Effectiveness of professional training offered in distance education: theoretical validation of an instrument

Abstract

The aim of this study was to validate an instrument for evaluating the effectiveness of professional training offered in distance education courses in terms of theoretical procedures. In order to achieve this, the Delphi technique was used for obtaining a consensus of the experts’ opinion about the construct through a series of structured questionnaires. It took two rounds of query to the specialists; 13 experts participated in the first round and nine in the second round of the application of the Delphi technique. After that, 17 items related to the development of skills, attitudes and motivation as a result of the professional training course offered in distance education, were considered valid to evaluate the effectiveness of professional training. The presentation of theoretical evidences about the validity of the measure of effectiveness of the professional training offered in the context of the distance education modality is relevant, because it can foment discussion, reflection and advance in the scientific knowledge related to the thematic, as well as provide indicatives for the improvement of the policies of provision of professional training courses.

Effectiveness; Professional Training; Distance Education; Evaluation Tool