The Kirkpatrick Model is The Standard for Leveraging and Validating Talent Investments®. For more than seven decades, learning and performance professionals around the world have witnessed its effectiveness firsthand.
No matter what sector you’re in – government, military, corporate, consulting, humanitarian – we’re confident our time-tested method is here to elevate your work.
At Kirkpatrick Partners, our program evaluation plans cover a wide range of topics. Whether it’s onboarding, product and program launches, leadership dvelopment, sales enablement, non-profit impact work, or things like safety, security, and succession planning, we’ve got you covered.
The Kirkpatrick Model’s longevity and success is a testament to its flexible and elegant design.
The Kirkpatrick Model
The Kirkpatrick Model gives organizations a framework/reference to bucket data together to identify the impact a program or initiative has on an overall organization.
Level 4: Results
Level 4: Results measures the degree to which targeted organizational outcomes occur as a result of the initiative and subsequent support and accountability package
Whenever applying the Kirkpatrick Model, it is critical to start with Level 4: Results, and understanding the “Why” and the purpose of the program and how it will affect the organization.
At this level, you are evaluating the impact the program or initiative has made on the organization, and can be calculated in a variety of ways through various metrics including financially.
Many feel Level 4 is the most difficult level to measure, however that is a common misconception. When setting up your metrics for Level 4: Results, we recommend identifying leading indicators that will tell you if your program or initiative is making an impact. Most of your leading indicators are often times already tracked somewhere within the organization, and it is up to you to find where that data is stored and request to access the data to track in your own reports.
Level 3: Behavior
Level 3: Behavior measures the degree to which participants apply what they learned during the program or initiative when they are back in their environment.
It is not enough to learn something, or be informed of something, application of the learning must be applied when the participant is back in their environment. When measuring behavior, you are measuring how the learning is transferring back to the environment, and cannot begin at 90 days after learning. With too much time between learning and measurement, you risk losing the opportunity to adjust and get the program or initiative back on track towards the intended end goal/result.
At this level, the development and implementation of an accountability and support package that encourages the intended behavior is crucial to ensuring success. Accountability and support will look differet per program or initiative, but may look like manager check ins, observations, job aids, rewards for performance, etc.
Level 2: Learning
Level 2: Learning measures the degree to which partcipants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment based on their participation in the program or initaitive.
Traditionally, Level 2: Learning is measured using pre- and post- tests, however there are many ways to measure learning that are better suited for different content types including role plays, teachbacks, etc. At Level 2, two new areas that are measured are confidence and commitment. These two indicators are early predictors of what may occur when the participant is back in their environment.
Level 1: Reaction
Level 1: Reaction measures the degree to which participants find the program or initiative favorable, engaging and relevant to them. While Level 1 is not sufficient to tell you if behavior transfer will occur, you will have measurement on if there are any concerns or barriers that will affect transfer at this level. Most importantly at this level, is the measurment of relevancy. If a program or initaitive is put in front of a participant that is not relevant to them, application will most certainly not occur. This is not to say engagement and favorability is not useful, however relevancy is the measure that more accurately indicates if behavior application and transfer will occur.
One traditional downfall of measurement of Level 1: Reaction is waiting until the end of a program to do a post-event survey. Instead, we advocate for formative evaluation solutions including pulse checks during the launch of the program or initiative, to give you the ability to course correct in real time.
Chain of Evidence
With the data collected at each of the levels, it is now time to prepare your Chain of Evidence. This Chain of Evidence includes not just facts and figures, but also the stories and testimonies that when presented in sequence demonstrate the value obtained from your program or initative.
Kirkpatrick Model Education
At Kirkpatrick Partners, we are the only source of authentic and up-to-date education on the Kirkpatrick Model. The model began with Dr. Don Kirkpatrick in the 1950s, and has undergone evolutions since then by Dr. Jim Kirkpatrick and Wendy Kayser Kirkpatrick, and even most recently by Vanessa Milara Alzate. As new research and education is found in the areas of adult learning, neuroscience, transfer, evaluation and measurement occurs, we strive to ensure that the Kirkpatrick Model is updated to meet the needs of today.
We offer certification programs that allow you to learn the true model, the gold standard in assessing learning effectiveness, and gain a globally recognized certification that is often requested for job placements. Whether you are a seasoned professional or ust starting out in your journey, becoming Kirkpatrick certified equips you with the tools and knowledge to elevate your career and impact. Join a community of over 14,000 and growing committed to driving organizational success through evidence-based evaluation pratices.
We also offer private workshops and keynote speaking to spread the updated model, and importance of tying learning to performance, and partnership with your business stakeholders.
Become Kirkpatrick® Certified
We offer certification programs that allow you to learn the true model, the gold standard in assessing learning effectiveness, and gain a globally recognized certification that is often requested for job placements. Whether you are a seasoned professional or ust starting out in your journey, becoming Kirkpatrick certified equips you with the tools and knowledge to elevate your career and impact. Join a community of over 14,000 and growing committed to driving organizational success through evidence-based evaluation pratices.
Kirkpatrick Evaluation Toolkit
For those of you who just want the tools to get you going, access our toolkit that includes tools and templates to get you measuring each of the Kirkpatrick levels. The toolkit includes survey tools and rubrics developed with our own psychmetrician to get you started today.
Want More than the Toolkit but Not Sure about Certification? Access our Launchpad
The Kirkpatrick® Launchpad delivers a concise, practical overview of the Kirkpatrick Model's core principles, guiding participants to measure and enhane the impact of learning and performance programs on organizational results. It is the ideal program for beginners or those looking to refresh their foundational knowledge of the industry standard model for evaluation. This program is available on demand and live.
Access Our Free Webinars
If you are looking for more information and education on the Kirkpatrick Model, check out our past webinars.