A good training evaluation form asks about the content, the trainer, the delivery, what the learner took away and how they rate the course overall, using mostly scaled questions plus a couple of open ones, and it takes about five minutes to complete. The 25 questions below do exactly that, with a suggested answer type for each, and you can use them as they are or trim them to suit your course.
This guide explains what a post-training evaluation is and where it fits in the Kirkpatrick model, when to send it, gives you the questions, and covers how to raise response rates and analyse what comes back. It ends with how to run it automatically in Continuum Learn using surveys.
Key Takeaways
- What is a training evaluation?
- What are the four levels of training evaluation?
- When should you send a course evaluation?
- What are the 25 questions to ask?
What is a training evaluation?
A training evaluation is a structured way of finding out whether training worked. A post-course evaluation form is the most common version: a short questionnaire given to learners straight after the training. It tells you what they thought of it, and gives you evidence for improving the course, reporting to a client or justifying the budget.
What are the four levels of training evaluation?
Most evaluation work uses the model published by Donald Kirkpatrick, which has four levels.
- Level 1, Reaction. Did learners find the training useful, relevant and well run?
- Level 2, Learning. What did they learn? This is measured with tests, quizzes or assessments.
- Level 3, Behaviour. Are they applying it at work? This needs follow-up, weeks or months later.
- Level 4, Results. Has it made a difference to organisational goals, such as quality, safety or sales?
The form in this post is a Level 1 tool. It also includes a few self-reported Level 2 questions (confidence and what the learner will do differently), but these show how learners feel about their learning, not whether they have the skill. For that, use a quiz or assessment, and for Levels 3 and 4 plan a separate follow-up.
When should you send a course evaluation?
As close to the end of the training as possible. For a live session, build five minutes into the agenda. For an online course, show it when the learner completes. Reaction fades fast, and a form sent three days later is answered by fewer people with hazier memories.
Send a second, shorter follow-up four to eight weeks later if you want to know whether anything changed at work. That is a Level 3 question, such as "Have you used what you learned? What got in the way?"
What are the 25 questions to ask?
Unless stated otherwise, the "1–5 scale" means 1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree. Use the same scale throughout so people do not have to relearn it on each question.
Content and relevance
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The learning objectives were clear at the start. | 1–5 scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) |
| 2 | The content matched what was advertised. | 1–5 scale |
| 3 | The content was relevant to my job. | 1–5 scale |
| 4 | The level was right for me (not too basic, not too advanced). | Too basic / About right / Too advanced |
| 5 | The examples and case studies were realistic. | 1–5 scale |
| 6 | The amount of content fitted the time available. | Too little / About right / Too much |
Trainer or presenter
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | The trainer or presenter knew the subject well. | 1–5 scale |
| 8 | The trainer explained things clearly. | 1–5 scale |
| 9 | The trainer encouraged questions and discussion. | 1–5 scale |
| 10 | The trainer kept to time. | Yes / No |
Delivery and materials
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | The format (in person, live online or self-paced) suited me. | 1–5 scale |
| 12 | The course materials were easy to follow. | 1–5 scale |
| 13 | The technology or venue worked without problems. | 1–5 scale |
| 14 | There was enough time for activities and practice. | 1–5 scale |
| 15 | I knew what to do if I needed help. | Yes / No |
Learning and confidence
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | I learned something new. | 1–5 scale |
| 17 | I feel more confident about this topic than before. | 1–5 scale |
| 18 | I can name at least one thing I will do differently. | Yes / No, then free text |
| 19 | I expect to use what I learned within the next month. | 1–5 scale |
| 20 | I know where to find more help or resources. | Yes / No |
Overall and recommendation
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Overall, how would you rate this course? | 1–5 scale (poor to excellent) |
| 22 | How likely are you to recommend this course to a colleague? | 0–10 scale |
| 23 | Was the course a good use of your time? | 1–5 scale |
Question 22 is the "net promoter" style question. Report it as the spread of answers, and avoid averaging it on its own with the others.
Open questions
| # | Question | Answer type |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | What was the most useful part of the course? | Free text |
| 25 | What one thing would you change? | Free text |
Download the template. A Word version of all 25 questions, with tick boxes and scales, is ready to print or adapt.
How do you get more people to complete a training evaluation?
- Keep it short. 25 questions is a ceiling, not a target. Most courses are better served by 10 to 15 of them, chosen to answer questions you will actually act on.
