See What the Training Industry Has Said About Don Kirkpatrick (Part 1)

Since Don Kirkpatrick’s passing in May 2014, many of our friends and colleagues in the training industry have honored his memory with pieces about his contribution to the field and personal stories about his character. We would like to share some of these articles and memories with the entire Kirkpatrick Community. 


Read on to help us honor the memory of the “father of training evaluation.”


ATD (formerly ASTD) reminisced on having grown up with Don over the past 60 years, and opened their platform up for others to comment on how Don had influenced their own work and careers.

Training Journal published a touching piece complete with representative photos, discussing Don’s work and its relation to the industry as a whole, as well as what made him tick in his personal life.

This article by Learning Solutions Magazine quotes a handful of leaders in the learning and development community sharing how they remember Don.

Laura Rexford from Skillsoft shared an amusing story of the numerous lessons she learned from Don Kirkpatrick due to a case of mistaken identity as a novice in the training industry.

Don’s passing caught the attention of the World News Network, who referred to his contribution as the “seminal blueprint for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs.”

Also summarizing Don’s contributions to the field, CLO provided a helpful overview of the four levels, Don’s focus on starting with Level 4, and the need to set expectations for training.

These are just some of the many outpourings shared by members of the training and development community. See Part 2 to read additional articles and blog posts about Don.


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Additional Resources

Don Kirkpatrick Commemorative Package

The Kirkpatrick Four Levels® CD Set