Re: CRM testing

Anthony Sasso (Anthony.Sasso_at_nwa.com)
Mon, 28 Jul 1997 09:17:07 -0700


CRMDEEN_at_aol.com wrote:
>
> Hello and good Monday, ya'll
> We are beginning the process to update our program and I'd like
> experience with testing in CRM classes. Some have said that throughout their
> training programs the students must pass a "CRM test". Is that simply a test
> of academic language, or an actual performance/behavior test?
> If I have students take a written examination on the terminology and
> definitions presented in a course of instruction, am I only testing recall?
> Isn't the real test to see if actual usage of the CRM techniques described
> by the terminology will occur after training?
> Is it enough to test for memory recall? Does that "validate" the
> training?
>
> Thanks for the ideas that you'll send.
>
> Greg Deen
> HTI

Greg: I'm not sure this will answer your question, but here's what
happens at NWA. Our new-hire pilots go through 2 weeks of basic
indoctrination when they first get to NWA. At the end of each week they
are administered a "quiz". The CRM class Guy Smith and I facilitate is
on the 4th day of the first week, and therefore there are some "CRM"
questions on the quiz. The questions change occasionally, but usually
the CRM questions deal with NWA's 4 words of CRM (Authority,
Participation, Assertiveness, Respect) or the essential "T's" of a
briefing (Tone, Team, Trust, Time, Turbulence, Troubles, Two-Way). At
the end of our class, we tell the students that we don't really care if
they can remember 4 of this, or 6 of that, for the quiz, but rather we
hope that they learned enough from the class to pass the "Real" CRM
test. We don't know when the "Real" CRM test will be given - we don't
schedule it! It is our goal that they will someday pass their CRM Test
with "flying colors." :) As far as remembering the concepts more, I'm
not sure if that is the right solution. In fact, when one of our
new-hires was asked what the 4 words of CRM were, he answered "Crew
Resource Management." And yet we continue...

Tony Sasso
Senior CRM Specialist
Northwest Airlines