Merrill Area United Way Outcomes Training

(Session #1)

Art Lersch

Associate Professor, Community Resource Development EducatorUniversity of Wisconsin – Extension, Lincoln County

June 18, 2008

Look beyond the immediate

Look at what lies behind

Think about the long term (even when defining short term outcomes)

What really lies ahead?

Collaboration to meet outcomes

Why outcomes? Thinking about outcomes forces

you to ask:

4. How can we work together to

remove those barriers?

3. What is preventing us from achieving

that vision?

2. What work is already being

done in the community to help

achieve that vision?

1. What is the vision of success

related to this priority?

Analyzing community focus areas Prevention based programming that helps

bolster individuals’ self esteem (so poor life choices are not made to begin with)

Teaching social skills and respect at early ages

Programs that promote the concepts of valuing diversity and accepting that all individuals have something positive to offer society (diversity of thinking, the way people live, etc.)

Is the only outcome that is good one worth measuring or one that is intended?

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

What are some unintended outcomes that came from a program you developed, administered, etc?

What is the definition of a measureable outcome?

Outputs are usually easy to measure, not outcomes

Number of attendees Reports Products Budgets Number of workshops Presentations

Examples of measurable outcomes

Behavioral changes after program (for example, after a financial literacy program a student opens a savings account and begins saving regularly)

Examples from your programs of achieved measurable outcomes

Evaluation; measuring outcomes

Ask yourself Is it clear what is being assessed? Can you measure (either qualitatively or

quantitatively) whether the outcome was achieved in a given period?

Are you trying to measure something useful or meaningful?

How or upon what basis will you make the measurement?

Source: http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/evaluation/writingoutcomes.pdf; Writing Measurable and Meaningful Outcomes, By Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.

Is this is an acceptable outcome?

“Students participating in the SL206 Service Learning through Music Therapy course will demonstrate an increase in critical thinking skills, as exhibited by an improvement in scores on the Chronicle Critical Thinking pre-test/post-test instrument.”

Is it clear what you are assessing? Yes, the writer states that she wants to know ifstudents who participated in this particular course have increased their critical thinkingskills.

Is the intended outcome measuring something useful and meaningful? Yes, the writer ismeasuring the increased level of critical thinking.

Is the outcome measurable? The writer is asking the participants to “demonstrate” or“show evidence of” rather than using a general descriptor such as “know” or“understand.”

How will this outcome be measured? The writer will use, in this case, the fictitiousChronicle Critical Thinking Skills pre-test/post-test that measures improvement incritical thinking skills.

Source: http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/evaluation/writingoutcomes.pdf; Writing Measurable and Meaningful Outcomes, By Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.

What is wrong with this outcome?“Students participating in SL206 Service Learning through Music Therapy will understand the importance of the application of historical methodology.”

Is it clear what you are assessing?

Is the intended outcome measuring something useful and meaningful?

Is the outcome measurable?

How will this outcome be measured?

Source: http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/evaluation/writingoutcomes.pdf; Writing Measurable and Meaningful Outcomes, By Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.

Is this an acceptable outcome?

After completing a company training program on customer service, employees demonstrate creative ways as measured by the new procedures they implement (with management approval) to lessen the time it takes to process customer orders.

What is wrong with this outcome?

Outcomes writing practice Use an existing program you

administer

Write potential measurable outcomes statements

Group critique of the outcomes statements you wrote based on the four outcomes assessment questions

Introductory: Designing an outcomes based program

The order of things! Is this right?

The order of thingsNo!

Do this:

• Identify situation• In a perfect world, what should this program

accomplish? (vision)• Develop measurable outcomes (What should be

gained?)• Develop evaluation (ask questions which will

allow you to measure potential outcomes)• Determine outputs• What inputs are needed to do the program?

Example

Situation

Example

If issue is addressed, what are the most desirable short term outcomes?

Example

What are the potential outputs?

Example

What do resources do we need to make it happen?