Evaluating Training with the Kirkpatrick Model
Training should be effective in supporting organization goals, but how should instructional designers and project managers measure the ROI of training programs? Don Kirkpatrick developed his four measurement levels to determine the effectiveness of training programs.
Results
In the project initiation and planning stages, the learning designer works backwards, beginning with the desired results in mind. In business, results are a combination of purpose and mission along with financial impact. For a non-profit, NGO, or government agency, results are accomplishing the mission while using resources responsibly. RESULTS: Maintaining world class customer service while providing profitable content and programs for subscribers.
Once results are determined, the planning team designs more specific objectives, sometimes called leading indicators, OKRs, and/or SMART goals. Though these have slight differences, they aim to create measurable indicators of the project’s success. Typically, these goals span departments and involve specific metrics such as employee retention, website traffic growth, or increased sales in a certain product category.
Behavior
The learning designer then considers what target behaviors the focus trainee group will perform in order to achieve results. Kirkpatrick recommends considering “drivers” as well. These are systems required to reinforce the desired behavior. For example, bonuses, pay for performance, job coaching, evaluations, and job aids provide the conditions necessary for results. Without these, some studies find that trainings reach full implementation only 15% of the time.
The Kirkpatrick Partners developed a revision of the original model, considering the growth of connectivity and globalization.
The New World Kirkpatrick Model focuses more on the behavior level, incorporating encouragement, monitoring, reinforcement, and reward on-the-job to support the training’s fresh understandings.
Learning
Kirkpatrick breaks down the process of learning into five steps. First, a learner must grasp the basic knowledge. Second, the learner must be able to apply the learning. Third, the learning must permeate to the point that the participant takes ownership, seeing the skills as worth applying consistently on the job. Fourth, through practice and application, the participant grows in confidence. Finally, the learner commits to the learning. Though it will take consistent effort, the participant will apply the learning.
Reaction
In the learning and development exchange, the trainer is the learning experience manager while the participants are the customer. How satisfied are the customers with their training? Do they see the training as relevant and engaging? Overall, is it a positive experience? In planning a learning experience, the instructional designer considers what barriers might exist to prevent the trainee from seeing the learning as relevant and engaging. How can we plan elements of a training to make it more relevant and more engaging?
Though Level 3–Behavior–is the most important level, the reaction is tracked at almost every training while the behavior is tracked only just over half of the time (ATD 2016).
Though just four steps, the Kirkpatrick Model provides a simple and effective framework for evaluating the impact of a training.
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2016). Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation. Association for Talent Development.