Administrative/Operational Outcomes (AOO) Overview

Administrative or operational goals are the annual or multi-year goals set by a(n) department, division, program, office, or unit that are related to the quality and/or effectiveness of a  program, service, or process.  These goals are vertically aligned with the established goals of related units in the organizational structure to which the department, division, office, or unit belongs (see Overview of IE) and thus directly aligns with the institutional Strategic Plan priority areas and goals.

Administrative or operational outcomes are to fit the following characteristics:

• Specific
• Measureable
• Attainable/Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound/Timely

  Image source

Acceptable Measures

In tracking the progress of a goal, a measure is needed.  Measures can be levels of satisfaction, behaviors, or attitudes that can be assessed using surveys or metrics common to the institution such as enrollment, retention, success rates, participation rates, major field test results, licensure results, etc.  Common surveys that are available from the office of IERP are (not all inclusive):

• Alumni survey
• CCSSE
• SENSE
• Course Evaluations

Common metrics that are monitored over time by the office of IERP include (not all inclusive):

• enrollment (headcount, enrolled hours, full-time equlivancy (FTE)
• retention of first-time full-time freshmen cohort
• transfer out rate of first-time full-time freshmen cohort
• basic demographics of populations
• completion rate of first-time full-time freshmen cohort
• count of completions by degree

Administrative support and academic or student service units are required to establish admnistrative or operational outcomes.  If a unit is also responsible for student learning, then student learning outcomes can also be established.  Again, the level within a division at which annual reporting is required is determined by the VP for the division in collaboration with the Executive Director of IERP.

Educational/Academic programs will have both administrative/operations outcomes, sometimes referred to as program quality outcomes, as well as student learning outcomes (see Student Learning Outcomes Overview).   

See Annual Reporting Requirements for the detail needed when establishing an administrative/operationa goal and for the reporting of the various components of the IE cycle.  See the Annual Reporting Timeline for when to report the various components of the IE cycle.

Previous topic -> Levels of the Strategic Plan

Next Topic -> Student Learning Outcomes Overview