1. Sara J. Finney Randy L. Mitchell Peter J. Swerdzewski
Cultivating Common Ground: Determining Division-Wide Student Learning and Development Outcomes
Sara J. Finney
Randy L. Mitchell
Peter J. Swerdzewski

2. Overview of Program The Call for Common Outcomes
Creating a Strategy to Uncover Common Outcomes
The Logistics of Implementing the Strategy
The Final Product
Epilogue: How this Benefits the Division

3. The Call for Common Outcomes
Divisional history of departmental objectives based on learning outcomes
Lack of knowledge about outcomes across departments and across the university
Divisional strategic plan objective
We will identify, articulate and communicate throughout the campus community shared divisional learning outcomes for students.
Objective came from staff, not leadership
Associate VPs suggested use of annual retreat for workshop to identify common outcomes
Long-term relationship between departments and CARS

4. Importance of common outcomes
Strong desire to have something in common
Opportunities for collaboration
Criteria for decision-making, planning, and budgeting
Opportunities for assessment
Increased accountability for use of resources
Increased credibility for the division regarding its contribution to student learning and development, internally and externally

5. Creating a Strategy to Uncover Common Outcomes
The need for division-wide communications
It was important that all programs heard about all other programs
Full-day retreat
Important that the facilitators had the outcomes prior to the retreat
Forced divisions to think about their outcomes months prior to retreat
Essential to the discovery of common outcomes by facilitators
Aided in ordering presenters
Important that the facilitators uncovered what they believed where the common outcomes prior to the retreat

6. The Logistics of Implementing the Strategy
The Outcomes Template
Instructions
Examples
Preliminary examination of received outcomes by facilitators

7. Blank template / directions

9. Examples
Example: Orientation

10. Example from Judicial Affairs
Example: Judicial

11. CMSS

12. Preliminary Examination of Outcomes by Facilitators
Four assessment specialists initially reviewed all outcomes
Task was to find commonly-held outcomes across programs
A commonly-held outcome does not need to be shared across all programs
Program-specific outcomes (those not shared across more than one program) were not the focus of this activity
Individual examination of outcomes to uncover commonalities
Group discussion and comparison of findings
Took one full day
Majority of individually-defined common outcomes were common across reviewers
Importantly, some programs had undeveloped or poorly-worded outcomes that could not be grouped with other programs’ outcomes

13. The Retreat Morning Session: Over Lunch: Afternoon Session:
Each program was given five minutes to discuss their outcomes
Outcomes were projected behind them
Commonalities were mentioned as the morning session progressed
Over Lunch:
Assessment specialists “uncovered” the commonalities
Made some minor adjustments to our preliminary list of common outcomes
Afternoon Session:
List of common outcomes and programs that support them shared with group and discussed
Final list of agreed-upon common outcomes

14. Uncovering Three Broad Types of Outcomes
Learning outcomes
Attitudinal / developmental outcomes
Behavioral outcomes

15. Common Outcomes and Programs that Support Them
Created document with all programs’ outcomes
Grouped common-sounding outcomes from various programs
Named each general outcome

16. Learning Outcomes
How to Learn
Alcohol-related

17. An Example of Shared Attitudinal Outcomes
Feelings of relatedness
Academic motivation

18. An Example of Shared Behavioral Outcomes
Decrease in maladaptive behaviors
Civic engagement
Behavioral Outcomes

19. The Final Product Directors had to present to their VP
Reiterate not common to all programs
These are just outcomes that appear across multiple programs
Whereas this list of common outcomes is useful to communicate student affairs outcomes both internally and externally, the previous tables linking the programs to the outcomes is useful for the AVPs in that they know which programs support each of the outcomes.

22. Epilogue: How These Common Outcomes Benefit the Division
Identification of outcomes was the first objective in the divisional strategic plan to be completed
Divisional directors meet regularly to operationalize the outcomes
Departments are using the common outcomes to develop objectives
Outcomes will be published on the division’s website, distributed to all division staff, and shared with campus public relations for dissemination in the fall
Outcomes have been utilized as a part of new employee orientation along with vision, mission, and values
Outcomes have been used in planning and decision making