Importance of Cloudview’s Training Program Essay

Executive Report

Hoist management training at Cloudview is geared towards equipping new staff with knowledge on hoist management equipment to facilitate the organization’s goal of making Cloudview a leader in nursing home care. The main challenge at Cloudview has been poor training program evaluation, mainly relying on feedback sheets. The organization can improve its program evaluation by applying the four levels of assessment proposed by Kirkpatrick. These development recommendations; coaching, workshops, and job rotations are centered on the organization’s strategic goal of developing fully equipped professionals to make Cloudview a safe and comfortable place for residents through high-quality care.

Introduction

Program evaluation is an essential organizational development tool that enables corporations to assess, improve, and advance their programs. Cloudview has developed a hoist management training program for six new staff members. The organization has experienced significant challenges with the program’s outcomes since they have not met expectations. Therefore, this report highlights some of the challenges associated with the current training program evaluation and presents recommendations for improvements. The role of Kirkpatrick’s model in the program evaluation is highlighted with clear illustrations of how the levels of evaluation can improve the situation at Cloudview. Some development plans and milestones are indicated to show how the organization can improve the outcomes through continuous professional development post-training.

A Critical Discussion on Evaluation Techniques

An Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

In line with Cloudview’s mission and objectives, the hoist management training should be effectively evaluated through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The former is an essential tool in this program as it encompasses queries involving a number of participants, costs, and quantitative outcomes. Pre-tests and post-tests, surveys, questionnaires, observation, database reviews, and clinical data collection are the primary methods for acquiring quantitative data (Smith & Hasan, 2020). Surveys can be performed face-to-face, over the phone, by mail, online, or with an interviewer present. In this particular evaluation, the quantitative information-gathering tools have to be well structured to accommodate verbal and written responses since they correspond to the training mode. Analyzing quantitative data requires statistical analysis, ranging from simple descriptive statistics to sophisticated investigations.

Quantitative data gauge an implementation’s scope and depth, which are vital elements for successful program implementation. In addition, quantitative information collected before and during an intervention can demonstrate the overall program’s implications and outcomes. Smith and Hasan (2020) argue that if the sample accurately represents the community, generalizability, ease of assessment, consistency, and reliability are some of the benefits that accrue from this technique. However, quantitative approaches have significant limitations, such as poor survey participation rates, trouble getting records, and challenges in reliable measurement (Thompson et al., 2018). Notably, in Cloudview’s training program involving various complex tools, quantitative statistics may not be sufficiently robust to explain complicated difficulties or interconnections or to provide a grasp of the context of the approach.

Qualitative Approaches are highly valuable in this training program assessment as they address questions involving the value-added, timing, and responsibilities during the training. At Cloudview, the hoist management training goes beyond numerical outcomes to address the long-term value of the training on patients’ wellbeing. Direct or indirect observations, interviews, case studies, focus groups, and written materials are some of the methods used to gather qualitative data (Hatala et al., 2017). Depending on the purpose and breadth of the evaluation, useful tools such as examining, comparing, and analyzing patterns enable facilitators and trainers to deliver content that meets the original program requirements. According to Abadie and Cattaneo (2018), effective evaluation should incorporate identifying themes, stratifying, coding, and condensing data to relevant and crucial points. Notably, grounded theory construction demonstrates how all the above aspects combine to contribute to valuable data extraction for conclusive analysis.

Interviews are among the most useful tools for Cloudview’s training evaluation as they provide first-hand information and a platform for assessing trainees’ feelings and perceptions. Hatala et al. (2017) argue that interviews are particularly crucial following their role in examining difficult subjects. A loose collection of questions posed in an open-ended way can be used to conduct interviews, or they can be organized and done under controlled circumstances. The participants in the hoist management training at Cloudview can also be assessed through focus groups to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the training program. Participants in focus groups respond to the facilitator’s open-ended questions by sharing their thoughts and observations, enabling themes to cascade while debate takes place, generating ideas and jogging memories (Lloyd-Hazlett, 2018). Therefore focus groups well implemented can lead to more data acquisitions and facilitate a more comprehensive program evaluation.

