What Is a Learning Evaluation?

Learning evaluation is a process by which someone can determine how well another person has successfully learned a certain piece of information or skill. This can be done in a number of different ways, and usually seeks to ensure that such evaluation is impartial and reliable as an indicator of real gain. There are also forms of internal evaluation, in which a student is able to gauge overall awareness and absorption of new material. Learning evaluation is a vital part of the education process, as it allows an educator to fully understand exactly how well others have benefited from lessons.

External forms of learning evaluation are, perhaps, the most simple since they often take the form of testing administered by an educator or someone else. The learning process often begins with pre-testing, in which a student is evaluated to determine the information he or she may already have. Learning then occurs through a variety of methods, primarily intended as a system in which a person with knowledge and skill teaches that information to someone else. After this process is complete, then learning evaluation is typically used to ensure that the exchange has occurred and that a student has successfully retained what was learned.

Internal forms of learning evaluation are also fairly common, though they tend to happen invisibly and do not take such a structured form. As a person learns new information, he might determine on his own whether the skills and knowledge being taught have created new meaning for him or her. One who is learning to use a computer program, for example, might check to be sure that he remembers what was taught previously before starting a new lesson. Studying for a test and reviewing material presented in a classroom can both rely on internal learning evaluation.

While learning evaluation is often associated with testing, this type of rigidly structured examination is not the only way that it can be performed. One can, for example, simply observe another person performing an action in order to determine whether the information and skills taught to him or her have been processed and are now being utilized. This may be difficult, however, as it often relies upon objective judgments based on direct observation. Testing is typically a preferred method of learning evaluation because it provides educators with a single standard by which all students are gauged. Differences in individual students, however, create flaws within this type of system, and a method in which both observation and testing are used is often the best form of evaluation.