What are the benefits and challenges of using Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation?

The subjectivity of this level is, I think, prohibitively problematic. First, there is the opportunity for the trainer to game the results. If you want robust learning, there may be discomfort that you have to put your learners through (think of it like bitter medicine). You will get decent scores at this level. Want great scores at this level? Serve pizza and play videos. That’s in addition to the bias potentially introduced in how survey questions are asked. Secondly, though, there is the simply issue of people not knowing themselves well enough to give meaningful answers. Will a trainee report that they’ve learned, or just that they felt like they’ve learned?

Reaction, or satisfaction scores are good for customers buying products, but we have learners trying to grow personally and professionally. Data on this level says nothing on its own. It is only good to raise red flags; if people are really disengaged you want to know it.

Working with teens and young adults, I suggest that the three external factors noted above are the least of our challenges- the degree of teen apathy and angst is unprecedented, as just one example. The most successful recent program I know of, Forbidden Topics, taught last summer at the University of Austin , garnered an approval rate of 99 percent by the students. The design dealt with current controversial topics by have civil, brilliant presenters on both sides of controversies and civil discussions afterwards.

Surveys are great if the questions are effective. Standard ones like 'did the learning deliver what you expected it to?' and 'what or how will you change how you do your job after this training?' are good to determine trends in how effective or useful the intervention was compared to the intent.

“Everyone likes to be important but it’s important to be liked” A workshop with a pathetic level 1 score (feedback)will very rarely give you a level 4 outcome (results) Many disregard level 1 as happy sheets. Seasoned Facilitators have an eye to capture reaction in every moment of a workshop and tweak the program design real-time I believe that any workshop is just the tip of an iceberg. The reaction gives a good insight into the kind of impact the workshop had and has it generated curiosity that will last much longer than the program itself.

As a general rule, it is important to ensure completion of pre and post tests which requires great execution, especially when delivery of education is remote. Let’s not forget that a pre-assessment is mainly done to gather meta-cognition level and the post-assessment measures transfer and retention (to a certain extent). One way to really measure learning with this practice would be to shift the wording of the pre-assessment questions with those in the post-assessment set. This does not mean to change them at all. It must be the same test, only a rewording of statements. This will ensure accurate retention measurement and not mere memorization.

This is where the use of criteria based rubrics, use of quantitative and qualitative data, and student choice ( autonomy) plays a role. Having these characteristics will help build a true picture of the students level of understanding.

In K-12 education, we spend most of our time and focus on trying to understand what students learned in their class. But, this is so inward looking, that without also evaluating the real life impact of students ultimate behavior after they leave the school (Level 3) and what results they have in their life from their learning (Level 4), we are not able to really be sure that our measurements of learning in the class is valid.

It's imperative to evaluate learning throughout the entire learning process. Implementing pre and post assessments are important to understand how much learning is gained. However, also including knowledge checks, simulations or some sort of demonstration of learning throughout the learning activities will give insight on how effective learning retention is. This also ensures learners put into practice what they learned immediately. This is ideal for soft skills or learning a new process.

When it comes to Kirkpatrick's second level, Learning, you want to make sure you're measuring the right things. One way to do this is by designing your curriculum using rubrics that clearly define the competencies and skills you want your learners to acquire. Rubrics are like a roadmap for learning. They break down complex skills into specific, observable behaviors that learners can demonstrate at certain levels, for example, Below-Basic, Basic, Above-Basic. Using rubrics also makes it easier to measure learning through various assessment tools like quizzes, assignments, tests, or practical activities. You can align your assessments directly with the competencies outlined in your rubric, ensuring that you're measuring what matters!

In my experience, this level can be tricky. When we have to rely on self-reporting of behavior much can be lost, overlooked or inflated. Conversely, when folks are observed for evaluation of behavior, lack of evaluator clarity- or calibration amongst evaluators- can lead to the same; key indicators of lost, overlooked, or inflated.

