The document discusses the importance of evaluating employee performance and addresses common excuses for not doing evaluations. It argues that evaluations are necessary to collect hard data on outputs, quality, costs, and time savings, as well as soft data on work habits, skills, work climate, development, and attitudes. While evaluations require resources, they provide accurate measures of learning and differentiation of learning outcomes. Retrospective analysis of evaluations can also be useful, as seen in an example from a law firm.

1. Why Evaluate?
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses….
• I don’t have the time.
• I don’t have to…it’s not required.
• The district does it.
• Grades are my evaluation
• Follow-ups are a waste of time
• Others???

2. Evaluation Myth #8
“I don’t need to justify my existence, I
have a proven track record.”
- Phillips, 1991

3. Data (Where do I find it?)
Hard Data
– Output (in basic work units)
– Quality (quality of the output)
– Cost (operating, administrative, & capital
expenditures)
– Time (savings)
*** If these are not available ***
try to convert soft data

4. Data (Where do I find it?)
Soft Data
– Work Habits
– New Skills
– Work Climate
– Development/Advancement
– Feeling/Attitudes
– Initiative

5. Evaluation Myth #9
“The emphasis on evaluation should
be the same in all organizations.”
- Phillips, 1991

6. Evaluation Myth #11
“Evaluation would probably
cost too much.”
- Phillips, 1991

7. Retrospective Analysis
An Example from a law firm:

8. When does it work?
When:
• Learners don’t….
– Know what they don’t know
• There is insufficient time for pre-test.
• In other words: When you must have post-
knowledge to self-measure pre-knowledge

9. Why does it work?
• More accurate measure of actual learning
• Provide more differentiation in learning
• There is insufficient time for pre-testing.
In other words: When you must have post-
knowledge to self-measure pre-knowledge

10. Dr. Jeff M.
Allen
University of North
Texas
Department of Technology
and Cognition
P.O. Box 311337
Denton, Texas 76203-1337
Email: Jallen@unt.edu
Phone: (940)565-2093