1 writing outcomes produced by non-instructional subcommittee of assessment committee

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Writing Outcomes

Produced by Non-Instructional

Subcommittee of

Assessment Committee

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Purpose Statements

• Purpose Statement should: – fall within AC’s mission; – identify THE reason for the

department’s/division’s/program’s existence;

– encompass all the key aspects of the department/division/program

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Goals

• Goals should be: – broad, general expectations for a

division/department/program;

– based on the purpose for the division/department/program

– 3 to 5 with no more than 7

– address the key areas desired for assessment and resulting improvement and/or growth

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Brainstorming Opportunity

• Identify the biggest challenges or problems for the division/department/program

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Objectives

• Types of objectives and definitions: – Inputs = resources– Outputs= types, levels and targets of

services (may include satisfaction)

– Processes = efficiencies or intended accomplishments

– Outcomes = specific changes in student’s/client’s knowledge,

skill, expertise, attitude or behavior

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Goal vs. Outcome

Goal

• General expectation of outcome

• Can be broad or vague

Outcome Objective

• Statement of what someone should be able to do or develop (knowledge, skill, expertise, attitude or behavior)

• Should be specific and measurable

Adapted from James Madison University

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Outcome Objectives

• Outcomes should be: – seen as the means by which the goal is met

– the outcome is the preferred objective is preferred;

– from the audience’s (e.g. student or client) perspective

– the focus (at least one outcome per dept./division/program) while other types of objectives (e.g. output objectives, process objectives) may be used

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Assessing Outcomes

• All outcomes (objectives) do not have to be assessed all of the time

• All outcomes (objectives) do have to be assessed sometime (maybe some every semester and others annually or monthly)


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Outcomes - Example 1

• Outcomes (objectives) should be worded to express what the student/client will learn, know, or do as a result of the intervention – NOT what the instructor or service will do for the student/client.– Typical Outcome: Provide student/client with

knowledge about how the library works.– Better Outcome: After taking the Research Methods

course, student/client will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of how the library works by finding 10 sources for a research paper in the library.


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Outcomes - Example 2• Outcomes should be reasonable. They should

reflect learning that the student/client can accomplish as a result of the division/department/program.– Typical Outcome: Students will demonstrate open-

mindedness for all cultures by strongly agreeing with all of the items on the Open-Mindedness Inventory (OMI).

– Better Outcome: Upon completion of the Study Abroad program, participants will show an increase in open-mindedness through at least a 10-point increase on the Open-Mindedness Inventory (OMI).


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• Student/client learning should be assessed with an observable, measurable outcome. Verbs such as “know” and “understand” are not observable.– Typical Outcome: Students will understand the

electoral college.– Better Outcome at intervention method: Students

will be able to match at least 40 of the United States with their number of electoral votes.

– Or: Students will be able to evaluate (e.g. Govt of US Courses) the effectiveness of the electoral college in modern elections.


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Outcome should specify the criterion of ACCEPTABLE student/client performance.

Goal: Understand the concepts that contribute to career decision-making.

• Typical Outcome: Students will be able to select a career choice.

• Better Outcomes: Upon completion of the career and life planning course, students will be able to match a list of majors to appropriate career choices.

OR:

Upon completion of the career and life planning course, students will be able to state their “work personality” as measured by the Work Abilities, Values, and Interests (WAVI) Inventory.


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Outcomes - The ABCDE Method

• A = Audience (Who are you assessing?)• B = Behavior (What is expected of the

audience?)• C = Conditions (What intervention is required?)• D = Degree (To what degree is the behavior to be

reached?)• E = Evaluation (What tool will be used to

measure this?)Recipe for Writing an Outcome Statement =

C + A,B + D,EAdapted from James Madison University

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Outcomes - ABCDE Example 1 (Police Dept)

• A = Audience (employees)

• B = Behavior (will take precautions)

• C = Conditions (After mock drills)

• D = Degree (decrease by 20% annually)

• E = Evaluation (number of reported campus burglaries)

Outcome statement = After mock drills, employees will take precautions, which will result in at least a 20% decrease annually in the number of reported campus burglaries.