- Ask at the end, in the moment. Give time in a live session, or show it on completion online.
- Make it mobile-friendly. Many people will answer on a phone.
- Say what happens next. A line such as "we read every response and last quarter’s feedback changed X" shows it is worth the effort.
- Put required questions first. Make only the rating questions required and leave the open ones optional.
- Do not hide it. A link buried in a follow-up email will be missed. Placing the form inside the course is more effective.
What is a good response rate for a training evaluation?
There is no universal figure, and anyone who quotes one is guessing. Response rates depend on whether the form is part of the course, how long it is, and how engaged the audience was. A realistic aim is to hear from most of the people who finish, and to know who is not answering: if only those who loved the course reply, the average will flatter you.
When responses are low, resist the urge to read much into them. Look at the process first (timing, length, where the form sits) and fix that before trying to interpret the scores.
How do you analyse the results?
- Look at the spread, not just the average. A 4.0 made up of 5s and 3s is not the same as one made up of all 4s.
- Compare like with like. Compare sessions of the same course, the same trainer across cohorts, or the same question over time.
- Read the open answers. Group them into themes (for example pace, examples, venue) and count them. Three people saying the same thing is a pattern.
- Pick one or two changes. Decide what you will change before the next session and tell learners next time. That is how response rates improve.
- Do not treat Level 1 as proof of learning. A well-liked course can still teach little. Pair the form with a quiz.
How can you run the evaluation automatically in Continuum Learn?
Continuum Learn has surveys built in. The details below come from our surveys help guide; see also LMS with surveys.
- Build the form once. Under Create > Surveys, add questions of these kinds: Choice, Text, Rating (a 5 or 10 point scale, as stars or numbers), Likert (a grid of statements on a 3, 5 or 7-point scale) and NPS (0–10). Each can be marked Required, and the Preview button shows what learners will see.
- Ask it when the course finishes. In the course’s Access settings, Completion feedback can be set to a specific survey, instead of the default basic star rating and comment.
- Or put it in a lesson. The Survey block can sit in any lesson, and can be required for the lesson to count as complete.
- Or share a link. Each saved survey has a learner link, handy for a live session. Learners need to be signed in to your Continuum site to answer.
- See the results. Filter by source and by course, view charts for choice, rating, Likert and NPS questions, read text answers in full and download everything as a CSV. Results also appear in the course’s reporting.
Two things to know. Responses are linked to the learner who gave them, so they are not anonymous; say so in the survey description if that might affect answers. And surveys do not run inside a SCORM export, where the block shows a note that the survey is available in the online version.
To map the template onto it: use Likert for the agreement statements, Rating for the overall score, NPS for the recommend question, Choice for the yes/no and too-much/too-little questions, and Text for the open ones.
Conclusion
A training evaluation form is worth doing only if somebody reads it and something changes as a result. Start with a short version of the questions above, send it while the course is fresh, look at the spread of answers and fix one thing before the next session. Add a follow-up later if you need to learn whether the training changed behaviour.
If you would rather not chase forms by hand, see how surveys work in Continuum Learn.
Frequently asked questions
What should be included in a training evaluation form?
Cover five things: how relevant the content was, how well the trainer or presenter delivered it, how the format and materials worked, what the learner took away and how confident they feel, and an overall rating. Add a recommend question and a couple of open questions at the end. Keep it short enough to finish in about five minutes.
What are the 4 levels of training evaluation?
The Kirkpatrick model has four levels: Reaction (did learners find it useful and engaging), Learning (what they learned), Behaviour (whether they apply it at work) and Results (the effect on the organisation’s goals). A post-course form measures Level 1, with some Level 2 self-assessment.
When should you send a course evaluation?
Send it as soon as the training ends, ideally in the last few minutes of a live session or straight after the learner completes an online course, while it is still fresh. For Levels 3 and 4 you need a separate follow-up some weeks later.
How do you get more people to complete a training evaluation?
Make it short, ask for it at the end of the course rather than days later, make clear that answers are read and acted on, and make it easy to open on a phone. Placing it inside the course itself usually works better than sending a separate email.
What is a good response rate for a training evaluation?
There is no single number that applies to every course, because it depends on the audience and on whether the form is part of the course. A fair aim is to capture most of the people who finish. If few respond, treat the results cautiously and fix the process before you rely on them.
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