While working on his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Wisconsin in 1954, Don Kirkpatrick unexpectedly and unintentionally created the industry standard for training evaluation.

According to the CLOmedia.com article, The Kirkpatrick Model: Past, Present and Future, in Don Kirkpatrick’s dissertation, he focused on four simple words—reaction, learning, behavior and results—to describe how training would lead to learning, which would then transcend into on-the-job application and thus desired results. The four levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model essentially measure:

• Level 1: Reaction of student - what they thought and felt about the training

• Level 2: Learning - the resulting increase in knowledge or capability

• Level 3: Behavior - extent of behavior and capability improvement and implementation/application

• Level 4: Results - the effects on the business or environment resulting from the trainee's performance

In 1959, Don Kirkpatrick was approached to write an article for the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Journal. He accepted but actually wrote four articles, and unbeknownst to him, the Kirkpatrick Four Levels were born. In those articles, he did not use or reference any levels or refer to his work as a model. At that time, he had no idea the impact those articles would have on the world of corporate learning and development

In the 1960s, academic circles drew upon these articles, focusing primary on Levels 1 and 2. By the 1970s, acceptance and utilization of the Kirkpatrick Model had drawn worldwide awareness and it was being used as the standard for training evaluation. The article states, “Throughout the 1980s, many organizations developed Level 1 and Level 2 methods and tools and Kirkpatrick began collecting case studies of these practices, believing them to be an important way to educate and encourage others.” Despite new technology and innovation during that time period, organizations still focused heavily on measuring only the first two levels.

Continued Development of the Kirkpatrick Model

Then in 1993, at a friend’s suggestion, Kirkpatrick published Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels, which featured the case studies he had been collecting through the years. During this time, Kirkpatrick’s son, Jim, was using the Kirkpatrick Model with his consulting clients as a framework for identifying career goals and the path to achieve them. In 2005, the father and son team co-wrote Transferring Learning to Behavior, which put more emphasis on Level 3 behavior. “This transfer of learning to behavior continues to be one of the biggest goals and challenges of many training organizations.”

By 2006, this co-authored book was in its third edition and was expanded to include the application of all four levels beyond just training programs to include areas such as management and organizational change. “The new edition placed an emphasis on Level 4 results, making the case that the best way to use the model is to start with Level 4 results and work backward so that training efforts are focused on the desired business results, providing support for the necessary behaviors to achieve them.”

Within this third edition, the Kirkpatricks introduced a chain of evidence that provides a “framework for learning professionals to create and present evidence to business executives showing how business partnership efforts impact the bottom line.” The concept’s purpose is to show that the intended results must be taken into consideration before training starts, and measurements and their methods should be determined from the beginning.

The Golden Anniversary

After fifty years, the focus of the Kirkpatrick Model shifts from current state to the future state in the next 50 years. The evolution of the model has been a slow process as many learning professionals are not at ease with the thought that their job goes beyond the delivery of training programs. Jim Kirkpatrick and his wife, Wendy, dedicated a book to this scenario, Training on Trial, which introduces learning professionals with the process to redefine their roles and to, “extend their expertise, influence, impact and value beyond the classroom and into the business.”

A majority of learning professionals is guilty of demonstrating training program value through attendance, Level 1 reaction data and Level 2 testing scores. This perpetuates the myth that the learning event alone will bring Level 4 intended results. Luckily, there are a handful of learning leaders who are demonstrating real value by not beginning at Level 1, but instead, they “spend time with business leaders before training elements are developed to discuss and negotiate what they expect and what success will look like.” Next, these learning leaders determine what the measurement indicators will be to determine Level 4 results, thus creating parameters for return on expectations.

This process makes all invested parties more accountable and creates the environment for a business partnership model, leading to effective execution of Level 3 and maximizing goal achievement at Level 4. Once learning professionals communicate what the critical Level 3 behaviors are to reach intended results, they can start to develop training programs (Level 1 and 2) that will encourage learning and application of those behaviors.

Recently, the recognition of drivers has been seen in the evolution of the Kirkpatrick Model. “Drivers, also known as reinforcers or enablers, are the processes and systems that reinforce actions, monitor procedures and encourage or reward performance of critical behaviors on the job.” Successful execution is achieved when drivers are paired with Level 3 behaviors. Without this partnership, only about 15 percent of what is learned is applied, thus limiting its value.

Other Variants

Other variations of the model have evolved to present a chain of evidence to corporate partners to show the power of business partnerships between trainers, line managers, and business executives. The model can also be applied to learning products and services by providing methodology and tools to demonstrate the results that can be expected by clients. Regardless of its application, the Kirkpatrick Model will continue to evolve and the learning industry will adapt it to be a current resource.