DEVELOPING AND MEASURING SOFT SKILLS AFTER ONLINE TRAININGS

Working remotely has become a common approach for many companies in the past year. This raises several questions including the work-life balance and worker’s effectiveness in the home-office environment. Here also comes the question of the training of employees and how to develop them in the new working set-up. Online programs become more and more popular among the employers. They can be in the form of webinars, virtual classrooms, conferences, etc. A focus of this article is to outline the ways to measure soft skills after online trainings. I did a literature review which covers books and journals on soft skills measurement topic with the purpose to clarify the methodology for evaluation of the results after online courses. The article provides additional findings from the conducted survey among the regular employees in a technical company from the IT sector in Eastern Europe. The outcomes from it confirmed that reactions are what organizations usually measure and it is done by using feedback forms during or after the course which helps to improve the future sessions. Learning objectives should be defined in advance and can be measured during the training by carefully observing the participation of the trainees. Results could be measured on a later stage after careful consideration of the productivity of the employee and analysis of his/ her feedback, behavior and changes in the working process after the course. Kirkpatrick’s model will be the starting point of the discussion in the context of the following steps for evaluation – reaction, learning, behavior and results.

Challenges of teaching children literature online in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the COVID 19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to all the health, psychological, economic and other consequences it left, directly affected all levels of the education system in the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unlike other studies and courses studied at higher education institutions, the specificity of literature teaching is that in addition to textbooks on theoretical aspects of literature, students have a mandatory reading list. The paper aims to present ways of adapting to online children’s literature teaching and the challenges faced by teachers and students of pedagogical faculties at two public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In terms of the analysis of the results of online teaching, Kirkpatrick 's evaluation model was applied, which is also the basic method of this paper. Keywords: children; COVID-19; literature; online teaching; Kirkpatrick’s model

The Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation: bibliometric analysis after 60 years (1959–2020)

Purpose A number of studies on Kirkpatrick’s four-level training evaluation model have been published, since its inception in 1959, either investigating it or applying it to evaluate the training process. The purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to reconsider the model, its utility and its effectiveness in meeting the need to evaluate training activities and to explain why the model is still worth using even though other later models are available. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a “5Ws+1H” model (why, when, who, where, what and how); however, “when” and “how” are merged in the methodology. A total of 416 articles related to Kirkpatrick’s model published between 1959 and July 2020 were retrieved using Scopus. Findings The Kirkpatrick model continues to be useful, appropriate and applicable in a variety of contexts. It is adaptable to many training environments and achieves high performance in evaluating training. The overview of publications on the Kirkpatrick model shows that research using the model is an active and growing area. The model is used primarily in the evaluation of medical training, followed by computer science, business and social sciences. Originality/value This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to reconsider the model, its utility, its effectiveness in meeting the need to evaluate training activities, its importance in the field measured by the growth in studies on the model and its applications in various settings and contexts.

Impact of the educational technology use in undergraduate pharmacy teaching and learning – A systematic review

Background: Educational technology has been increasingly used in recent years in pharmacy education. Its benefit on teaching and learning as well as its intention of use should be determined. Aims: To understand the technological approaches used in pharmacy education, and the impact of each approach on teaching and learning. Method: Four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC) were searched to identify studies that described the use of technology in undergraduate pharmacy teaching and learning. Results: Thirty-four papers met the inclusion criteria. Majority of the studies (59%) used simulation technologies adopting a situated learning approach to complement or enhance teaching and learning. Most of the studies reported change in two or more concepts of the Kirkpatrick’s model, namely Reaction, Learning, and Behaviour, indicating improvement in learning experience, engagement, and performance. Conclusion: Educational technology with design features aligned with effective pedagogical theories seemed more likely to produce positive student outcomes.

