Outcomes

What are outcomes?

An outcome (also known as a dependent variable) is a variable that may be affected by an experimental manipulation. For example, if an experimental manipulation to a homework assignment in Terracotta is expected to affect students' later scores on a midterm exam, then the midterm exam scores would be an outcome. 

How can I add an outcome?

In Terracotta, outcome scores are defined on the experiment's Status tab. Begin entering outcomes by clicking the Add Outcome button. Outcomes can be entered manually into Terracotta (by typing in scores for each individual student), or can be imported from a Canvas gradebook item.

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Once you click Add Outcome, you’ll have the option to choose how you’d like to add it (manually, or from the Canvas Gradebook).

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In within-subjects designs, it may be important to define an outcome score for each exposure set. Outcome scores are typically measured after an experiment, but an outcome can also contain any numeric score that is relevant to an experiment (pretest scores, moderator variables, etc.).

Outcome scores are included in Terracotta data exports, and are visible in the Results Dashboard. As always, only data from consented participants are included in the data export.