Articulating Program Outcomes: Worksheet Step 1: Identify your Program. Program Name: Step 2: Identify your priority group. Who is the target audience of your program or service? Who do you hope is different as a result of the program / service? (ie. Students, Employers, Faculty, Community Partners) Priority Group: Step 3: How are students different as a result of the program or service? Consider using cognitive domains from Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning in identifying how students are different in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities (see reverse for Action Verbs you can use in articulating an outcome under any of the cognitive learning domains). You can use other terms outside of Bloom’s taxonomy, but these are a great starting point. Formula: [Action verb] + [specific, observable terms describing what student can do -­ noun] (ie. students can differentiate between a curriculum vitae and a resume) List some ways students are different after participating in your program / service: • • • Step 4: Articulate Outcome Formula: As a result of [program x], [priority group x] can [action verb] + [specific, observable terms describing what student can do -­ noun] Outcome: Step 5: Evaluate the quality of your outcome based on SMART criteria and alignment with Bloom’s Cognitive Learning Domains (where applicable – see reverse). Student Experience
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SMART Outcomes R – Relevant: The outcomes should be relevant to our goals,
mandate, the scope of the program and the
needs
of
the
priority
groups.
S – Specific: Outcomes should be simple, and as specific as possible (identify who, what, where, why) T – Time-bound: WHEN will we know whether we’ve achieved our outcome? When will we measure success?
When
do we anticipate the outcome will be in effect?
M – Measurable: HOW will we know when we’ve achieved our outcome? What tool / indicator can we use to measure success? State this in the outcome. If you can’t answer these questions, the outcome might not be measurable. Western’s
Co-Curricular Record – Core areas and Learning Outcomes: Western’s Co-Curricular Record
A – Attainable: The outcome should push us to offer the highest quality of programs possible, but identifies core areas and learning outcomes associated with activities added to the record. These are great
should also be attainable. We need to measure our success through assessing whether we’ve sample
outcomes that can be used as a starting point:
achieved outcomes;; therefore, setting unattainable outcomes is not in our interest, or the priority groups’ interest. http://success.uwo.ca/experience/Cocurricular_Record/core_areas_and_learning_outcomes.html
Other
Resources for more information on Outcomes:
R – Relevant: The outcomes should be relevant to our goals, mandate, the scope of the program and the needs of the priority groups. • Western’s Teaching Support Centre:
http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/resources/selected_teaching_topics/curriculum_course_design/learning_outcom
T – Time-­bound: WHEN will we know whether we’ve achieved our outcome? When will we measure es.html
success? When do we anticipate the outcome will be in effect? • Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning – The following diagram describes Cognitive Learning Domains with
descriptions and relevant action verbs that can be
incorporated in outcomes. Source and more
resources:
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning: http://www.middleweb.com/21295/the-intersection-of-udl-and-blooms-taxonomy/
Align your Outcomes with existing Resources:
Cognitive Learning Domain
Description
Action Verbs
(these can be used in outcomes)
For support in drafting program and service outcomes, please contact Rick Ezekiel (Director of Research,
Innovation & Evaluation – Student Experience) at [email protected].