Level 1: Reaction

At the first level, Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model focuses on the audience’s emotional response to the training. In other words, this level shows the degree of understanding, acceptance, and the overall mindset of learners. The easiest way to measure this is to ask several questions either immediately after the session or within several hours of its end. Usually, the questions refer to the quality and impact of the training, its relevancy, and its advantages for those who plan to go through it or already have. The discussion may be formal if it is based on a questionnaire, or informal if a leader simply asks the learners about their impressions.

Level 1 Evaluation serves several purposes:

• Quality Assessment: It helps training organizers understand what aspects of the training were well-received and which need improvement.
• Engagement and Relevance: Feedback indicates if participants were engaged and if the content resonated with their needs and expectations.
• Justification: It justifies the training investment by demonstrating participant satisfaction and perceived value.

Level 2: Learning

The second level of Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation Model gauges how much participants have learned from the training – specifically, new knowledge, skills, and attitudes attributable to having been trained. Unlike Level 1, this level assesses practical aspects of learning. One way to evaluate this is with the help of pre and post-training assessments that will give you a measure of knowledge gained and skill development. An evaluation of this type focuses on comparing the proficiency or performance level already possessed by participants before training with what they have learned due to that program.

Key objectives of Level 2 evaluation include:

• Knowledge Transfer: Determining the effectiveness of the training in imparting new information and skills.
• Skill Application: Assessing the practical application of learning in real-world scenarios.
• Content Effectiveness: Identifying areas where the training content may need adjustment to enhance learning outcomes.

Level 3: Behavior

Evaluate how much the participants apply what they have learned in their jobs. This higher level goes beyond mere knowledge transfer and now involves changing the behaviors and application of new skills on the job. You check if the training has impacted positively, the behavior of participants or follow up on their practices and job performance.

Facets of Level 3 evaluation:

• Behavior Change: Tracking what observable changes, if any occur in how participants go about handling tasks and challenges.
• Impact on Job Performance: Relating outcomes and performance metrics to learn.
• Solutions for Implementation Challenges: Strategies that target barriers to applying newly learned skills.

Level 4: Results

The last tier of Kirkpatrick’s model measures the impact of training programs on full organizational goals. It means the calculation of visible outcomes and ROI resulting from an investment in training. It could be seen in better productivity, the development of faster methods for delivering a service or product to customers, budget savings in the form of reduced time spent on developing training materials and courses with no platform mentoring associated costs, reduction of costliest errors made by an employee providing them insights into what many successful professionals have learned during their careers; more outputs being produced resulting directly from this structured coaching approach while retaining your best talents -any business metric influenced through training.

Level 4 evaluation involves:

• Return on Investment (ROI) Calculation – Inclusive of quantifying the financial (or operational for that matter) benefits achieved through a new technical infrastructure implementation.
• Outcomes – long-term: recognizing improvements and benefits that were sustained over time.
• Transparency: Forming a connection between training initiatives and organizations’ key performance indicators.