Discussion: Thinking SMART for Individualized Learning Objectives
As each new year approaches, millions of individuals set New Year’s resolutions; personal affirmations to change a behavior, achieve something, or otherwise change an aspect of their life. These resolutions are typically general in nature, such as “eat healthier” or “spend money wisely.”
Most professionals fully appreciate the value in setting objectives. The temptation, however, is to approach professional objectives as though they are resolutions. They tend to be general in nature. Others may be irrelevant to the profession or may not lend themselves well to measurement of success.
Properly developed objectives will be critical to achievement. To guide this development, objective writers can use an approach referred to as SMART, an acronym for “Specific,” “Measurable,” “Achievable,” “Realistic,” and “Timebound.” Nurse educators use SMART objectives when developing learning plans and designing curriculum. Preceptors and mentors can help guide learners to establish professional objectives with these characteristics to help ensure their success.
In this Discussion, you consider the characteristics of SMART objectives. You then propose three individualized learning objectives that you will apply to your practicum experience.
- Review the Practicum Experience Plan document in the Learning Resources and familiarize yourself with the expectations for your practicum experience. You will use this document for your Practicum Experience Plan Assignment for this Module. For this Discussion, use this plan, particularly Part 2: Individualized Practicum Learning Objectives, to guide you as you prepare for your post.
