“Facilitating Student Goal Setting” (Consideration 6.1)

What transforms vague intentions into powerful learning goals? In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, we'll examine the practice of setting meaningful goals that are both challenging and actionable. We'll discuss why traditional assumptions about student goal-setting fall short and examine research showing that students who set specific, challenging goals significantly outperform those simply told to "do their best." Whether you're looking to build students' self-regulation skills or help them to connect course content with career aspirations, this episode offers actionable approaches for teaching goal-setting as a lifelong skill.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

UDL Tips

"Facilitating Student Goal Setting: Strategies That Work"

Resources

Anthropic. (2025). Claude Opus 4.5 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/

CAST. (2024). Set meaningful goals. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/action-expression/strategy-development/set-meaningful-goals

Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Self-regulation through goal setting. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 212-247.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.

Schunk, D. H. (1990). Goal setting and self-efficacy during self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 25(1), 71-86.

Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 166-183.

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing

Transcript

Welcome to UDL Guidelines. This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. I'm Dr. Brian A. Dixon, and today we’ll explore UDL 3.0 Consideration 6.1, which focuses on setting goals that are both challenging and authentic and that capture the vision and complexity of learning.

What do we mean by meaningful goal setting? Setting meaningful goals refers to the practice of establishing clear, challenging, and motivating targets that guide learning and development. Rather than simply assigning tasks or hoping students will "do their best," meaningful goal setting involves helping students articulate specific, measurable outcomes that connect to their personal values and future aspirations. When students set goals that are big enough to capture the complexity of what they're learning yet specific enough to be actionable, they develop the skills in executive functioning necessary for lifelong learning.

Let’s consider an example of what this looks like in practice. A student might begin a course by saying, "I want to improve my writing." Through meaningful goal setting, this becomes, "I will write three discussion posts each week that include specific examples from the readings and connect course concepts to my nursing practice, so I can better communicate patient care plans." The goal transforms vague intentions into specific, personal, and professionally relevant action.

While goals can take many forms, several approaches help students develop both academic skills and self-regulation. Learning goals focus on skill development and knowledge acquisition, such as "Master statistical analysis techniques to evaluate research in the field." Performance goals target specific, measurable outcomes, like "Complete all assignments 24 hours before the deadline to allow time for review." Process goals emphasize strategies and behaviors, for instance, "Spend 30 minutes after each class connecting new concepts to previous learning." And personal connection goals link course content to individual interests and career aspirations, such as "Apply course theories to understand leadership challenges in the workplace."

Why should we prioritize this in our teaching? Traditional education often assumes students naturally know how to set effective goals for themselves. However, research consistently shows several key benefits.

Students achieve significantly higher performance. Those who set specific, challenging goals for themselves outperform students who are told to simply "do their best." Goal setting builds essential life skills as students develop self-regulation, time management, and strategic thinking abilities they'll use throughout their careers. Motivation increases dramatically when students connect learning to their personal values and future aspirations, leading to improved engagement and persistence. Metacognitive awareness develops as students become more conscious of their learning processes and are better able to monitor their progress. Transfer of learning then improves, because goals help students see connections between course content and real-world applications, making knowledge more useful and memorable. And self-efficacy grows as successfully achieving goals builds confidence and willingness to tackle increasingly challenging tasks.

How can we, as instructors, support students in setting meaningful goals? This requires intentional design across three key areas: goal development processes, scaffolding and support systems, and progress monitoring.

Let's start with goal development processes. Meaningful goal setting is a collaborative process that helps students transform vague intentions into specific, personally relevant targets.

Use guided discovery questions. Rather than telling students what their goals should be, ask questions that help them discover effective goals, such as "What specific outcome would make you feel proud of your learning in this course?" or "How does mastering this content connect to your career aspirations?"

Provide goal-setting frameworks. Teach students to create goals using structures like the SMART-ER criteria, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Exciting, and Reviewed.

As always, it’s also important for us to model the behavior in our classroom. Model the goal-setting process in your lessons. Share your own learning or professional goals with students, demonstrating how you make them specific, challenging, and personally meaningful. For example, "My goal this semester is to incorporate three new active learning strategies into each class session to improve student engagement."

We can facilitate peer goal sharing. Create structured opportunities for students to discuss their goals with classmates, refine their thinking, and build accountability partnerships that support mutual success.

Now, once students begin developing goals, they need explicit instruction and ongoing support to develop effective goal-setting skills. This brings us to scaffolding and support systems.

Teach goal-setting as a learnable skill. Dedicate time to explaining the difference between goals and wishes, demonstrating how to write effective goals, and providing practice opportunities with low-stakes assignments.

Provide goal-setting templates and checklists. Offer structured frameworks that guide students through identifying their primary goal, explaining why it matters personally, defining success indicators, planning action steps, anticipating challenges, and scheduling progress reviews.

Create regular check-in systems. Establish weekly progress touchpoints through surveys, discussion forum posts, or one-on-one conversations that help students reflect on their progress and adjust their approaches when needed.

It’s important to build self-efficacy systematically. Provide early success experiences, share examples of how past students achieved similar goals, and break complex goals into manageable milestones that build confidence over time.

Finally, effective goal setting requires ongoing attention to progress and willingness to adapt when circumstances change. This is where monitoring progress and adjusting accordingly become essential.

Establish clear progress indicators in your course. Help students identify specific, observable evidence that they're making progress toward their goals, such as completion of action steps, quality improvements in their work, or feedback from peers and instructors.

Normalize goal adjustment. Teach students that modifying goals based on new learning or changing circumstances is a sign of growth, not failure. You can provide frameworks for evaluating when and how to adjust goals while maintaining appropriate challenge levels.

Take time to celebrate progress and achievement. Regularly acknowledge student progress, not just their final achievements. Share success stories and help students recognize how their goal-setting skills are developing and transferring to other areas of their lives.

Connect goals to feedback. Use student goals to provide more targeted, meaningful feedback on their work and help them see how their efforts connect to their desired outcomes.

As you think about integrating this kind of goal setting into your courses, remember that this isn't about adding one more requirement to your syllabus. It's about teaching students a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives. When we help students transform their aspirations into specific, actionable plans, we're not just improving their performance in our courses. We're giving them tools for lifelong learning and professional success.

Thanks for joining me today as we explored UDL 3.0. Resources and further reading for today's episode can be found in our show notes. If today's episode inspired a change in your teaching practice, we'd love to hear about it. Connect with us at the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation at goodwin.edu.