Kirkpatrick model: How to use it in your training business

Continuous evaluation is key to improving your course offer. One way of ensuring that you are offering the highest quality of course to your participants, is through the Kirkpatrick model. The Kirkpatrick model of evaluation is a tool that measures the effectiveness of a training programme. In this article, you’ll get insight into how to use the Kirkpatrick model to your best advantage. 

What is the Kirkpatrick model? 

The Kirkpatrick model is a method that you use to evaluate how effective a training programme has been for a participant. It is also known as Kirkpatrick Theory. 

It was published for the first time in 1959 by Donald Kirkpatrick, former Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. According to the official Kirkpatrick website, it is a flexible evaluation model that is applicable to any course offer, meaning that as a training provider or course creator you can use it to measure learning outcomes and your results. 

Why should I care about the Kirkpatrick evaluation model?

As a course provider, you can use the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate the success and quality of the courses and training programs you provide. If you implement it correctly, it is a structured way of getting feedback from your participants. You gain actionable information that will help you improve your course offer and improve your participant satisfaction. 

You use the evaluation model to analyze the impact of your course offer objectively, utilizing the data you gather from participants, and process together with your team. By doing this, you always have a framework to reference when you gather data and measure the impact of your course catalogue. 

The Kirkpatrick evaluation model explained

The four levels of the evaluation model 

• Reaction: Measures whether the learning find the training engaging and relevant
• Learning: Measures success based on whether the learner has acquired the intended knowledge or skill
  
• Behaviour: Measures whether the learner was truly impacted by the course and learning program 
• Results: Measures direct results of the course, associated with your own KPIs

This is how you evaluate the learner in each Kirkpatrick level 

Level 1: Reaction 

In the first level of evaluation, you want to find out whether the participants find the course engaging and relevant to them. You can measure concerns that they have or any barriers to learning that might impact them in the course. This is a good insight that you can apply when you are evaluating the learning outcome in level 3 and 4 of the Kirkpatrick model. 

• What to measure? Engagement, relevance, and satisfaction 
• Method: Survey 

Common questions 

• How engaging was the course material? 
• What is the main takeaway from the course? 
• Was your instructor helpful? 

Interested in more common questions to ask? Get an overview of the 117 best questions to ask your course participants 

Level 2: Learning

In this level, you should do both pre-learning and post-learning assessments, that way you can evaluate the situation based on some concrete data. Before starting the evaluation, you should however define the process of evaluation. This is a way of reducing inconsistencies. There are formal and informal methods of how to measure the knowledge, skills, and confidence the participant has acquired, but the most used format is an interview-style evaluation. 

• What to measure? Knowledge, skills, attitude, and confidence 
• Method: Exams or interview-style evaluations 

Level 3: Behaviour 

You are measuring the degree to which the participants apply what they have learned in your course. In other words, how well they are transforming the acquired skills and knowledge into behaviour change. You are using the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate how easy it is for them to apply what they have learned from you. It is critical that not too much time passes between learning and measurement, because you risk losing the chance to implement any changes to your course.  

• What to measure? Monitor, reinforce, and encourage 
• Method: Assessing behaviour changes 

Level 4: Results

In level 4, you are evaluating the impact the program has had on the organisation. In practice, you are measuring whether the results line up with the desired outcomes or targeted goals that you set up before the course was launched or organised. Thus, the learning outcome is measured against the organisation’s business outcomes. These are Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that were established before the course was launched.

• What to measure? Initiative outcomes – organisational outcomes 
• Method: KPIs 

Examples of KPIs 

• Higher Return of Investment (ROI) 
• More sales
• Improved job satisfaction 

The use areas for you as a course provider 

The Kirkpatrick model is a great tool for referencing and ensuring that your goals are aligned with the actual learning outcomes and satisfaction levels of your participants. Evaluation is key to any course programme, as it is the only way for you as a course provider to improve your course offer and hone in on the truly important aspects of your course catalogue. Through analysing data, you have a clear and true understanding of what these important factors are. 

The data show what impact your training has had on business results, in addition to learning outcomes. When you are analysing your data, you get a better understanding of the training results, and it allows you to identify where there is a disconnect between your course offer and participants’ expectations. Not to mention that it can be a great proof of concept when you are discussing further investments from clients or persuading new participants to join. 

When you have a clearer overview of the results, you can more easily readjust and correct the courses, whether that be the course content, format, or tools. This is all to say that we urge you to create actionable measurement plans for you to define goals, measure results, and identify areas of improvement. 

Take advantage of the FrontCore TMS

As mentioned, the Kirkpatrick model is great for evaluating training programmes and courses. But before you can get to this step, you need to ensure that you have an overview of every instructor and participant, the course calendar, and the administrative tasks associated with course organization. For all of this, you should use a training management system, which is a one-stop-shop for course administration and training management.  

Try the TMS for free

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