You’ve probably seen the measuring training by hours approach at some point. Training must start at 8:30a and end at 4:30p. If you’re done at 4:00p, well…the facilitator needs to keep talking until 4:30p. Because training is measured by hours. Participants aren’t held accountable for the content. They’re held accountable for the number of hours they spent in training.

It’s possible to comfortably deliver training, not compromise the content, and finish a few minutes early. You know how that happens? Questions. When participants are engaged with the content and they are asking questions, the time just seems to go faster. And you finish earlier. And participants understand the content. Which is what you’re striving for all along – participants who retain the material.

if you’re trying to measure training effectiveness and outcomes, one of the most widely known models is Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Training Evaluation. In a nutshell, the model outlines four levels of training evaluation:

• Level 1 (Reaction) – the degree to which participants enjoyed the training.
• Level 2 (Learning) – the extent participants acquired the knowledge or skills conveyed in training.
• Level 3 (Behavior) – this measures the degree participants apply what they learned in training.
• Level 4 (Results) – this measures the outcomes that occur because of the training.

There is a relationship between the levels. As the level of difficulty to calculate the measurement increases, the value of the measurement increases. Some might infer that, because a Level 1 measurement is the easiest to calculate, it is the least valuable (of the four.) However, we all know that Level 1 evaluations do provide value, if constructed properly. On the other hand, a Level 4 evaluation is the most valuable, but it’s also very difficult to calculate.

The important thing isn’t to always measure training effectiveness at a Level 4. The important thing is to measure training. And not to measure it by hours. Even if your only measurement is a Level 1, you have a sense of how participants enjoyed the session. Simply understanding that someone spent a full-day in training doesn’t tell you how they viewed the program.

Summing-up: Organizations make huge investments into employee training. It’s important to provide some measurements regarding the success of the program. And there are plenty of measurements that are more effective than hours.