Alia Lancaster
Research & Analytics Manager,
University of Maryland
Meaningful Metrics: Eliminating Weasel Words to Measure What Matters Most
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 9:45AM–10:30AM CT | Meeting Room 209 AB, Level 2
Session Type:
Breakout Session
Delivery Format:
Presentation/Panel Session
Weasel words and vague ideas render important goals immeasurable. Words like “amplify,”“enhance,” and “innovate” are motivational and aspirational, but what do they really mean? How do we know, for example, if our community partnerships have been sufficiently amplified? Or if our technology investments have been adequately enhanced? On the surface, these innocuous words are used to motivate audiences to support well-meaning institutional initiatives. But if we don’t take a moment to carefully examine the tangible outcomes related to their measurement, their use might unintentionally stifle the very goals they are intended to support. We begin with a stoke intended to elicit the multiplicity of participants’ insights related to their own lived experiences and how these experiences shape interpretations of progress toward a goal. We conclude with participants’ development of a customized measurement model designed to support their institutions' most pressing challenges.
