Training Evaluation Project

Cochrane South Africa (SA) delivers training on conducting and using systematic reviews as part of its core activities. The Training Evaluation project aims to routinely collect descriptive information about the training we deliver, to evaluate the training delivered to assess its implementation and impact, and to assess the needs of past and future participants of training events. In this way we are able to continuously improve on the delivery and impact of our training.

The project is led by Solange Durao, the principal investigator and Tamara Kredo, co-principal investigator. The project was approved by the SAMRC Human Research Ethics Committee, valid from 28 April 2021.

  

The specific objectives of the training evaluation project and a brief explanation of each are described in the table below.

  Objective   Description  
1. To annually describe training offered at Cochrane SA.   Document review of all training delivered during each year.  
2. To determine the training needs of our target audiences.   Engagement with all stakeholders that signed up to be part of the Cochrane SA contact database through an anonymous online survey to identify their training needs.  
3. To evaluate all training offered at Cochrane SA in terms of general satisfaction with the training.   Evaluation form completed anonymously by participants who attend all Cochrane SA training events which assesses their reaction to the training in terms of whether they found the content of the training interesting, if the level of interactivity was appropriate, among others.  
4. To evaluate the impact of key training events, determined annually by the Training Working Group, based on the knowledge, attitudes, skills and practice of those who attended training.   This objective includes three different levels of evaluations, which will be applied only to selected training events delivered by Cochrane SA:

  • Evaluating the learning gained after a training event. An online quiz is completed before and after the training event, assesses the knowledge of participants regarding the course content.

  • To determine the extent to which the training offered has changed the behaviour of participants. This will be assessed through an anonymous online survey focusing on participant’s behavior regarding evidence-based practices such as formulating clear questions, searching for evidence, etc. The survey will be sent out before the training event and 3 months after its completion.

    • To assess the concrete use of knowledge gained through the training that impacts decisions and practice in the participant’s work. This will be assessed through qualitative interviews with all participants who attended the training event, either telephonically or via an online meeting platform. The interviews will gather information about whether the training led to the publication of reviews, whether and how the skills gained influenced the participants’ daily work, among others.

  
Access the Participant information sheet here