Assessment

Facilitator evaluation

After the workshop, the facilitator should think about how they felt the workshop went, asking questions such as:

  • What went particularly well and why did it go well?
     
  • Was it a “safe” learning environment?
     
  • Did all participants seem comfortable?
     
  • Were all the participants’ aims and objectives addressed?
     
  • Was the timing of each session appropriate?
     
  • Did everyone have an opportunity to participate and contribute their ideas?
     
  • Were there any unanswered questions?
     
  • Is any follow-up needed?
     
  • Did the facilitator balance the speaking time between him- or herself and the participants? This mirrors the relationship between the clinician and the client - if the clinician is talking all the time, something is wrong. 
     
  • Was there anything that could be changed/improved for next time?

These questions may also be given to participants in a small survey after the workshop.

Learner evaluation

At the end of the workshop, participants should be encouraged to evaluate what they have learned during the day.

A good way of conducting the evaluation is to return to the list of aims and objectives defined by the participants at the beginning of the workshop to determine if these have all been properly addressed.

By revisiting the aims, it is also possible to remind participants of how each goal was addressed and to answer any final questions. If anything has not been addressed, there may be time to do so before the end of the workshop.

If the workshop is part of a series of university workshops on communication skills, Time and Talk can be used as the basis for an assessment process. For example, the examinations (along the lines of medical Objective Structured Clinical Examinations or OSCEs) might be focused around scenarios that demonstrate empathy or breaking bad news and students can be marked according to the Competency Skills List.  

This can be done in conjunction with particular tasks from the appointment content list, e.g., seeing a client for the first time at direct referral or fitting a hearing aid.