Measuring Training Effectiveness Through Kirk’s Model Essay

If you stage didactics for your team or your organization, then you probably know how most-valuable it is to circular its lastingness. After each(prenominal), you wearyt neediness to spend term or money on reproduction that doesnt earmark a great return. This is where Kirkpatricks Four-Level development paygrade Model can help you objectively consider the effectiveness and impact of your training, so that you can improve it in the afterlife. In this article, well look at to each(prenominal) one of the Kirkpatrick intravenous feeding levels, and well examine how you can apply the model to evaluate training. Well alike look at few of the situations where the model may not be subroutineful.The Four LevelsDonald Kirkpatrick, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin and past chairwoman of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), first published his Four-Level Training Evaluation Model in 1959, in the US Training and Development Journal. The m odel was then updated in 1975, and again in 1994, when he published his best-known work, Evaluating Training Programs.The four levels areReaction.Learning. style.Results.Lets look at each level in greater detail.Level 1 ReactionThis level vizors how your trainees (the people being trained), reacted to the training. Obviously, you want them to feel that the training was a valuable experience, and you want them to feel good or so the instructor, the topic, the material, its presentation, and the venue. Its important to measure reaction, because it helps you understand how well the training was received by your audience. It also helps you improve the training for future trainees, including identifying important areas or topics that are missing from the training.Level 2 LearningAt level 2, you measure what your trainees have learned. How much has their knowledge increased as a result of the training? When you planned the training session, you hopefully started with a list of specific learning objectives these should be the starting point for your measurement. Keep in mind that you can measure learning in different ship canal depending on these objectives, and depending on whether youre interested in changes to knowledge, skills, or attitude. Its important to measure this, because knowing what your trainees are learning and what they arent will help you improve future training.Level 3 BehaviorAt this level, you evaluate how far your trainees have changed their port, based on the training they received. Specifically, this looks at how trainees apply the information. Its important to realize that behavior can hardly change if conditions are favorable. For instance, imagine youve skipped measurement at the first two Kirkpatrick levels and, when feeling at your groups behavior, you determine that no behavior change has taken place. Therefore, you assume that your trainees harbort learned anything and that the training was ineffective. However, just because behav ior hasnt changed, it doesnt mean that trainees havent learned anything. Perhaps their boss wont let them apply new knowledge. Or, maybe theyve learned everything you taught, but they have no desire to apply the knowledge themselves.Level 4 ResultsAt this level, you crumple the final results of your training. This includes outcomes that you or your organization have determined to be good for business, good for the employees, or good for the bottom line.How to Apply the ModelLevel 1 ReactionStart by identifying how youll measure reaction. select addressing these questions Did the trainees feel that the training was worth their time? Did they think that it was successful?What were the biggest strengths of the training, and the biggest weaknesses? Did they like the venue and presentation style?Did the training session accommodate their personal learning styles? Next, identify how you want to measure these reactions. To do this youll typically useemployee satisfaction surveys or ques tionnaires however you can also watch trainees body language during the training, and get literalfeedback by asking trainees directly about their experience. Once youve gathered this information, look at it carefully. Then, think about what changes you could make, based on your trainees feedback and suggestions.Level 2 LearningTo measure learning, start by identifying what you want to evaluate. (These things could be changes in knowledge, skills, or attitudes.) Its often helpful to measure these areas both originally and after training. So, before training commences, test your trainees to determine their knowledge, skill levels, and attitudes. Once training is finished, test your trainees a second time to measure what they have learned, or measure learning with interviews or verbal assessments.Level 3 BehaviorIt can be challenging to measure behavior effectively. This is a longer-term activity that should take place weeks or months after the initial training. Consider these questi onsDid the trainees put any of their learning to use?Are trainees able to see their new knowledge, skills, or attitudes to other people? Are trainees aware that theyve changed their behavior?One of the best ways to measure behavior is to conduct observations and interviews oer time. Also, keep in mind that behavior will only change if conditions are favorable. For instance, effective learning could have taken place in the training session. But, if the boilersuit organizational culture isnt set up for any behavior changes, the trainees might not be able to apply what theyve learned. Alternatively, trainees might not receive support, recognition, or reward for their behavior change from their boss. So, over time, they disregard the skills or knowledge that they have learned, and go back to their old behaviors.Level 4 ResultsOf all the levels, measuring the final results of the training is likely to be the most costly and time consuming. The biggest challenges are identifying which ou tcomes, benefits, or final results are most closely linked to the training, and coming up with an effective way to measure these outcomes over the long term. Here are some outcomes to consider, depending on the objectives of your trainingIncreased employee retention.Increased production.higher(prenominal) morale.Reduced waste.Increased sales.Higher quality ratings.Increased customer satisfaction.Fewer staff complaints.ConsiderationsAlthough Kirkpatricks Four-Level Training Evaluation Model is popular and widely used, there are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account when using the model. One issue is that it can be time-consuming and expensive to use levels 3 or 4 of the model, so its not practical for all organizations and situations. This is especially the typesetters case for organizations that dont have a dedicated training or human resource department, or for one-off training sessions or programs. In a similar way, it can be expensive and resource intensi ve to wire up an organization to collect data with the sole purpose of evaluating training at levels 3 and 4. (Whether or not this is practical depends on the systems already in place within the organization.)The model also assumes that each levels importance is greater than the last level, and that all levels are linked. For instance, it implies that Reaction is less(prenominal) important, ultimately, than Results, and that reactions must be positive for learning to take place. In practice, this may not be the case. most(prenominal) importantly, organizations change in many ways, and behaviors and results change depending on these, as well as on training. For example, measured improvements in areas like retention and productivity could result from the arrival of a new boss or from a new computer system, rather than from training. Kirkpatricks model is great for trying to evaluate training in a scientific way, however, so many variables can be changing in fast-changing organizatio ns that outline at level 4 can be limited in usefulness.Key PointsThe Kirkpatrick Four-Level Training Evaluation Model helps trainers to measure the effectiveness of their training in an objective way. The model was originally created by Donald Kirkpatrick in 1959, and has since gone through several updates and revisions. The Four-Levels are as followsReaction.Learning.Behavior.Results.By going through and analyzing each of these four levels, you can gain a thorough understanding of how effective your training was, and how you can improve in the future. Bear in mind that the model isnt practical in all situations, and that measuring the effectiveness of training with the model can be time-consuming and use a lot of resources.