Course Catalog  |  Chapter Directory

NEXT

Module C > Outcomes  
 

Outcomes

Defining Outcomes

An outcome is a change in a target audience’s skills, attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, status, or life condition brought about by experiencing a program.

"Skills" : Student Bird Watchers can identify local birds by sight and name.

"Attitudes" : Student Bird Watchers no longer think science is boring.

"Knowledge" : Student Bird Watchers know what local birds eat and what predators they face.

"Behavior" : Children read for pleasure over three hours per week.

"Status" : At-risk students using educational materials on library computers earn a General Education Diploma and improve salary and job prospects.

"Life Conditions" : West Dakota residents stop smoking after using improved access to reliable, understandable medical information.

Outcomes develop over time. Note that 

• short-term outcomes are likely to be changes in skills, attitudes and knowledge
  
• medium-term often include changes in behavior and decision making
  
• long-term outcomes may involve changes in status or life conditions
  

Most projects only have the resources and time frame to measure short-term and medium-term outcomes.

Short-term, medium-term, and long-term outcomes

The purpose statement in Module B (Do what? For whom? For what outcomes/benefits?) may lend itself to stating big, long-term goals that are hard to measure. The strongest logical planning models focus on achievable, measurable short-term outcomes. If you have long-term goals, be clear about how the particular program leads to those outcomes.

Let’s look at a simple example: 

Teaching Student Bird Watchers about local birds involves library books, museum visits, and field trips with the long-term goal of interesting them in their local environment.

NEXT