SMARTER Goals

Element · All elements
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

SMARTER goals are a structured goal-setting element that asks learners to define goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, and revised or rewarded, depending on the local formulation. In this wiki, the main instructional value of SMARTER goals is not the acronym itself but the discipline it brings to making goals concrete enough to monitor and adjust.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• A meaningful learning target that can be broken into observable progress markers
• Time to define the goal clearly and revisit it later
• Some mechanism for evaluation, feedback, or revision

Constraints

• Overly rigid templates can produce compliant wording without genuine commitment
• Not every worthwhile learning goal is equally easy to quantify
• Goals need monitoring and feedback to matter instructionally

Target Learners

• Learners building self-regulation and planning habits
• Novices who benefit from proximal, concrete targets
• Adults or adolescents managing longer learning sequences

Target Learning Goals

• Making goals interpretable and trackable
• Supporting progress monitoring and revision
• Turning vague aspiration into a usable plan

Affordances

• Clarifies what success looks like
• Supports monitoring, feedback, and persistence
• Helps instructors and learners align on the next step

Claims

• ADHD coaching helped college students with ADHD set more specific goals broken into component steps with incremental deadlines [+W]

Related Elements

• Assessment
• Feedback
• Reassessment

Patterns That Use This Element

• Game-Based Mastery Learning (e.g., Duolingo Pattern)

Examples

• A learner defines a weekly writing goal with a concrete output and review checkpoint
• A class uses SMARTER templates to plan progress toward a project milestone
• An instructor conferences with learners around specific, trackable revision goals

Key Sources

• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
• Zimmerman, B. J., & Kitsantas, A. (1999). Acquiring writing revision skill: Shifting from process to outcome self-regulatory goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 241-252. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.2.241

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	element
id	smarter-goals
title	SMARTER Goals
description	SMARTER goals are a structured goal-setting element that asks learners to define goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, and revised or rewarded, depending on the local formulation.
status	review
canonical	True
generated	by codex/unspecified on 2026-04-07
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	2 — locke-2002, zimmerman-1999

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