Your Chief Virtual Learning Architect

Learning to Performance

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Custom Design & Delivery

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Predictive Evaluation

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Enterprise Learning Strategy

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Dave Basarab Consulting has elevated the training experience, offering an end-to-end comprehensive approach that includes training strategy, instructional design, development, delivery , post program training transfer, and evaluation (via the unique Predictive Evaluation methodology). Virtual Chief Architect Dave Basarab has combined all of these individual training elements with his user-friendly, comprehensive Learning to Performance approach, which significantly increases companies' training ROI.

Why we are different

Innovation: Our primary focus is creating learning programs using a Learning to Performance approach.
Expertise: Dave offers the depth and breadth of his experience, including working internally at prestigious companies (Motorola, Ingersoll Rand and Pitney Bowes) as well as his knowledge and expertise as a highly-respected, sought-after consultant.
Partnership: Basarab collaborates with companies, serving as their own Chief Learning Officer whenever they need to plan, strategize, or implement training initiatives.

Training Services

Enterprise Learning Strategy

Enterprise Learning Strategy

At Dave Basarab Consulting, we're experts in creating Enterprise Learning Plans. We work with you to develop your company's learning strategy and direction.

Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom training is an effective way of developing the capability required to execute your strategy. We are a custom design house that creates programs specific to your business.

Learning Burst Development

Learning Burst Development

We can create and deliver your courses via our unique Learning Burst Method - keeping your employees at their jobs while receiving world-class training.

Predictive Evaluation

Predictive Evaluation

We predict the ROI for your courses and establish success gates. We then evaluate the course against the success gates to show value realized and continually improve results.

Leadership Development

Leadership Development

Turn-key virtual custom leadership development program that combines world-class leadership speakers/educators with post-event personalized coaching to provide you with a cadre of highly skilled leaders.

Predictive Evaluation

How to Use Pre-Assessments to Customise Individual Learning Paths

A pre-assessment gives organisations a clear starting point before training begins. It identifies what each employee already knows, where confidence is low, and which capabilities need the most attention. Used well, it replaces a uniform course experience with a learning path that reflects real performance needs.

The process is especially useful in Australian workplaces, where teams may be spread across Sydney, Melbourne, regional hubs and remote sites. A single programme can include office-based employees, field technicians, FIFO workers and people joining from home. Their roles, access to technology and previous experience can vary considerably.

Pre-assessments should be short, relevant and psychologically safe. They are diagnostic tools, not hidden performance reviews. Employees need to understand that the purpose is to focus their development, avoid unnecessary content and provide appropriate support.

For learning leaders, the value extends beyond personalisation. Assessment data can inform capability planning, improve course design and help connect training activity with business outcomes. This makes the learning investment easier to evaluate and refine.

Establish A Useful Starting Point

Begin with the capabilities that matter to the role and the organisation. A sales programme might assess discovery conversations, product knowledge and objection handling. A frontline leadership pathway could examine coaching, rostering decisions, feedback and workplace safety responsibilities.

Use several forms of evidence rather than relying on a single quiz. A short knowledge check can reveal factual gaps, while a confidence rating shows perceived ability. Scenario questions, manager observations, work samples and self-reflection can add practical context.

The results should lead to decisions. For example, an employee who demonstrates strong knowledge but low confidence may need practice and feedback. Someone with high confidence and weak application may need closer coaching. A learning culture that survives leadership changes also requires consistent processes for interpreting and acting on this information.

Design Diagnostic Checks That Employees Trust

A strong pre-assessment is closely related to the learning objectives, written in plain English and easy to complete on a mobile device. Avoid obscure questions that test reading style rather than job capability. Keep the experience brief enough for busy teams, including employees working across different time zones or on operational rosters.

Include items that reveal readiness, motivation and context, such as:

Essential knowledge required before the programme starts
Confidence in applying the skill at work
Common situations where the employee needs support
Previous training, qualifications or relevant experience
Access to tools, systems, coaching and practice opportunities

Explain how the information will be used before employees begin. In Australia, this is particularly important when assessment data may be viewed by managers or stored in a learning platform. Clear communication supports privacy, fairness and participation.

Convert Results Into Individual Learning Paths

Set practical rules for what happens after assessment. Employees who show mastery might skip introductory modules and complete an application challenge. Those with partial capability could follow the core pathway with targeted learning bursts. New starters may need foundational content, guided practice and closer support.

Personalisation does not mean creating a separate course for every person. It can involve sequencing, optional modules, different examples, additional practice or varied assessment methods. A construction supervisor in Perth may need examples related to site coordination, while a team leader in Melbourne may require more emphasis on hybrid performance conversations.

Give learners a simple explanation of their recommended route. A results summary can show demonstrated strengths, priority capabilities, required activities and the evidence they will produce. Managers should receive enough information to support development without turning the process into a ranking exercise.

Support Different Australian Work Contexts

Local conditions should shape both the assessment and the learning path. A programme designed for a national organisation may need scenarios that reflect state-based safety expectations, customer differences between metropolitan and regional markets, and the practical realities of remote work. Technology access can be uneven for employees on mine sites, in healthcare settings or travelling between locations.

Consider language, accessibility, cultural context and roster patterns. A learning path that assumes everyone can attend a live session at 10 am on a weekday will exclude many operational employees. Offer asynchronous activities, downloadable resources and short mobile-friendly checks where appropriate.

Managers also need guidance. They can validate whether assessment results match observed performance, create opportunities for practice and discuss progress during regular one-to-ones. This turns individual pathways into workplace development rather than a digital content exercise.

Measure Adoption, Application And Value

Track what learners do after the pre-assessment, not just whether they complete modules. Useful indicators include pathway progression, assessment improvement, participation in practice activities, manager observations and application of skills on the job.

Predictive Evaluation can help connect these signals with business measures. Predictive Evaluation dashboards give learning teams a way to monitor adoption, impact and emerging risks rather than waiting for an annual review.

Assessment signal	Likely interpretation	Useful response
High knowledge, low confidence	Understanding exists but practice is limited	Add coaching, rehearsal and feedback
Low knowledge, high confidence	Risk of overestimating capability	Use demonstrations and manager observation
Low knowledge, low confidence	Foundational support is needed	Assign core content and guided practice
High knowledge, high confidence	Learner may be ready to accelerate	Offer advanced application tasks
Mixed results across a team	Capability needs vary by role or experience	Create segmented pathways

Review the results at cohort level as well. If many employees struggle with the same skill, the issue may be unclear processes, inadequate tools or a design gap in the programme. The pre-assessment then becomes a source of organisational insight, not just an individual filter.

Keep The Path Visible And Accountable

Learners are more likely to engage when they can see why a module has been assigned and how it relates to their role. Use plain-language milestones such as “prepare,” “practise,” “apply” and “demonstrate.” Each stage should include an observable outcome and a reasonable timeframe.

Reassess at meaningful points rather than repeatedly testing for its own sake. A follow-up check can show whether knowledge has improved, while workplace evidence confirms whether behaviour has changed. Managers can reinforce the path through coaching conversations and recognition of applied skills.

The most effective pre-assessments are modest in length but strong in purpose. They reveal the starting point, guide relevant choices and produce evidence that learning is making a difference. What readers should remember is simple: assess before teaching, personalise around capability, and measure whether learning becomes performance.

Learning to Performance

Learning to Performance, a complete training approach, gives companies world-class training to drive significant return. This approach includes upfront work (Impact Mapping, design), training (for staff and company executives), and post-training efforts to ensure training transfer. This unique recipe - the key for successful training and adoption - is changing the way companies implement training. This methodology could work with any content for organizations in any industry.