Understanding the Levels of Evaluation in the Kirkpatrick Model for Employee Training

The effectiveness of the training provided to your team needs to be evaluated. This is important to do so that you can understand the role of employees and the positive impact that the company can have.

The evaluation levels in the Kirkpatrick model can help you to evaluate. You can use it to objectively analyze the impact of training. This can be evaluated through four levels according to the groupings of the Kirkpatrick model.

What is the Kirkpatrick Model?

The Kirkpatrick Model is an internationally recognized tool for evaluating and analyzing the results of education, training and learning programs. There are four levels of evaluation made, namely reaction, learning, behavior, and results.

Donald Kirkpatrick, former Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, first published his model in 1959. Kirkpatrick updated it in 1975, and again in 1993 when he published his most famous work, Evaluating Training Programs.

Donald and son, James; and then by James and his wife, Wendy Kayser Kirkpatrick redeveloped the model in 2016. James and Wendy revised and clarified the original theory, and introduced the New World Kirkpatrick Model in their book, Four Levels of Training Evaluation.

One of the main additions is the emphasis on the importance of making training relevant to people's everyday work.

Kirkpatrick Evaluation Stage

Each successive level in Kirkpatrick's evaluation model represents a more precise measure of a training program's effectiveness. This model is something that can be used to evaluate current training programs with the following stages.

1. Reaction

The first level criterion is reaction to measure how interesting, liked and relevant the training is to the job. This level is most often assessed via post-training surveys derived from students' assessments of their experiences.

An important component of this level 1 analysis is the focus on participants and sources. If a facilitator is fixated on training outcomes such as content or learning environment, this is normal. However, Kirkpatrick's model encourages survey questions that concentrate on participants' conclusions.

2. Learning

The second level measures each employee's learning based on acquired knowledge, skills, attitudes, self-confidence, and commitment to the desired training.

In this stage, evaluation can be carried out through formal and informal methods. Apart from that, evaluation also needs to be carried out through assessments before and after learning to identify accuracy and understanding.

Assessment methods include exams or interviews and must be determined in advance to reduce inconsistencies.

3. Behavior

This stage is important to understand the impact of employee training in changing their daily behavior. The hope is that employees will demonstrate the application of the material obtained through training and while carrying out their work.

The results of this assessment will not only show employee understanding, but also analyze the suitability of implementing the training at the work site.

When looking at workplace behavior, other issues often come to light. If someone doesn't change their behavior after training, it doesn't mean the training failed. There may be conditions that need to change before they adopt the new behavior.

The most effective time period for implementing this level is 3-6 months after training is completed. For the evaluation process, use observations and interviews to assess changes in behavior.

4. Results

The final level focuses on achieving the targeted results of the training program, as well as the support and accountability of the company's employees.

For each company and training program, these results will be different. However, you can track it from key performance indicators (KPI). Examples of common KPIs are increased sales, reduced claims, or a higher return on investment.

Before starting this process, you must know exactly what you will measure. Also share this information with all participants and use a control group if possible.

Don't rush the final evaluation as you must give participants enough time to apply the new skills effectively. You can also ask for feedback from employees along with observations for maximum effectiveness.

For senior employees, annual evaluations and a consistent focus on key business targets are critical to accurate evaluation of training program results.

At all levels in the Kirkpatrick model, you can see the results clearly and measure the areas of impact. This analysis gives organizations the ability to adjust learning paths when necessary.

As the end result, the training program is expected to be able to help better business goals. You can also design appropriate training for employees through an Assessment Program. Recognize employees' potential and find the right self-development for them in making changes to business and organizational strategies efficiently.