Donald Kirkpatrick

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Donald "Don" L. Kirkpatrick (March 15, 1924 - May 9, 2014 ) was an American economist and professor at the University of Wisconsin .

Life

Donald L. Kirkpatrick established himself predominantly at the Department of Management at the University of Wisconsin during his professional career. He served as the national president of the American Society for Training & Development ( ASTD ) in 1975 .

In the 1950s, Kirkpatrick conducted research as part of his dissertation on the subject of the evaluation of educational processes and summarized the results of his work under the title "Evaluating a Human Relations Training Program for Supervisors".

From November 1959 to February 1960 he published a series of articles in the "Journal of the American Society of Training Directors" and developed a model in it, as a derivative of his studies for the dissertation, which probably represents the origin of modern education controlling. Thus the legendary 4 levels of evaluation were born.

With his book "Evaluating Training Programs", published in 1975, Don Kirkpatrick gained worldwide recognition and advanced to become a recognized expert in the evaluation of educational processes.

The survey instruments he has developed are designed to collect extensive information about the effects in the various phases of educational work and to evaluate it in a meaningful way. It is primarily a matter of calculating correlations that enable the performance indicators to be transparent. For this purpose, the respective measures in the educational process are provided with corresponding key figures, both quantitative and qualitative. a. aims to provide a business management view of the investments.

Kirkpatrick's four-level model

The four-level model is an evaluation model that specifically deals with the product of a teaching / learning activity. It is assumed that each successive evaluation level is based on the information provided by the lower level. In a complete evaluation process, these four levels are run through one after the other. In the formative evaluation, however, one often only concentrates on levels 1 and 2, because meaningful information can be obtained here after a relatively short period of use of the learning materials. Evaluations at levels 3 and 4 are usually only useful in connection with a summative evaluation, since information about learning transfer and results at the higher level can only be obtained when products have been implemented in the field. From level 1 to 4, the evaluation process becomes increasingly difficult and time-consuming. At the same time, evaluation at higher levels often provides more meaningful information for assessing the success of an educational measure. It is recommended to include all levels in the evaluation to get a complete picture of the success.

1. Reaction (acceptance, satisfaction with use, usefulness) How do the learners react to the training measure?

2. Learning (learning success, subjective, objective) Have the knowledge and skills of the learners improved?

3. Behavior (learning transfer, quantity, quality) Has behavior in the workplace changed / improved?

4. Results (efficiency: operational indicators) What results does the measure achieve for the company as a whole?

A central point of criticism of this model is that no causal relationship between the four levels could be demonstrated. Based on the four-level model, new models evolved, with a greater focus on monetary benefits.

literature

  • Donald L. Kirkpatrick, James D. Kirkpatrick: Evaluating Training Programs - The four Levels. 3rd edition. 2006, ISBN 1-57675-348-4 .
  • Jack J. Phillips, Patricia Pulliam Phillips, Ron Drew Stone, Holly Burkett: The ROI Fieldbook - Strategies for Implementing ROI in HR and Training. 2007, ISBN 978-0-7506-7622-9 .
  • Herbert J. Kellner: Value of Investment - New Evaluation Methods for Personnel Development and Education Controlling. 2006, ISBN 3-89749-634-8 .
  • GM Allinger, EA Janak: Kirkpatrick's Levels of Training Criteria. Thirty years later. In: Personnel Psychology. 42, 1989, pp. 331-342.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ kirkpatrick four level model of evaluation (English)
  2. ↑ Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model (English) accessed June 29, 2011.
  3. ↑ Success control - What matters is what comes out at the back, accessed on June 29, 2011.
  4. ^ GM Allinger, EA Janak: Kirkpatrick's Levels of Training Criteria. Thirty years later. In: Personnel Psychology. Volume 42, 1989, pp. 331-342.
  5. ^ Jack J. Phillips: Measuring return on investment. Volume 2, American Society for Training and Development, 1997, ISBN 1-56286-065-8 .
personal data
SURNAME Kirkpatrick, Donald
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kirkpatrick, Donald L .; Kirkpatrick, Don L. (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American economist and professor at the University of Wisconsin
DATE OF BIRTH March 15, 1924
DATE OF DEATH May 9, 2014