The importance of goal-setting for success in online learning

Online learning is a vastly growing alternative to in-person education. With online learning, you can partake in courses digitally through Zoom calls, online written tasks, and resources, bringing versatility to the world of education. Today, we’ll focus on how important personal goals are to successful online learning.

Why is goal-setting important?

Goal setting allows you to organise and determine what achievements you want to reach. Online learning is self-monitored; therefore, internal motivation is the driving force behind student accomplishments. To succeed, students must fill the role of a teacher when it comes to monitoring their success and putting additional systems in place to help them overcome challenges. Even if you’re a trainee teacher, yourself! If you’re currently working on one of our teaching assistant courses, whether it’s a CACHE Level 1 Award Course for Preparing to Work in Schools or a QLS Level 3 Course in Educational Psychology, you might benefit from goal-setting for the following reasons:

There are many benefits to goal-setting, which include:

1. Motivation: Setting certain goals allows you to visualise where you want to be in the near future. It can provide a sense of purpose and direction in your life that drives you to attain the outcome.
2. Focus: Creating a list of goals can help you improve your focus through organisation and visual aids, as everything is set out for you. You have a clear path to follow to your outcome; therefore, you’re only left with working on the task at hand.
3. Increase in performance: When you have a clear goal set out for you, you’re more likely to perform at a higher level, as humans have a drive to succeed. Filtering out any distractions allows you to produce high-quality work.
4. Increase in self-confidence: Breaking a task into bite-sized sections prevents feelings of overwhelm and distress. By creating a to-do list for your goals, you can work through each task step-by-step, restoring self-belief to attain your big goal as you hit each small milestone.

How to set online learning goals

Setting goals can seem overwhelming when you don’t know where to start. A lot of the time, people struggle with determining what exactly they want to achieve and why. To do this, you can investigate what your desired outcome is, the feelings you want to experience when you have attained your goal, and what is driving you to accomplish this goal.

Using the SMART framework can help you identify your own goals and create a structure for them:

1. S- specific goals that are clearly defined and easy to follow.
2. M- measurable goals that are quantifiable to track progress. For example, if you need to write a 2000-word essay, you can create small word counts to hit along the way.
3. A- achievable and realistic goals that you can reach with the resources available to you.
4. R- relevant goals that align with your overall purpose and desires.
5. T- time-bound goals that have deadlines to motivate you to reach them.

The SMART framework will help you no matter what you’re learning. Whether you’re taking an additional Biology A-Level before heading off to University or a QLS Level 2 Course in Beauty Therapy, structuring your goals will be an excellent driving force in your progress.

How to stay on track

It’s easy to fall off track with a goal or hit a few setbacks. Don’t be too hard on yourself if this happens; everyone experiences it. However, the good news is that there are things you can do to prevent this from happening.

By removing distractions, such as your phone, taking yourself out of noisy environments, and sitting away from a TV, you are already increasing your chances of success. It’s incredibly easy to lose focus on a task and place your attention elsewhere on something you’d rather be doing. That is why it is important to identify why you want to achieve this for yourself and how much your life will improve if you stick to it.

Never be afraid to ask for help or seek additional resources. These things are here to help you succeed, and it is better to use them for your own self-improvement than to stay stuck. Seeking support proves you are capable of overcoming setbacks. It is also important to monitor your progress and award yourself for every milestone you meet. In doing this, you will feel motivated to continue, as you have something to look forward to every time you complete a task. This will also help you identify where you can improve and the approaches that work best for you.