Qualitative data is essential for evaluation as it helps to explain difficult situations contextually and can supplement quantitative data by illuminating the “how” and “why” underlying the “what” in the training program. Limitations of generalizability, the time- and money-intensive nature of data gathering, and the challenging and complicated nature of data interpretation are some potential drawbacks of using qualitative data for training program evaluation (Hatala et al., 2017). The hoist management training at Cloudview can best be analyzed through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods following the four levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model.

Training Program Evaluation Techniques and Kirkpatrick’s Model

People’s perceptions, cultural values, and priorities differ, implying that their abilities to grasp the content in a training program vary considerably. Kirkpatrick’s four levels of program evaluation provide a framework on which every aspect of the training program can be evaluated. The critical value of this model is that as one advances from leve1 to 4, more complex aspects of the program are understood and evaluated, allowing facilitators and trainers to tailor the program to meet the most crucial needs of the program.

From the case study, it is evident that the trainers evaluate their program by issuing feedback sheets that require the six trainees to fill. While these feedback sheets provide an opportunity for first-hand data and enable the trainees to express themselves freely, they are limited by their inability to capture practical skills gained during the training program. In addition, it is recorded that none of the trainees interacted with the equipment or raised any queries in line with the content taught on hoist management. Looking at the main technique used, it can be seen that very minimal data can be gathered through such a method since the trainees have not adequately grasped the content or had a first-hand experience with the hoist systems to explore their levels of understanding.

An evaluation process should not focus on one group or aspect of the training but should be comprehensive. According to Kroll and Moynihan (2018), training evaluation plays a key role in organizational performance management. This implies that if Cloudview improved its training program evaluation, it would achieve its objectives in the most effective way. At the moment, Cloudview has employed qualified trainers who deliver the information as they deem fit. However, their knowledge transfer abilities are limited, as evidenced by the lack of motivation from the trainees to interact with the systems.

The management at Cloudview has noted that some of the new staff had to undertake the NVQ Certification exam more than once. From this aspect, it is evident that although the organization has used a cost-effective training and assessment method, it has not translated to the expected outcomes. In the end, the organization has to retrain the staff, spending more time than it should. Guyadeen and Seasons (2018) argue that the best program evaluations are those that consider elements of planning, delivery, and outcomes with respect to the target groups. In this case, the best way to evaluate the hoist management training program is by adopting a trainee-focused approach, as it would allow the new staff to highlight the gaps that have been hidden in the past. Therefore, there is a need to improve the current program evaluation techniques by applying Kirkpatrick’s evaluation process.

Improving the Evaluation Techniques

In the healthcare sector, training programs should instill essential values and skills in staff to facilitate effective service delivery. Therefore, the trainees’ reactions, attitudes, and motivations are key elements that should be considered, as shown by Heydari et al. (2019). The first step in enhancing program evaluation at Cloudview should be applying Kirkpatrick’s first level-reaction assessment. The trainers, Jenny and Liz, should be keen to observe the trainees’ concentration levels, interests, and non-verbal cues that would give them an idea of the training program’s impacts on the new staff. At this level, trainee engagement is an important concept that should be facilitated through practical sessions and question-answer forums (Bowe & McCormick, 2019). Reaction assessment should be done during the training program, while the learning phase follows after the training session.

The primary goal of a training program is to develop confident and skilled staff able to implement their knowledge gained in real-life situations. Learning assessment is the second Kirkpatrick’s model level that can be used to improve training program evaluation at Cloudview. Reio et al. (2017) assert that learning assessment remains the most important part of a training program evaluation. Without knowledge acquisition and the consequent application of gained skills, the program has failed to meet its purpose. At this level, personal interviews and practical assessments would be crucial.

