| Course | MSHR 6625 Building Human Capital Through Training and Development |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Evaluation plan |
| Length | About 760 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Human Resource Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSHR 6625 Week 8
Past the Reaction Card: A Training Evaluation Plan for Asset-Field Completion That Specifies Evidence at All Four Kirkpatrick Levels From Records the Utility Already Keeps and Tests Whether ROI Can Honestly Be Calculated
Student Name
Walden University
MSHR 6625: Building Human Capital Through Training and Development
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Past the Reaction Card: A Training Evaluation Plan for Asset-Field Completion That Specifies Evidence at All Four Kirkpatrick Levels From Records the Utility Already Keeps and Tests Whether ROI Can Honestly Be Calculated
Purpose
Reaction cards collected after training show whether learners liked a session. They say little about whether a technician closes work orders correctly a month later. Alliger et al. (1997), in a meta-analysis of training criteria, found that how much trainees liked a course said little about what they learned or did afterward. This plan therefore specifies evidence at all four levels Kirkpatrick described, reaction, learning, behavior and results (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006), using records the utility already keeps wherever possible, and tests whether the fifth level Phillips (2003) added, return on investment, can honestly be calculated.
Evaluation Matrix
Table 1
Evaluation Matrix for the Asset-Field Program
| Level | Question | Evidence | Source | Timing | Who collects | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reaction | Did technicians find the sessions useful and practical? | Three-question card | Card completed after each truck session | End of each session | Crew lead | |
| Learning | Can technicians locate IDs and identify pipe materials? | Scores on sample identification and scenario tasks | Coaching checklist from session three | End of session three | Crew lead | |
| Behavior | Do technicians complete asset fields correctly on real orders? | Share of hydrant, valve and main orders with all mandatory asset fields correct | Mobile work-order records checked against the asset register | 30 and 90 days after training | Training coordinator with asset management team | |
| Results | Are asset records more accurate and are repeat visits fewer? | Asset register errors found by audit; field visits caused by wrong asset data | Asset management audit; dispatch records | Six months after training | Asset management team | |
Composite utility. Baselines come from the three months of records used in the needs assessment.
Baselines and Comparison
Each level after reaction has a baseline. For behavior, the baseline is the needs assessment's error rates: roughly one hydrant or valve order in five with a missing or wrong ID, and nearly one main repair in five with no usable pipe material. Because the program is delivered to crews in waves, technicians trained later can serve as a comparison for those trained first during the weeks between waves. If correct completion rises among trained technicians but not among those still waiting, the training is more likely responsible than other changes, such as the move to offline mode.
Can ROI Be Calculated?
Phillips (2003) added a fifth level that puts a dollar value on results and sets it against what the program cost. The plan tests whether that can be done honestly here. Costs are straightforward: crew leads' time, technicians' time in sessions, development of the guide and kit, about $38,000 in total, illustrative. Benefits are harder. The clearest benefit is fewer wasted field visits caused by wrong asset data: dispatch records show about 70 such visits last year at about $310 each, roughly $21,700. Better asset data also improve capital planning, since the utility decides which mains to replace partly by recorded pipe material and age, but that benefit cannot be valued without assumptions the evidence does not support.
The plan therefore reports a partial ROI, based on avoided visits alone, and states plainly that it understates the program's value. Inventing a figure for better capital planning would make the ROI look precise while resting on a guess.
Isolating the Training's Effect
The non-training fixes from the gap memo, offline mode, tablet replacements and the end of paper tickets, will also improve work orders. The behavior measure focuses on asset fields, which those fixes do not directly address, and the wave comparison helps separate the training's effect. Even so, the plan will report the results as associated with the program, not caused by it alone.
Practical Limits
Two practical limits affect the plan. Checking asset fields against the asset register takes time from the asset management team, who will sample 200 orders at each check rather than reviewing every order. And the wave comparison works only while untrained crews remain; by the fourth wave, there is no comparison group, so later results will be compared with the baseline alone. Both limits are acceptable for a program of this size, and stating them now prevents the results from being read as more certain than they are.
