How do clear objectives enhance evaluation, and what limitations of the Kirkpatrick model does the LTEM aim to address?

Ever wondered how having clear goals can light the way in assessing progress? And you know the Kirkpatrick model we often talk about? Let's chat about how the LTEM is stepping up to the plate to tackle some of its blind spots.

Once upon a time...

In a bustling school district, Ms. Thompson, a dedicated teacher, was known for her meticulous planning and commitment to student success. Each year, she joined fellow educators in a pivotal assembly to define learning objectives guiding their lessons. Believing clear, achievable goals were key to unlocking potential, she approached meetings with stakeholders—parents, administrators, and community leaders—with inquiry and purpose.

Listening to challenges, she collaboratively developed a shared vision of aims and outcomes. Identifying learning gaps, Ms. Thompson planned evaluations alongside her objectives, ensuring lessons taught and assessed effectively. Her structured approach created a feasible learning path, leading to student success. The end!

This brief narrative about her journey demonstrated the link between instructional design and effective teaching, meeting both student needs and community expectations.

Visual Guide to the Teacher's Planning Cycle: A Continuous Process of Setting Learning Goals, Designing and Implementing Lessons, Evaluating Achievement, and Reflecting to Modify Teaching.

Successfully Transitioning from Teaching to Design

The second most important decision to make is how to measure the process´s success. There are two main evaluation models for this, which are Kirkpatrick and LTEM. The first one is well-known and widely used, while the second one emerged due to the need to improve the first attempt.

After years of using the Kirkpatrick model, the users realized the lack of a real achievement measure in Kirkpatrick model. One of the main shortcomings found in the Kirkpatrick model was an unrealistic evaluation model due to the fact of using cognitive acquisition as a skilled performance requirement. And there is its main failure, to my mind. Knowledge acquisition does not uphold superior performance. This hole in the evaluation system introduces concepts such as learning by doing, learning in practice, and continuing evaluation.

In education, the formative and summative learning concept were included in the new proposal LTEM. Concisely, every learning process should be assessed along the way if the outcome was expected to modify behaviours. Moving from 4 evaluation steps to 8 tiers is a new way to assess during the path of the transfer process. In this new model, the learning process evolves from nonexistence to new skills in learning by doing. Here is taking into consideration, from basic inputs of acquisition to an elevated level of output, which is in teaching, implementing solutions after decision-making insight.  

The LTEM improves upon the Kirkpatrick Model by addressing its limitations, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of learning programs.

Let the experience, soft skills, and all the knowledge we have gained guide us on our journey.

Now the critical point of every trainee and trainer must be faced. How do we know that we are a good ID? How do we know that we have helped learners, companies, and stakeholders to “cover their needs”? Is it only ROI or KPI achieved? In my case, 100% of the pass ratio in the exam? During the analysis, we must take time to consider our “customer persona” and their individual needs.

Thinking about a group of students again, (trying to help them in the affective domain) Have they realised how important it is to communicate with others respectfully by getting to an agreement respectfully?

• In my case, do my students uses a range of vocabulary that help others to understand their messages in written and verbal communication?

• Do they use nouns and verbs according to the needs of the sentence structure?

• Do they use negative adjectives correctly in a negative meaning sentence? Or

• are they aware of using double negatives accordingly?

In the end, how useful is something we teach? That is the main goal of any “instructor..”

In conclusion, our diverse experiences, essential soft skills, and accumulated knowledge form a solid foundation for success. Each experience, whether positive or challenging, has contributed to our growth, shaping our perspectives and resilience. The soft skills we've developed—effective communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence—are invaluable in today's dynamic environment, enabling us to collaborate, navigate relationships, and adapt confidently. Embracing these tools helps us turn challenges into progress and seize opportunities, leveraging our strengths for success. Let us commit to continuous improvement and support each other in reaching our fullest potential.

Con amor, Ana Eslava