Outputs describe and count what we do and whom we reach and represent products or services we produce. Processes deliver outputs; what is produced at the end of a process is an output. For example, in a PhD student recruitment process the output might be 10 new PhD students. At the end of a degree program, the output might be a certain number of graduates.
An outcome is a level of performance or achievement. It may be associated with a process or its output. Outcomes imply measurement - quantification - of performance. Here are two examples: (1) after attending a study abroad program, students’ intercultural competency improved by 20% as measured by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI); (2) as a result of increased external funding, 15 UF departments increased the of number graduate assistantships available by 20% over the previous reporting period.2
This distinction is important, especially in the development and review of Student Learning Outcomes. While the University of Florida seeks to measure both outcomes and outputs, SLOs focus on outcomes. For example, while we produce a number of new graduates (the output), it is critical that we have a measure of the quality of the graduates as defined by the college or discipline (the outcome). Effective Student Learning Outcomes describe, in measurable terms, these quality characteristics by defining our expectations for knowledge, critical thinking, and communication for UF graduates.
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2 Examples are drawn from Internationalization Task Force meeting notes.