A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH FOR EVALUATING LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS WITH RESPECT TO DIFFERENT PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH A TRAINING PROGRAM

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a five-day Project Management training program by establishing a relationship between the first (reaction) and second (learning) levels of the Kirkpatrick model of Evaluation of Training Results.

Design/Methodology/Approach:The study was conducted with 21 participants who attended the training program, which consisted of six different topics delivered by six faculty members. Pre and Post examinations were conducted for all sessions, and learning indices were calculated for each participant with respect to all faculty members. Factors affecting learning were identified based on participant feedback, and three factors i.e. Faculty Feedback Rating (FFR), Topic Difficulty Factor (TDF), and Optimal Session Time Factor (OSTF) were selected for evaluation. The relationship between the learning index (dependent variable) and the identified factor (independent variables) was established using multivariate linear regression.

Findings:The study demonstrated the effectiveness of using multivariate linear regression to establish a mathematical relationship between the learning index (associated with the second level of Kirkpatricks model) and the independent variables (FFR, TDF, and OSTF) associated with the first level of Kirkpatricks model. It was found that FFR, TDF, and OSTF significantly affected relative learning with respect to each session delivered by faculty members.

Research Limitations/Implications:The current research was conducted on a single training programme on a particular subject. More studies conducted with similar approach on other types of programmes on topics of different subjects/duration can be helpful in establishing the validity of approach. In this study, some identified factors from first (reaction) level of Kirkpatrick model were not considered applicable such as course design, background and experience of participants and environment/facilities. Training programmes conducted in different settings with heterogenous group of participants can be useful in studying the impact of these factor. 

Originality/Value:The idea of quantifying learning effectiveness by relating it to factors identified from first (reaction) level of Kirkpatrick model is a unique and original approach adopted in this study. Moreover, this study contributes to the field by providing a methodological approach to evaluate training effectiveness by linking the reaction and learning levels of the Kirkpatrick model using mathematical and statistical tools.