The Kirkpatrick model: evaluating training and education

What is the Kirkpatrick model?

The Kirkpatrick model, developed by Donald L. Kirkpatrick, is a widely used model for evaluating training and education in organizations. The model consists of four levels of evaluation, each measuring a different aspect of training impact.

Level 1: Responses

This first level focuses on participants' reactions to the training. It revolves around questions such as: "How did participants respond to the training?" and "Did they find it useful and interesting?" This level measures participant satisfaction and engagement.

Example: Post-training evaluation forms.

Level 2: Learning

This level evaluates the extent to which participants actually learned something during the training. This is measured through pre- and post-tests or other learning measures. The goal is to determine what knowledge, skills and attitudes the participants have acquired.

Examples: Learner self-perception, written evaluations, quiz or do questions.

Level 3: Behavior

This level examines whether there are changes in participants' workplace behavior as a result of the training. The question is whether the participants actually apply the new knowledge and skills in their daily work.

Examples: 360° feedback, observation using a structured observation checklist, webcam test.

Level 4: Results.

The highest level of evaluation focuses on the organizational results resulting from the training. These range from improved productivity and quality to cost savings and customer satisfaction. The goal is to determine whether the training actually adds value to the organization.

Examples: Productivity data, customer satisfaction data, employee satisfaction data, absenteeism, attrition, retention, turnover. This is often the most difficult evaluation to measure because other factors affect organizational outcomes as well.

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Why the Kirkpatrick model?

The Kirkpatrick model provides a structured way to assess the effectiveness of training and development at multiple levels. It helps organizations understand how investments in training translate into measurable results. This model is often supplemented with additional evaluation methods to provide a more complete picture of the impact of training. The higher the level in the pyramid, the more complex the measurement.

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Practical Application of the Kirkpatrick Model

Training and learning programs often place too much emphasis on the learning experience and too little on actual behavior change. Usually there is only an evaluation about the trainer just after the training, known as the "happy sheets. Here are some suggestions for moving forward:

1. Results measurement

• Establish what outcome you want to measure, when you will measure that outcome and how you will measure it.

2. Didactic evaluation

• Look critically at the didactics used by the trainers: are there repeat quizzes or do they integrate real-life case studies in a structured way?

3. Leadership Pathways

• At the end of a leadership program, have executives do a leadership pitch in which they state what they want to do for the organization as an executive and how the organization will notice it within six months.

4. Customer Focus

• For a large client, a supermarket chain, Obelisk's trainers developed a learning program on customer orientation. In order to properly chart individual progress, before and after the training they worked with an observer who used a checklist to identify specific behaviors.

5 Critical questions for your organization

1. Do you go beyond happy sheets?

• In your organization, do you go beyond distributing and analyzing happy sheets?

2. What effect do you want to achieve?

• Do you know what effect you want from your learning intervention? Do you know how you will measure it and how you will know there is a difference before and after the training?

3. Are you starting pilot programs?

• Have you already started a pilot project around measuring learning?

4. Cost effectiveness

• Are you conducting a cost-effectiveness exercise when organizing a training initiative? Evaluating a training program according to Kirkpatrick can help with this.

5. Pre- and post-measurement of KPIs.

• Do you dare to get started with a before-and-after measurement of your KPIs?

By applying the Kirkpatrick model, organizations can better understand and improve the effectiveness of their training, ultimately leading to higher ROI and more impactful learning and development programs.

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More Information

Want to learn more about how the Kirkpatrick model can strengthen your L&D strategy? Get in touch with Obelisk