The behavior needs to be quantified to be measured on the job in specific, measurable, and observable components. Too often we fail to define the desired behavior at a level to be measured or trained effectively. Building in measurement and follow-up in the procedure can help drive behavior change look for opportunities to build this into a procedure that already exists.

Follow-up surveys or workplace observations are critical in providing accurate and useable metrics on the effectiveness of the training that was delivered. Workers will only really show genuine changes in KSA once their new skills become their daily norm. So allowing a soak period of at least 3 months is important and this stage of evaluation must not be missed just because the training has finished and it is easy to draw a line under it earlier.

The hardest part here is getting participants to acknowledge and complete the follow-up survey. I’d love some recommendations for success that aren’t punitive.

In business, this level is to see how the student behaves at their job after their class, but we don't usually do this in K-12 or higher education. This lack of measurement causes a major gap in knowing how we are doing as educators. There are reasons why we don't measure this: While in a business, there can be an evaluation of this from the manager, this isn't something that can usually be done after a student leaves school. But, there are 2 ways we can measure this in K-12/higher education: 1. We can see how students behave in a higher class in their current school. 2. We can ask for self-evaluations on a regular basis after they leave. These both have limitations, but would be better to measure, than not measuring at all.

The difficult part about this level is isolating the effects of the learning program. To do this right you need to collect historical data. If this is not available, you will have to rely on people's estimates, for example "What percentage of this productivity increase do you estimate is attributed to the training?". And that's as far as you can get sometimes: Estimates.

I agree with the challenges mentioned above. In many cases I have seen design teams on to the next project. A good evaluation plan requires partnership well beyond the implementation phase.

As someone involved in designing instruction, I understand the significance of Level 4 evaluation in gauging the extensive effects of training. However, it's important to note that its practicality and direct relevance to all training endeavors might be limited due to the diverse array of internal and external factors influencing business results. While training certainly aids in employee growth, the overall impact on a company's expansion often emerges from a complex interaction involving market trends, leadership, technological advancements, and various organizational strategies.

Level 4 of Kirkpatrick model is not that it cannot be achieved it's adherence of level 1 to level 3 but the most is the clarity of the business results, what you want to achieve as a department and how this goal will impact the organization. Aligning the training objectives with the business outcomes and the KPI, Data metrics which define the health of the program effectiveness, Training metrics, using the data to monetary value to determine the cost effectiveness and mapping to the results.

This is the most vital measurement, yet in K-12, the least measured. How can we know if our education systems are truly effective if we don't measure the results of the education in the real world. For example: * Did the education help students to earn more in their lifetime? * Did it help them to be better parents? * Did it help them to make better choices in their lives? While there are many confounding variables beyond just education, that will affect these answers, there are also statistical methods that can help isolate them. And without measuring these, can we really know how well we are doing?

Kirkpatrick is not the only evaluation model out there, and it's also driven by the assumption that training is event-driven, and not ongoing. I would urge readers to explore other evaluation models and frameworks that are more agile.

Often times I combine levels one and two in my eLearning content development. I do this by adding a knowledge check, then ending with a survey link with three questions to gain the participant’s feedback. I make the survey mandatory to gain completion.

Have you ever been in a project long enough to get to Kirkpatrick’s Fourth level of evaluation, Reaction? The fast pace of modern development & technology causes you to start over from the beginning before you can reach level four. Opinions?

Begin with the end in mind! Make Level 4 Results (Return on Expectations) the foundation of your program. It gives shape to the instructional design, it is what defines the assessments and if the core of the program is driven by results the reaction to the program will be overwhelming! I remember this beautiful example I often quote on the Kirk Patrick model . Did you like the car driving sessions ? (Reaction) but did you then pass the driving test ? (Learning) and now are you driving to work regularly ? (Behaviour) and finally you are not dependent on anyone for driving (Results)

There is another level that Kirkpatrick doesn't include, but I hope it is not one we ever endeavor to measure commonly. That is the physiology of the learning, in the neural changes to the brain. This may seem science fiction, but brain scanners combined with AI now can determine a lot more of this than ever before... But, even thinking about this possibility has a very dystopian feel.