Knowledge transforms individuals’ behavior, which allows trainers and facilitators to use the behavior metric to evaluate a training session’s efficacy. According to Michie et al. (2021), behavior change is a function of an individual’s change of attitude and the organizational environment in which they wish to practice the skills. Therefore Cloudview should provide opportunities for the trainees to interact with the systems after the session. The behavior change assessment entails how quickly the new staff is willing to test the hoist management equipment and enhance their knowledge through continuous interaction with the machines and the trainers. Instead of giving out the feedback sheets and leaving, Jenny and Liz should tarry with the new staff and encourage them to test their knowledge using the equipment, from which they can easily tell the efficacy of the training program.

The New Training Plan Design

Considering the essence of trainee participation in the hoist management training program, it is crucial to design an effective plan that gives more opportunities for practical knowledge acquisition and feedback. The new training plan will consist of four sessions per day, each addressing a key element of the organization’s objectives and mission. Group roles should also have an important place in the evaluation, as indicated by Zhang et al. (2021). At the end of each session, the evaluation will be done to assess how the trainees received the individual session, and key points of improvement should be noted for improvement in subsequent training sessions. Points of improvement should be noted for improvement in subsequent training sessions.

Developmental Recommendations

A training program has immediate and long-term effects that should be assessed through developmental milestones. According to Holmboe et al. (2020), professional development is a process that requires follow-up and continuous improvement to achieve the best outcomes. A milestone can be understood to denote a stage in the developmental process that allows organizations to compare their staff to workers in other companies and benchmark whenever deemed necessary (Khan et al., 2017). Cloudview aims to be a leader in the nursing home sector by growing a team of professional caregivers skilled in hoist management and demonstrating a high level of teamwork and professionalism. Lomis et al. (2017) assert that competency milestones are among the best ways of reaching the expected outcomes in the healthcare sector. Cloudview’s development plans can best be achieved through coaching, workshops, and job rotations.

Although the new staff undergo a thorough training program before task assignment, they may not apply their knowledge effectively without coaching. Working directly with senior staff is important in employee professional development (Syahsudarmi, 2021). Therefore, Cloudview should formulate a coaching plan whereby each new staff will be expected to work under the guidance of two senior employees for six months after training. According to Park et al. (2020), coaching enables new staff to deal will rapid changes in the business environment, facilitating better outcomes. Through coaching, technical and analytical skills will be acquired, facilitating the organization’s strategic goal of providing a safe environment for residents.

As today’s organizations address the changes resulting from increased globalization, workshops provide opportunities for staff to interact with fellow workers within and outside the organization. Miller et al. (2022) record that effective workshops facilitate employee behavior change for the organization’s performance improvement. New technological insights and problem-solving techniques can be easily shared in workshops. In addition to workshops, job rotation exposes employees to diverse work environments, increasing their skills and knowledge base (Hochdörffer et al., 2018). Cloudview should implement job rotation to expose the new staff to a wide range of hoist equipment in different sections. Adil Khan (2021) records that job design, including job rotation and shifts significantly influence organizational commitment. In line with Cloudview’s strategic goal, workshops and job rotation enable the new staff to gain experience in various fields, enabling them to deliver high-quality care to residents.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a training program evaluation is crucial to organizational growth. It aids in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of a program and how developmental milestones can be incorporated for better outcomes. Cloudview has made important steps in facilitating the training program but has failed in the evaluation stage. The organization should focus more on the program’s ability to equip the learners with the required skills by assessing their engagement levels. Since the organization deals with nursing home care, it is vital to follow up the training with workshops and coaching for further skills development to ensure that the trainees have what it takes to provide wholesome care to residents. Further, the trainers should incorporate trainee engagement sessions within the program and assess each learner’s knowledge acquisition after each session. Although the training evaluation process recommended here is lengthy and costly, its outcomes are crucial for the wellbeing of the entire society.

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