Posted: September 6th, 2023

Developing Effective SMART Goals for Academic Success

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION – SOCIAL WORK HISTORY, MISSION, AND YOUR ROLE Academic Skills Resources

Walden University Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Academic integrity student tutorial part 1: An overviewLinks to an external site. [Interactive tutorial]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com/

Walden University Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Academic integrity student tutorial part 2: Understanding and avoiding academic integrity violationsLinks to an external site. [Interactive tutorial]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com/

Walden University Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Academic integrity student tutorial part 3: Using Turnitin in CanvasLinks to an external site.. [Interactive tutorial]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com/

Complete all three Academic Integrity Student Tutorials for the Assignment this week. Be sure to save the completion certificate from Part 3 to upload for the Assignment.

Walden University: Academic Skills Center. (n.d.). Developing SMART goalsLinks to an external site.. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academic-skills-center/skills/smart-goals

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Becoming a scholar [Interactive tutorial]Links to an external site.. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=259282&p=6149946#s-lg-box-wrapper-22937499

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Critical reading and Assessment [Interactive tutorial]Links to an external site.. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=259282&p=6149946#s-lg-box-wrapper-22937514

Walden University, LLC. (2023). Academic skills toolboxLinks to an external site. [Web site]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com/

This website, similar to the Writing Toolbox found under Start Here, contains links to a selection of academic skills resources provided by Walden University. For this week’s Assignment, browse those resources to identify academic skills for your goal setting.

Developing Effective SMART Goals for Academic Success
Setting goals is an important part of achieving success in one’s academic journey. Effective goal setting requires establishing goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound, commonly known as SMART goals. This article discusses the concept of SMART goals and provides guidelines for students to develop goals aligned with this framework to maximize their effectiveness in attaining desired academic outcomes.
The acronym SMART is a useful mnemonic device for remembering the key aspects of developing goals. Goals that are SMART tend to be more achievable and motivating compared to vague, non-specific goals.
Specific goals clearly define what you aim to accomplish in terms that are unambiguous. Instead of setting a general goal like “improve my writing skills”, a specific goal could be “write three drafts of a 10-page research paper and get feedback from my professor to incorporate at least two suggestions in the final draft.” Being specific helps focus efforts and allows for effective measurement of progress.
Measurable goals use concrete criteria that can be defined and assessed. They help track performance and provide motivation as one sees progress. A measurable writing skills goal could be “reduce grammatical errors by 50% compared to the previous assignment.”
Attainable goals stretch an individual without being unrealistic. They should challenge without being impossible to achieve. An attainable writing goal could be “spend 2 hours per week writing and revising over the next month.”
Relevant goals align with overall priorities and objectives. They are meaningful and important for the individual’s academic success. A relevant writing goal could be “improve analysis and synthesis skills needed to succeed in my program.”
Time-bound goals provide a time frame for completion along with a deadline, helping maintain urgency and accountability. A time-bound writing goal could be “complete first draft by end of this month and final draft incorporating feedback by mid next month.”
In conclusion, developing SMART goals is an effective approach for students to maximize their efforts in attaining desired academic outcomes. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals provide clarity, motivation and a means to track progress. Students can use the SMART framework to establish goals aligned with their individual needs that are most likely to lead to success.

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