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Outcomes - ABCDE Example 2 (IST HelpDesk)

• A = Audience (employees)• B = Behavior (indicate that the technology problem was

resolved during the time the problem was identified)• C = Conditions (After seeking assistance with a technology

request)• D = Degree (75%)• E = Evaluation (automatically generate an email with an

anonymous web survey link)

Outcome statement = After requesting assistance with a technology request, employees seeking assistance with a technology request will indicate that the technology problem was resolved during the time the problem was identified 75% of the time and automatically generate an email with an anonymous web survey link.


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Outcomes - ABCDE Example 3 (Student Services)

• A = Audience (employees)• B = Behavior (demonstrate mastery of FERPA

regulations)• C = Conditions (After training session on FERPA

requirements)• D = Degree (80%)• E = Evaluation (on post-test)

Outcome statement = After attending a training session on FERPA requirements, all participating employees will demonstrate mastery of FERPA regulations at 80% on the post-test.


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OutcomesABCDE Example 4 (Testing Services)

• A = Audience (faculty (FT & PT) requesting testing services)• B = Behavior (will follow identified procedures)• C = Conditions (After reading the website on testing instructions

and completing corresponding survey)• D = Degree (60%)• E = Evaluation (based on log of all procedure violations)

Outcome statement = After reading instructions regarding testing from a website and then completing a corresponding survey, 60% of faculty (full-time & part-time) requesting testing services will follow identified procedures based on log of all procedure violations.


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Outcomes - ABCDE Example 5 (Continuing Education)

• A = Audience (companies with 25+ employees)

• B = Behavior (implement the program addressing generational differences in the workplace)

• C = Conditions (After attending a pilot program)

• D = Degree (25% of companies)

• E = Evaluation (based upon signed Training Agreements.)

Outcome statement = After attending a pilot program, 25% of companies with 25+ employees will implement the program addressing generational differences in the workplace based upon signed Training Agreements.


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Outcomes - ABCDE Example 6 (Business Office)

• A = Audience (employees with purchasing privileges)

• B = Behavior (will file paperwork in a complete and timely fashion in order that vendors will be paid by due date)

• C = Conditions (After receiving procedures instructions)

• D = Degree (75% of the time)

• E = Evaluation (based upon a transaction log.)

Outcome statement = After receiving procedural instructions, employees with purchasing privileges will file paperwork in a complete and timely fashion so that vendors will be paid by due date 75% of the time based upon a transaction log.


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Outcomes PracticeBRAINSTORM

1.Purpose - restate the purpose statement:

(What is the primary reason that this division/department/program exists?)

2. Goals - select 1 or 2 key goals:

(Based on the purpose statement and experiences of the staff, what are the biggest challenges or problems that this division/department/program desires to improve?)

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Outcomes Practice BRAINSTORM

3. Outcomes:Fill in each of the following for one outcome of

one goal:• A = Audience - • B = Behavior - • C = Conditions - • D = Degree - • E = Evaluation -

Write as a sentence (see recipe):Outcome Statement =


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Assignment

PET form: • Use the skills you’ve

developed to write at least one outcome for the division’s/department’s/program’s PET form.

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Assignment

PET form

AC Website (www.actx.edu)

Scroll to bottom of screen

AC Forms & Policies

Planning & Evaluation Tracking (PET) Form

http://www.actx.edu/iea/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=downloadFile&JAS_File_id=1

http://www.actx.edu/

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Assignment

Recommendation:• All employees in the

division/department/program should work together to brainstorm and decide on finalized PET form.

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Assignment

Finalized PET form should be approved through appropriate President’s Cabinet member.

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Assignment

Submit finalized PET form electronically to: Brandy Hayes in the Office of I.E. & Advancement

Deadline for submission: December 9, 2005

1 writing outcomes produced by non-instructional subcommittee of assessment committee

Documents

outcome objectives outcomes

outcomes objectives

typical outcome

better outcome

objectives types of

outcomes example

measurable outcome

behavior slide