Merely preparing for the event will reinforce knowledge and improve their understanding of a topic. For example, they’re hosting a Q&A regarding new warehouse policies or sales processes. They must comprehend all key takeaways and put them into their own words. Then, identify which areas cause the most confusion to prep for any and all questions attendees might ask. For best results, encourage participants to hold their questions until the live session. Then, you’ll get more spontaneous and authentic answers from trainees because they can’t view the queries in advance.
4. Fill-In-The-Blank Real-World Examples
Real-world examples usually help employees assign meanings and form a contextual basis for training. However, you can turn them into an online assessment by leaving out the ending. Then, ask employees what they would do to achieve the best outcome, or even what they might do differently than the narrator to improve productivity. Throw them a few curveballs in the form of missed steps or improper use of policy to see how they respond. Another approach is to incorporate your own anecdotes (complete with valuable life lessons) and then ask employees to point out which skills were involved as well as the subtle mistakes you made and the best ways to avoid them in the future.
5. Employee-Created Resources
This is a spin on the peer-based Q&As, but you get a learner-generated library out of the deal. Invite employees to create their own resources based on areas for improvement. Usually, you would ask them to focus on strengths. But the goal here is to bridge gaps and bring them out of their comfort zone. They must brush up on a topic to develop meaningful content that’s accurate and aligns with objectives. This may be an eye-opening experience because it prompts them to challenge personal beliefs and assumptions, not to mention incorrect information they’ve learned in the past. Employee-created resources can range from tutorials and podcasts to slideshows and simulations, depending on their technical skills and subject matter. Compile all content they’ve created and upload it to a repository so they can collect peer feedback as well as receive evaluations from instructors or managers.
6. Video Reflections
Share a demo video and then ask for employee input. Would they change anything about the way a task was performed or how an actor handled the situation? Were there any performance behaviors that stood out? Did the video showcase proper use of company policy or were there glaring breaches? Performance management involves a high degree of self-reflection. The most profound feedback often comes from employees themselves, as they discover new things about themselves and their habits. The video might help them see the err of their ways. But it also allows you to assess what they know and if they can objectively evaluate the situation at hand.
Performance Evaluation Through Online Assessment
Employee performance evaluation is no small feat in remote training environments. You can’t physically watch them carry out the task or display their product knowledge on the sales floor. But you can conduct an online assessment to determine what they know and if they’re able to use it in the workplace; if they can take all those theories and protocols from a course and convert them into performance behaviors and habits. So, use these online training assessment methods to test your staffers from anywhere in the globe.
Does your current LMS support interactive online assessments? If not, use our free online directory to find a tool that fits into your performance management strategy without going over budget. Filter results by use case, pricing model, and industry for a stress-free search process.
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