Kirkpatrick's 4 Levels of Evaluation

Level 1: Reactions

This level of evaluation attempts to answer questions regarding the students' perceptions--Did they like it? Was the material relevant to their work? This type of evaluation is also called the "smile sheet." Every program should be evaluated at this level to provide input for improvement of the course. Typically, this will be the evaluation that TMS automatically sends to students after they have taken a course.

Level 2: Learning

Evaluation at this level moves the evaluation beyond learner satisfaction and attempts to assess the extent students have advanced in skills, knowledge, or attitude. Methods range from formal to informal testing to team assessment and self-assessment. This would be the equivalent of a pre-course assessment and a post-course assessment.

Level 3: Transfer

This level measures the transfer that has occurred in the learners' behavior due to the training program. Evaluating at this level attempts to answer the question—Are the newly acquired skills, knowledge, or attitude being used in the every day environment of the learner? For many trainers, this level represents the truest assessment of a program's effectiveness. This would entail several evaluations given at different times.

Level 4: Results

This level attempts to assess training in terms of business results. This level measures production, improved quality, decreased costs, reduced frequency of accidents, etc. From a business perspective, this is the overall reason for the a training program, yet level four results are not typically addressed. Determining results in financial terms is difficult to measure, and is hard to link directly with training.

• Send post-training surveys.
• Offer ongoing, sequenced training and coaching over a period of time.
• Conduct follow-up needs assessment.
• Check metrics (e.g., scrap, rework, errors, etc.) to measure if participants achieved training objectives.
• Interview trainees and their managers, or their customer groups.

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