We ask learners for feedback, but how often does it help us decide what to do next? In this Learning Horizons episode, Zsolt Olah explores how AI opens up new possibilities for evaluation, and what it takes to trust the results. Discover practical ways to strengthen your approach, spot barriers to applying learning earlier, and bring useful evidence into stakeholder conversations, even if data analysis isn’t your comfort zone.
Key learnings of Test Before You Ask: Using AI to Rethink Learning Evaluation
How can you test your evaluation approach with AI before asking real learners?
How can AI help distinguish a recurring issue from one strongly worded comment?
What can learning feedback tell you about barriers to application before they become bigger problems?
What data skills and judgement do you need to check whether AI’s analysis deserves your trust?
How can you shape evaluation around the decisions your stakeholders need to make?
Express review
Save time and focus on the discussion elements which are essential for you:
1. Welcome and the conversation’s focus: Gaëlle introduces Zsolt Olah and frames the discussion around how AI is changing L&D and how teams can measure impact. (00:00)
2. Why AI is pushing L&D to change: Leadership demands, pressure to produce faster and cheaper, and technology providers reaching stakeholders directly are converging to challenge L&D’s traditional role. (02:25)
3. Redefining L&D’s value: L&D should prioritize work that supports business outcomes, say no to requests that do not need training, and use AI to improve how people work—not simply to create more content. (05:29)
4. Using AI to analyze learner feedback: AI can summarize large volumes of open-text feedback quickly, while carefully designed guidance can help distinguish isolated comments from recurring signals and trends. (09:53)
5. Putting survey feedback in context: Combining comments with course information and other metrics can help teams interpret feedback and identify potential issues proactively, while recognizing that survey data reflects perception. (15:00)
6. Testing surveys with synthetic data: Teams can use AI-generated responses to check whether survey questions reveal intended patterns, then calibrate the approach and validate it with real responses. (19:23)
7. Starting with stakeholder questions: L&D should first understand the business problems and decisions stakeholders care about, then identify how learning or broader organizational changes might help. (25:04)
8. Building data literacy and telling the story: Learning professionals should question and iterate on AI outputs, understand the limits of the data, and communicate insights clearly to stakeholders. (29:00)
Tools and resources
Articles:
In the following two articles “2026 Learning Predictions: Where Are We?”, Zsolt look at the skills and competence LnD professionals needs to start developing to be able to carry on supporting the business through the monumental shift AI is triggering in the business affecting processes and systems and consequently the approach to develop and support employees through the changes:
Part 1: https://elearningindustry.com/2026-learning-predictions-where-are-we
Part 2: http://elearningindustry.com/learning-predictions-where-are-we
Books:
Thinking about surveys and evaluation in LnD, Will Thalheimer is an absolutely must read as he really opens the potential of what could be done and how instead of what is currently happening: Performance-Focused Smile Sheets: A Radical Rethinking of a Dangerous Art Form by Will Thalheimer
More about learning experience :
Engage the WORL&D!: A whimsical, brain-picking “meme-oir” from a creative digital learning strategist.
Game Thinking: From Content to Actions (TD at Work (formerly Infoline))
About Zsolt Olah, guest speaker of Test Before You Ask: Using AI to Rethink Learning Evaluation
Zsolt Olah is a Senior HR Data Measurement Analyst at Intel supporting L&D and talent enablement teams to make data-driven decisions. He’s also a member of the AI@Work Influencers at Intel.
Previously, he worked at Amazon and other tech companies. He’s a published author and a frequent conference speaker.
Contact Zsolt
To watch more episode visit https://syncskills.net/learning-horizons-series/
Available episodes:
Episode 1: Making Learning Material Truly Accessible
Episode 3: How to measure Learning Impact
Episode 4: How to use videos for collaboration, creativity and performance enabler
Episode 5: Driving Learning Impact Through Accountability
Episode 7: Unmuting Emotions for Better Collaboration in Hybrid Teams
Episode 8: The Art of Meaningful Communication in the Digital Workplace
Episode 9: Psychological Safety in Remote Teams: From Silence to Trust
Episode 10: Learning Communities: The Art of Personalised Learning
Episode 11: Beyond L&D: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Business
Episode 12: Is AI the Missing Link Between Business Performance and Skills Development?
Episode 13: From Tool to Infrastructure: AI and the Future of Workforce Development
Episode 14: From AI Experiments to AI Infrastructure: What L&D Leaders Need to Build Next
Episode 15: Personalised Feedback at Scale: AI’s Real Superpower
Episode 16: Trust Before Tech: What It Really Takes to Drive AI Adoption
Episode 17: Keeping Up with AI: The One Critical Skill Leaders Need
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Contact SyncSkills
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- hello@syncskills.net
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