Reporting
Results at each level go to the field operations manager at 30 days, 90 days and six months. The behavior measure is the one to watch: if correct asset-field completion has not risen at 30 days, the program should be reviewed before the remaining crews are trained.
References
Alliger, G. M., Tannenbaum, S. I., Bennett, W., Traver, H., & Shotland, A. (1997). A meta-analysis of the relations among training criteria. Personnel Psychology, 50(2), 341-358. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1997.tb00911.x
Kirkpatrick, D. L., & Kirkpatrick, J. D. (2006). Evaluating training programs: The four levels (3rd ed.). Berrett-Koehler.
Phillips, J. J. (2003). Return on investment in training and performance improvement programs (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Reading the MSHR 6625 Week 8 instructions
Week 8 asks you to plan how your training will be evaluated. Specify evidence at each of Kirkpatrick's four levels, stating the question, the evidence, the source, the timing and who collects it, and prefer records the organization already keeps. Set baselines for each level after reaction and describe a comparison group if one is possible. Test honestly whether return on investment can be calculated, separating costs and benefits you can measure from those you cannot. Say how you will tell the training's effect apart from anything else changing in the same months, state the practical limits of the plan and say who receives the results and when.
How this MSHR 6625 Week 8 example is built
The plan opens by citing Alliger and colleagues on weak links between reactions and behavior and introduces Kirkpatrick's levels. A matrix sets out four levels with questions, evidence, sources, timing and collectors. A section sets baselines from the needs assessment and uses later waves as a comparison group. A section tests return on investment, citing Phillips, with about $38,000 in costs and about $21,700 in avoided visits, and explains why the capital planning benefit is not valued. A section discusses isolating the training's effect. A section notes practical limits, and a closing section names the 30-day behavior measure as the one to watch. The matrix names who collects each piece of evidence, which keeps the plan from depending on goodwill.
Reading the MSHR 6625 Week 8 rubric
Evaluation plans earn credit for going beyond reactions with evidence the organization can actually collect. A matrix covering all four levels is weighted heavily. Baselines and a comparison group show understanding of how to attribute change. An honest test of return on investment, reporting what can be measured and declining to invent the rest, demonstrates integrity. Attention to other changes that could explain results shows rigor. Stating practical limits shows realism. Plans that rely on reaction surveys, claim a precise return without a basis or ignore competing explanations tend to receive lower marks. Using records the organization already keeps is a mark of a practical plan. Plans that report partial returns honestly are preferred over complete figures built on guesses.
MSHR 6625 Week 8 help from the desk
For each of the four levels, ask what question you need answered and what record would answer it. Start with what your organization already collects, since new data collection is expensive and often abandoned. Set a baseline before training begins. If training rolls out in stages, use the groups not yet trained as a comparison. When you consider return on investment, list benefits you can measure in money and those you cannot, and be willing to report a partial figure. Students often stop at reaction and learning, which say little about the job. Others claim large returns built on guesses. If you need help finding usable records, our writers can suggest where to look in your setting.
Get a MSHR 6625 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Share the evaluation plan prompt, the rubric and the objectives set earlier in the term. An evaluation matrix across all four levels, with the ROI question tested, is drafted within 24 to 48 hours and costs nothing on a first request. The records it describes come from a utility nobody operates.
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MSHR 6625 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MSHR 6625 Week 8 sample paper?
The evaluation plan, matrix included, appears below free of charge.
Which levels does the MSHR 6625 Week 8 plan cover?
Kirkpatrick's four: reaction, learning, behavior and results.
What is the key behavior measure?
The share of real orders with all asset fields correct at 30 and 90 days.
How is the training's effect isolated?
Technicians in later waves serve as a comparison group, and the measure targets asset fields specifically.
Can return on investment be calculated?
Only partly, from avoided field visits, and the plan says this understates the program's value.