Testimonials
Participants who completed Shaping Outcomes
"OBPE really helped me think through my project in a logical way, from many different perspectives and angles, and forced me out of my comfort zone and think about what I wanted to have happen and how I would measure that it happened. I can't wait to use the logic model I created and "wow" our funders with the concrete evidence that our curriculum kit helped make students learn to think more critically!"
Claudia B. Ocello
Associate Director
Education and Public Programs
"I have learned a lot. I am redoing all my outreach programs since taking this program."
Susan Polumsky
Library Director
"I cannot say enough about Outcomes-Based Planning and Evaluation. As a museum marketer, my effectiveness depends on achieving the outcomes that are set for our marketing initiatives, and being able to demonstrate those achievements. OBPE helps me plan exactly what goals need to be met, what steps need to be taken to meet those goals, and the indicators that our efforts have been successful. The Shaping Outcomes course taught me how easy it was to set up and follow through with a program once outcomes and audiences were considered, and to show the concrete results of our programs to our board."
Kara Edie
Visitor Services & Marketing Coordinator
"The Shaping Outcomes course has been of tremendous help in my daily activities. Learning about the principles of OBPE and how to apply them in real life has been an invaluable addition to my professional toolkit. Being new to outcomes-based planning and evaluation, the learning curve for me was very steep. There was so much to learn! The Shaping Outcomes course took me step-by-step and showed me the principles, with real-life examples for implementation. I am still learning to use OBPE methods, but thanks to Shaping Outcomes, I know I have a solid foundation of knowledge."
Juan Tomás Lee
Library Consultant/State Data Coordinator
Staff from museums and libraries who contributed case studies
"We have found OBPE incredibly helpful in designing and evaluating our programs. It provided a framework for us to think about what we were doing and why, and, in particular, to identify the all important 'outcomes' as well as the 'outputs' that we had been measuring. It enabled us to ask the right questions of our audiences and refine our program to better serve their needs. We have been using the Shaping Outcomes structure, and its encouragement of more rigorous thinking, to help develop other projects - not just IMLS ones!"
Jane Pickering
Assistant Director for Public Programs & Deputy Director
"Outcomes-based evaluation has proven to be a valuable tool for keeping our project team on track for success. By participating in the OBPE course, our team was able to develop a common analytical language for assessing each step of the project and managing those steps toward an overall success. In our case, we were undertaking an adventurous new collaboration between a library and zoo. This project required a great deal of trust across our collaborating partners and consultants. Through the OBPE process, we were able to share a common language based on the principles of the collaboration and intended outcomes, so the team was able to move forward with confidence. The final result was a project that has people calling us from around the world to learn how they can replicate our results. We were very pleased with how OBPE helped us shape our successful results."
John Fraser
Director, Public Research and Evaluation
Phone interviews conducted after the class was complete
- "I guess my recommendation is way to go! This is a great thing, a great course. I certainly would recommend it to my colleagues and whoever needs to use outcomes-based for planning and evaluation. I think it is a very structured way to measuring effectives and so I would recommend the course."
- "I actually liked the logic model worksheet [the best]. I printed it off. I made a copy and saved a copy. I think you could use that as [a] helpful [guide] when making other grant applications for non-profits that may not have any kind of worksheet provided. It's a nice simple clear outline to kind of follow to put together a proposal. I liked that."
- "I liked that you could go at your own pace if you were able to read things faster or wanted to look at something more in depth, you could do that."
- "I liked that there was somebody who you could always go to, you know, if you had a question, there was an instructor that would help guide you and give you feedback."
~ Above quotations used with permission ~
