Kirkpatrick training evaluation model was first introduced by Donald L Kirkpatrick, Professor Emeritus, University Of Wisconsin. He first published his ideas in 1959, in a series of articles in the Journal of American Society of Training Directors. The articles were subsequently included in Kirkpatrick's book Evaluating Training Programs
Donald Kirkpatrick was president of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) in 1975. Kirkpatrick has written several other significant books about training and evaluation, more recently with his similarly inclined son James, and has consulted with some of the world's largest corporations.
Donald Kirkpatrick's 1994 book Evaluating Training Programs defined his originally published ideas of 1959, thereby further increasing awareness of them, so that his theory has now become arguably the most widely used and popular model for the evaluation of training and learning. Kirkpatrick's four-level model is now considered an industry standard across the HR and training communities.
Donald Kirkpatrick has developed a very popular evaluation model that has been used since the late 1950s by the training community. The focus is on measuring four kinds of outcomes that should result from a highly effective training program.
Kirkpatrick’s model includes four levels or steps of outcome evaluation:
The four levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model essentially measure:
1. Reaction of student - What they thought and felt about the training
2. Learning - The resulting increase in knowledge or capability
3. Behaviour - Extent of behaviour and capability improvement and implementation/application
4. Results - The effects on the business or environment resulting from the trainee's performance
LEVEL
EVALUATION TYPE
EVALUATION
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLES OF EVALUATION TOOLS
RELEVANCE AND PRACTICALITY
1
REACTION
HOW THE DELEGATES FEEL ABOUT THE TRAINING
-HAPPY SHEETS
-FEEDBACK FORM