Kirkpatrick's 4 Levels of Evaluation

One of the most cited approaches to summative evaluation in Instructional Design is Kirkpatrick's 4 Levels of Evaluation. (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

What are the 4 levels?

• Reactions
• Learning
• Transfer
• Results

Reactions - attempts to provide data on how participants reacted to the training. Kirkpatrick indicates that all training programs should at least include this minimum level of evaluation in order to provide data that will help improve the training. (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

Reactions (cont.) - attempts to answer:

• Did the participants enjoy the training?
• Was the training relevant to the participants?

Learning - conducted to determine whether participants' skills, knowledge, or attitudes changed as a result of the training. (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

Learning (cont.) - Measuring learning:

• Provides valuable information regarding the effectiveness of the instructor and content of the training
• It is critical to perform a pretest and a post-test in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the training (Orey, 2014)

Transfer - attempts to answer the question of whether the newly acquired skills, knowledge, or attitudes are being used by participants in their real-world environments. (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

Transfer (cont.) - attempts to answer

• Have participants transferred what they learned in the training into their everyday environments? (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

Results - attempts to evaluate a training program's effectiveness in business measures, such as increased sales, improved product quality, fewer on-the-job accidents, etc. (Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D., 2016).

Results (cont.) - attempts to answer

• How much did productivity increase because of the training?
• What tangible benefits have we received for all the money we spent on training? (Orey, 2014).

References

• Brown, A.H. and Green, T.D. (2016). The essentials of instructional design: connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. (3rd ed.). New York, New York: Routledge.
• Orey, M. (2014, September 8). Kirkpatrick's 4 levels of evaluation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NhbKAzT2Q