thanks for your feedback. Kirkpatrick’s training model is a very good starting point when designing and evaluating training, and as you point out – not all learning is immediate.

In fact, an often forgotten element in training design is what is known as “transfer of learning”. In short, it means that we need to also think of factors that facilitate the use of the new skills/knowledge acquired through training.

For instance, if you send someone for training on a particular software, yet once back there is no opportunity to use this software, there will be no transfer of learning – eventually the skills will be forgotten.

As I am quite passionate about this topic, I reckon I could go on for ever

Nice blog btw

This is a great overview of the Kirkpatrick model. I didn’t have too much exposure in graduate school (my field is industrial-organizational psychology), and this is a great resource.

What I like in particular is that it shows that the consequences of learning are not all immediate. There are the first levels – the reactions and the learning. Of course though most learning is done on the job, in applied settings. So the learning really only gets deeper as a person moves an idea from the meeting to their office.

The blog is great. Keep up the great work.

Greg Talbot
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