Program Evaluation Methodologies
The ultimate purpose
of evaluation is to determine program merit or worth (Fitzpatrick et
al., 2010). As it relates to a training
program in a manufacturing plant, determining its worth must relate to its
original design and framework stakeholders set out to establish, but also to
objectives that move past mere completion percentages and satisfactory
scoring. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2005)
emphasize the necessity to evaluate behaviors in Level 3, but more importantly
how those same behaviors equate to measureable and meaningful results, that of
Level 4’s.
The evaluation plan example listed above provides a
framework to measure a training program’s results, and not just mere behaviors.
References
Fitzpatrick, J., Sanders, J., & Worthen, B. (2010)
Program evaluation: Alternative approaches and practical guidelines (4th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson.
Kirkpatrick, D. L., & Kirkpatrick, J. D. (2005).
Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels (3rd Edition). Williston, VT,
USA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
