When a course moves to completed, it answers a useful question about an agreed learning activity. The person has met the conditions set for finishing it. To understand what that tells you about their development, you need to know what those conditions were.

Reading a resource, passing a knowledge check and demonstrating a practical skill provide different kinds of evidence. Keeping that distinction clear helps managers recognise the effort someone has made while deciding what support or follow-up would be useful.

Be clear about what completion records

Begin with the purpose of the learning. If the aim is to introduce a new internal process, an acknowledgement records the person’s confirmation that they have received or read the information. If the aim is to develop judgement, you will want to understand how they respond to a relevant situation.

Make the completion conditions visible before people start. Explain any assessment, the evidence needed and who will review it. A learner should be able to distinguish between having submitted work and having that work accepted, especially when the next step depends on a reviewer.

Look for understanding in context

Imagine a new supervisor completing a course on delegation. They answer the questions correctly and can describe how to set expectations. That is useful evidence of what they understood during the assessment. A later conversation can explore how they would approach a task with a particular colleague.

The manager might ask the supervisor to prepare a delegation brief for an upcoming piece of work. They could talk through the support the colleague needs and the points at which they should check progress. Any uncertainty becomes a focus for preparation.

This also creates space to ask what the learner already knew. If someone was capable before taking the course, a good result does not establish that the course produced that capability. If they are still unsure, ask which part of the task needs more explanation or practice.

Make the evidence proportionate

Choose evidence that matches the skill and the decision you need to make. A short explanation might be enough for a straightforward update. A practical task may need observation against clear criteria, particularly where an error would have serious consequences.

Avoid creating a large evidence exercise simply because the system allows one. Ask how the information will be used, who needs to see it and whether it can be gathered through normal work. Give people a clear explanation of what is sufficient so they do not feel obliged to document every small action.

When evidence needs improvement, make the feedback usable. Explain what was demonstrated and what still needs attention. Agree the next attempt or discussion, including any help required, so a review decision gives the learner a way forward.

Give learning somewhere to be used

The Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance on teacher development includes rehearsal, feedback and support for embedding practice. Although written for schools, it offers a useful prompt for employers to consider what happens after an initial learning activity. [1]

For the supervisor, that might mean a suitable delegation opportunity, time to prepare and a brief review afterwards. If they have not used the approach, first check whether the opportunity existed. A lack of visible application could reflect the work available or the support around them.

Keep the completion record and use it to inform the next conversation. Ask what the person tried, what they noticed and what would help next. Their answers can give you a more useful basis for supporting development than asking them to complete another course by default.

Source [1] Effective Professional Development — Education Endowment Foundation (2021-10-08)

Talk to Maps and Pathways about connecting learning records with useful development conversations.

Related insight: A different approach to professional growth