Make a 3 paragraph post that addresses the following. The first paragraph should explain the concept Training Evaluation in detail and should include at least two quotes. The second paragraph discusses current a current example or examples in significant depth. The third paragraph explores future application of your selected concept for both you as an individual business professional as well as any other element of the business environment.

Evaluation Helps Ensure Safe and On-Time Arrival at Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), one of the largest transit systems in the United States, provides buses, light rail, subways, and paratransit and prides itself on getting its riders to their destinations safely and on-time. But recently it found that too many of its bus drivers who completed training were involved in accidents. The director of operations training and his team conducted a needs assessment to determine why this was occurring. Their review of the hiring process and the current new driver training program revealed no problems. In fact, they found that training course materials, classroom and on-the job training, and the instructors were similar to prior years, in which accident rates were lower.The team then focused on improving the training evaluation process to help identify the reasons for the increase in accidents and ways to reduce them. They implemented Kirkpatricks model for evaluating new driver training. This evalua-tion model emphasizes the need to collect data on trainees reactions, learning, behavior, and results. Specifically, MTA focused on determining drivers satisfac-tion with the instructor, course content, and the training environment (reactions), their knowledge and skills (learning), how they applied what they learned on the job (behavior), and the impact the training had on accidents (results). At the completion of training, new bus operators complete surveys asking about their satisfaction with the instructor, course content, and training environment (affective outcome). Prior to using Kirkpatricks model for evaluation, the goal was to fill all bus operator vacan-cies to reduce overtime and provide more consistent customer service. As a result, almost all trainees successfully completed training. As part of the new evaluation process, more difficult written exams are used to assess what new bus operators have learned about how to operate the vehicle. Also, new drivers who pass training and enter their 90-day probationary period now undergo more rigorous observa-tion from their training instructors. Training instructors ride along with new bus oper-ators and use a checklist to observe the extent to which drivers engage in 60 safe behaviors, including keeping both hands on the steering wheel and looking both directions when they approach the intersection between two streets. Finally, MTA hired a local consultant to create a dashboard that makes it easier for managers and trainers to track accident rates. Based on trainees reactions data, MTA made the classroom component of the training more engaging by adding polling devices to create a more interactive learn-ing environment. Also, GoPro cameras were installed on training buses to provide trainees with videos and give them the opportunity to see and evaluate their driv-ing behavior. MTA also made sure that new drivers receive more training time with instructors both in the classroom and while driving to ensure they have the skills necessary to recognize and avoid potential accidents.Based on the evaluation data and the changes made to the training program, accidents have declined. The total accident claims paid out in 2015 were $560,000, far less than the $3 million paid out in 2012. INTRODUCTION As the opening vignette illustrates, Maryland Transit Administration wanted to know whether the time, money, and effort devoted to training was making a difference. That is, the training function was interested in assessing the effectiveness of its training programs. Training effectiveness refers to the benefits that the company and the trainees receive from training. Benefits for trainees may include learning new skills or behaviors. Benefits for the company may include increased sales and more satisfied customers. A training eval-uation measures specific outcomes or criteria to determine the benefits of the program. Training outcomes or criteria refer to measures that the trainer and the company use to evaluate training programs. To determine the effectiveness of training, an evaluation needs to occur. Training evaluation refers to the process of collecting the outcomes needed to determine whether training is effective. For the Maryland Transit Administration, the out-comes included trainees satisfaction with the course, knowledge about how to operate the bus, safe driving behaviors, and accident rates. The evaluation design refers to the collection of informationincluding what, when, how, and from whomthat will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Any organization that evaluates training has to be confident that trainingrather than some other factoris responsible for changes in the outcomes of interest (e.g., turnover, productivity). The degree of confidence that changes in the outcomes of interest are due to training depends on the type of evaluation design used.Recall the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model shown in Figure 1.2 and the top-ics covered in Chapters Two through Five. The information from the needs assessment, the characteristics of the learning environment, and the steps taken to ensure transfer of training should all be used to develop an evaluation plan. In order to identify appropriate training outcomes, a company needs to look at its business strategy, its organizational analysis (Why are we conducting training? How is it related to the business?), its person analysis (Who needs training?), its task analysis (What is the training content?), the learn-ing objectives of the training, and its plan for training transfer.This chapter will help you understand why and how to evaluate training programs. The chapter begins by discussing the types of outcomes used in training program evaluation. The next section of the chapter discusses the practical factors to consider when choosing an evaluation design and provides an overview of the types of designs. Next we review the process involved in conducting a program evaluation. The chapter concludes with a discus-sion of metrics that can be used to evaluate the strategic value of the training function. REASONS FOR EVALUATING TRAINING Companies are investing millions of dollars in training programs to help gain a competitive advantage. Companies invest in training because learning creates knowledge; often, it is this knowledge that distinguishes successful companies and employees from those who are not. Research summarizing the results of studies that have examined the linkage between training and human resource outcomes (such as attitudes and motivation, behaviors, and human capital), organizational performance outcomes (performance and productivity), or financial outcomes (profits and financial indicators) has found that companies that conduct training are likely to have more positive human resource outcomes and greater performance outcomes.1 The influence of training is largest for organizational performance outcomes and human resource outcomes and weakest for financial outcomes. This result is not sur-prising, given that training can least affect an organizations financial performance and may do so through its influence on human resource practices. As emphasized in Chapter Two, Strategic Training, training is more strongly related to organizational outcomes when it is matched with the organizations business strategy and capital intensity. Because companies have made large dollar investments in training and education and view training as a strategy to be successful, they expect the outcomes or benefits related to training to be measurable.Norton Health Cares Practice Manager Development Program focuses on improving practice managers leadership, practice operations, patient access to care, and patient expe-rience.2 Program participants share best practices, learn from company leaders, and build a plan for their practice operations. The program has resulted in an increase in the number of new patients accepted, office visits, and patients responding definitely recommend on customer surveys following an office visit. At Jiffy Lube, training evaluation involves more than just counting the number of programs employees attend each year.3 Jiffy Lubes business depends on properly servicing customers cars so they are satisfied and will be repeat customers. As a result, Jiffy Lube employees must be certified to perform a service. Jiffy Lube tracks both certifications and their relationship to business results. They track both employee and store-level certifications. Entry-level certifications must be completed within 30 days after an employee is hired. Seventy-six percent of Jiffy Lubes stores are at 80 to 100 percent certification. Of those stores with 100 percent certification, one-third have average customer sales 9 percent higher than all stores.Training evaluation provides a way to understand the investment that training produces and provides the information needed to improve training.4 If a company receives an inad-equate return on its investment in training, the company will likely reduce its investment in training or look for training providers outside the company who can provide training experiences that improve performance, productivity, customer satisfaction, or whatever other outcomes the company is interested in achieving. Training evaluation provides the data needed to demonstrate that training does offer benefits to the company. Training evaluation involves both formative and summative evaluation.