Writing Impact Goal Statements and Measurable Objectives

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Writing Impact Goal Statements and Measurable
Objectives

• Dr. Lisa Guion
• AEE 521
• NCSU

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What are Educational Program Goals (Goals)?

• Derive from needs assessment
• Broad, relatively brief statements of intent
• Provide focus and vision for planning
• Represent the reason for the program
• Guide educational objectives

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Impact Goal Statements

• Goal Statements are statements of a programs
  overall goal that should focus on the impacts the
  program expects.
• Impact Statements are statements used for
  accountability that reflect the observed SEEC
  impact resulting from a program
• Thus, if written properly in the program planning
  stage, goal statements can inform evaluators of
  the types of impacts to monitor and evaluate

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Impact Goal Statements

• An Impact Goal Statement is NOT
• A description of all of your objectives rolled
  into one.
• A statement reflecting Levels 1 through 6 of
  Bennetts Levels of Evidence.
• Impact Goal Statements must answer the questions,
  So what if this program occurs? Who cares? What
  real, tangible difference will the program
  make?

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Impact Goal Statements

• Do reflect the SEEC impact that is expected to
  occur as a result of the program
• Do answer the questions, So what if this program
  occurs? Who cares? What real, tangible
  difference will it make?

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Components of Impact Goal Statements

• Program goal focused on a social, economic,
  environmental (SEEC) or civic condition that is
  expected to change as a result of the program.
• This includes
• Broad issue or problem to be addressed by the
  program.
• Anticipated impacts (SEEC or civic).
• Individual/Families (private benefit) or
  community or society (public benefit) that will
  be impacted.
• Clarity and readability

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Example of an Impact Goal Statement

• Within the next five years, the goal of the
  Diabetes Prevention Program is to reduce the
  number of new cases (incidence) of diabetes by X
  in AnyCounty which will result in health care
  savings of X.
• This goal will remain the same for each of the
  five years. However, there may be different
  SMMART objectives related to knowledge, behaviors
  and practices that must change in the target
  audience if the goal is to be achieved. The
  target audience would be people at risk of
  developing diabetes.

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What are objectives?

• Objectives are NOT goals. Goals are broad,
  objectives are specific.
• An objectives is a foreseen end that gives
  direction to an activity (John Dewey, 1977)
• An objective is an end toward which action is
  oriented, a condition or state of being to be
  reached. It reflects how the situation will be
  changed, improved or maintained. (Boyle)
• An objective is a statement which specifies, in
  measurable terms, the changes we expect in our
  target publics that result of our Ext. programs.

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Purposes of Objectives

• Address the needs of your target public
• Provide direction to your program or activity
• Useful in selecting learning experiences and
  program methods

• Communicate the expected or predicted results or
  changes to key stakeholders
• Forms the basis for the evaluation if it is
  written in measurable terms

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Levels of Objectives
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Levels of Evidence by Claude Bennett (from lowest
level 1 of evidence that program is effective to
highest level 7)

• Level 1 Inputs
• Level 2 Activities
• Level 3 People Involvement
• Level 4 People Reactions
• Level 5 Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills,
  Aspirations Change (KASA)
• Level 6 Behavior Change
• Level 7 End Result (SEEC-Social, Economic,
  Environmental, Civic)

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Program Objectives focus on

• Resources or Inputs (Level 1)
• Activities (Level 2)
• Participation of target audience (Level 3)
• Meets micro needs

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Outcome (aka Educational ) Objectives focus on

• Knowledge change (Level 5)
• Skill change (Level 5)
• Attitude change or Reactions (Level 5)
• Aspirations changes (Level 5)
• Short-term, mid-range and long-term incremental
  behavior change (Level 6)
• May also include policy changes, decisions made,
  etc.

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Long-term Societal Impact Objectives are End
Result (Level 7 )

• Social conditions change
• Economic condition change
• Environmental conditions change
• Civic changes
• Policy Change could also fall into this category
  if it has far reaching impact on SEEC

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Good Objectives are SMMART

• Specific- tells what change is going to occur.
  Has a clear focus
• Meaningful relates to identified needs
• Measurable- definite means to measure to see if
  change occurred. Can observe it empirically
• Assigned to a specific target audience
• Realistic- can be accomplished
• Timed- specific time to be achieved by

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Measurable and Observable

• Can look back and tell whether you achieved your
  aim
• Typically associated with quantifiable
  information, but can be qualitative
• Ex Expected level of improvement in math for an
  academic enrichment program as evidenced by pre
  and post program math test scores

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Measurable My Technique

• Who will change? Assigned
• What specific change will take place as a result
  of your program? Specific target
• When will the change take place? Timed
• How will you know the change has taken place?
  Measurable. What standard or method will you use
  to know that the condition has changed.
• Meaningful and Realistic are taken into account
  at every step of objectives development

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General Format

• To (increase/decrease) (what) by ( number) among
  (whom) by (when) as measured by (how do you
  know).
• Note Under certain extreme conditions, in the
  short-term, you may want to maintain (not
  increase/decrease) a problem at a certain level
  that has been steadily getting worse.

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References

• Guion, Lisa A., Baugh, E. Marcus, J. (2006).
  Writing SMMART objectives. EDIS.
• Florida Cooperative Extension Service,
  University of Florida. Publication FY824
• Impact Statements, Michigan Agricultural
  Experiment Station, available at
  http//www.maes.msu.edu/intranet/Report_impact.htm
  Example2
• Rockwell, K Bennett, C (1995) Targeting
  Outcomes of Programs, available at
  http//citnews.unl.edu/TOP/english/index.html