Evaluation of the Professional Development Program in Digital Material Design According to the Kirkpatrick’s Model

Today's developments have revealed the necessity of using digital materials in educational environments. The digital material design competencies of the teachers on this subject are essential. In this context, it is necessary to develop and evaluate a professional development program. The purpose of the current study is an evaluation of the professional development program developed for the digital material design according to Kirkpatrick’s Model. In the current study, a digital materials design professional development program consisting of 10 modules and 21 subjects was developed. Kirkpatrick’s Program Evaluation Model was used in the evaluation of the program. In this context, teachers' reactions to the program, their learning levels, their ability to transfer the knowledge they have acquired to the classroom environment, and the target audience's opinions on the practices were determined. “The Digital Materials Design Competences Scale” and "The Scale of Self-Efficacy Perception of Technology Integration" was used to collect quantitative data. Interviews and the observation technique were used to collect qualitative data. According to the findings, it was determined that the teachers expressed positive opinions about the program and that they were satisfied with the program. It was concluded that after the professional development program, the teachers' digital material design competencies and their self-efficacy perceptions of the integration of technology developed. The follow-up evaluation study determined that teachers could transfer the knowledge and skills they gained in the professional development program to the actual classroom environment, and students expressed positive opinions about these practices.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICACY OF THREE PROGRAM-EVALUATION MODELS –A REVIEW ON THEIR IMPLICATION IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Purpose of the study: This article reviews the comparative efficacy, theoretical and practical background of three program evaluation models (Stufflebeam’s CIPP model, Kirkpatrick’s model, and outcome-based evaluation models) and their implications in educational programs. The article discusses the strengths and limitations of the three evaluation models. Methodology: Peer-reviewed and scholarly journals were searched for articles related to program evaluation models and their importance. Keywords included program evaluation’, ‘assessment’, ‘CIPP model’, ‘evaluation of educational programs, ‘outcome-based model, and ‘planning’. Articles on Stufflebeam’s CIPP model, Kirkpatrick’s model, and outcome-based evaluation models were particularlyfocused because the review aimed at analysing these three models. The strengths and inadequacies of the three models were weighed and presented. Main Findings: The three models –outcome-based evaluation model, the Kirkpatric model, and the CIPP evaluation model –discussed in this review, have some strengths and weaknesses. Among the compared models, the CIPP model seems more appropriate for its implantation in evaluating educational programs because it is broader, comprehensive, flexible, cost-effective, and feasible. Applications of this study: Like other programs and projects, evaluation of educational programs is necessary to achieve high standards, better outcomes, and meet the objectives. Evaluation is employed before designing a particular educational program or during the already designed program. This review concludes that among different evaluation models, the CIPP evaluation model is more appropriate in evaluating educational programs because it is more comprehensive, efficient, and feasible.Employment of the CIPP model for evaluating educational programs can achieve plausible results about the overall progress of the educational programs. Novelty/Originality of this study: This review highlights the importance of different program evaluation models. It concludes that the CIPP evaluation model offers an excellent mechanism to evaluate educational programs at different stages.

The D-Learning Alternative during COVID-19 Crisis: A Preliminary Evaluation based on Kirkpatrick’s Model

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed schools around the world under unprecedented challenges where saving students’ lives is placed ahead of education as a priority. Within these conditions of distress and uncertainty, education authorities had no choice but to move traditional classes into online ones to ensure the sustainability of studies. The abrupt inevitable decision has been a first for most if not all teachers and students who are invited to cope with a totally new teaching/learning model without necessarily having prior experience in Distance Learning in terms of apparatus or techniques. This study comes as an in-progress appraisal of the D-learning scenarios proposed by Moulay Ismail University (MIU) in Meknes, Morocco, based on a two-level evaluation model (Reaction and Learning) proposed by Daniel Kirkpatrick. It is a real-time evaluation of a learning strategy that has long been considered optional for some students, to become, rather, a plan A constituent for many education departments around the world. The study investigates areas of success and failure from the students’ perspective via 4 sub-indicators: accessibility, autonomy, retention and psychological impact. The study concludes that the figures can be more reassuring about the D-learning experience in MIU once issues related to connectivity and communication are redressed. Keywords: d-learning, e-learning, pandemic, COVID-19, Kirkpatrick’s model, information and communication technology