LTEM
"In 2025, I made a deliberate shift away from the Kirkpatrick Model toward the Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM) to strengthen how I measure the true impact of learning initiatives on business performance.
While the Kirkpatrick Model provided a familiar structure for evaluating reaction, learning, behavior, and results, I found that it often relied too heavily on self-reported data and lacked the precision needed to demonstrate measurable performance improvement. I adopted LTEM to bring greater rigor and clarity to evaluation—specifically by focusing on what learners can actually do after training, rather than what they say they learned.
Using LTEM, I redesigned evaluation strategies to prioritize decision-based assessments, task-based performance measures, and real-world application. This included incorporating knowledge checks that required critical thinking, simulations aligned to job tasks, and follow-up measurement tied to on-the-job performance indicators. I also worked more closely with business stakeholders to define observable success metrics upfront, ensuring alignment between learning outcomes and operational goals.
This shift allowed me to move beyond completion rates and satisfaction scores, and instead provide evidence of capability, transfer, and impact. As a result, learning initiatives became more defensible, more targeted, and more clearly connected to business performance."-Carolyn
LTEM Evaluation Plan: Southwire
THE NEED
Southwire put together a plan to implement a new product training program for internal Commercial teams. This program has several components, including a foundational certification program, and more advanced-product specific training program. The company needed to capture business impact of the program to prove business impact and ROI.
DELIVERABLE
Evaluation Plans were created for all aspects of the product training program. This included a separate plan for the foundational certification program, and product-specific training program. Plans cover all aspects of the LTEM model, and clearly outline all metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, that need to be captured to measure program success.
PROCESS
"After mapping out the various product training programs, including 200+ courses, I met with Leadership to discuss metrics that the company would be able to capture, and how they can be used to prove business impact. A 10-page report was created to clearly outline the data capture process, the timeline, and final metrics that could be used to generate a summary for Leadership after implementation and data collection. The plan also included several surveys, LTEM aligned, that would be used to measure impact."-Carolyn
RESULTS
Coming soon...
Surveys
"I design surveys that are aligned with the Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM), ensuring they capture meaningful data on learning, transfer, and real-world performance—not just participant satisfaction. Rather than relying on generic feedback questions, I focus on targeted, action-oriented prompts that reveal what learners can apply on the job and where gaps still exist.
At the same time, I prioritize ease of implementation and completion. My surveys are streamlined, intuitive, and designed to minimize friction for both administrators and end users, which increases response rates and data reliability. I build them to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, making them practical to deploy at scale.
These surveys play a critical role in capturing the true impact of training. They provide actionable insights that inform continuous improvement, strengthen alignment with business goals, and ensure that learning initiatives are driving measurable performance outcomes."
—Carolyn