| The lack of research on corporate university evaluation methods inspired this study which was designed to report on the current state of the practice. In support of the question of how corporate universities can measure the effectiveness of their programs, four corporate universities were qualitatively studied to determine their practices in an attempt to provide information that can be used by other corporate university administrators to develop evaluation methodologies. From interviews, observations, and document analyses, practices at the four institutions were studied and are reported. The analysis of the data showed that the theoretical underpinnings of corporate university evaluation come from Kirkpatrick's Four Level Model that has been used in training and development (as opposed to any of the models in use in traditional higher education). Another conclusion was that corporate universities can take one of three different approaches to measurement: direct, indirect, or value, and that the unit of analysis is a key determinant of the approach. The study also showed that utility and measurability are the two critical and relevant dimensions of corporate university evaluation. Finally, the evidence indicated that evaluation practices can be a result of a consciously-derived plan or a gradual evolution. |
