Intended Learning Outcomes
Overall goals:
Learning does not occur by accident! In this module, we hope to empower you to take greater ownership of your learning, set strategic goals with a defined pathway to achieving them, and develop increased autonomy.
Short-term learning outcomes:
1) Use the concept of self-regulated learning and its associated 3-phase learning cycle to:
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- Describe self-regulated learning in your own words
- Describe each of the three phases of the self-regulated learning cycle in your own words
- Identify common myths about learning
- Self-assess study habits and thinking
- Rate personal feelings towards a course
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2) Use the concept of mindfulness to:
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- Develop and practice your present-time awareness
- Recognize that thoughts and feelings are natural products of the mind, and by exercising control, you can let them pass without becoming entangled or distracted
- Learn to not be overpowered by emotions or thoughts in directing your actions
- Practice developing mindful awareness through meditation activities
- Incorporate mindfulness into daily activities
- Apply the mindfulness skills learned in the Growth & Goals module to future courses and life challenges
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3) Use the concept of mindset to:
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- Describe a growth and fixed mindset in your own words
- Identify growth and fixed mindset statements
- Transform fixed mindset statements into growth mindset statements
- Construct strategies to deal with failure and build resiliency (Note: this learning outcome is currently not addressed but will be added to the module)
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4) Use goal-setting skills to:
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- Identify and construct SMART goals
- Construct a personalized schedule for a university semester to achieve goals
- Define and refine your priorities and use them to set your own goals for a course or personal endeavour
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5) Use the concept of metacognition to:
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- Rate your current ability towards the course’s learning outcomes and provide an explanation for your rating
- Identify resources and strategies that you will use to reach your goals
- Explain to what extent the skills acquired from the module can be used in other settings
- Apply skills from the Growth & Goals module to other courses and life challenges (Note: this learning outcome is currently not addressed but will be added to the module)
- Describe the course’s intended learning outcomes in your own words (Note: this learning outcome is currently not addressed but will be added to the module)
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Long-term learning outcomes:
Learners who complete this module will ideally use the new concepts and skills in new contexts, develop greater self-awareness, ability to self-correct and self-monitor, set and achieve SMART goals in any aspect of their lives, develop greater efficacy for learning, experts in their own learning, become better able to embrace and take risks, including accepting failure and bouncing back (resiliency).
What are your intended learning outcomes for the module?
In this section, write down the learning outcomes you wish to achieve with this module by referring back to the list of intended learning outcomes we provided. Re-read the list and reflect on which learning outcomes you feel you need to focus on, or which outcomes you feel would be especially valuable to you and your learning.
If you are using the PDF version or are unable to access the interactive activity, don’t worry! Write your answers on paper.
Be sure to write these intended learning outcomes down and save them in a safe place, or copy the text into a document to save to your device. You will refer back to these learning outcomes later to see if you have met your personal goals!
Now that you have written down your goals, let’s take a look at the knowledge, strategies, and approaches that will help you reach them.
The demonstrable (outwardly visible) products of learning, which can include knowledge, skills, and values.
Self-regulated learning can be achieved through the SRL cycle. The SRL cycle allows you to take strategic control of how you approach your goals and be prepared and willing to face any challenges and seize any opportunities that might arise as you work to make your goals your reality. SRL is achieved in three phases: reflect, plan, and act. Ideally, you should repeat this cycle multiple times as you create goals and tackle challenges.
The ability to be aware of present-time and remain aware throughout your day-to-day experiences. Mindfulness is the ability to resist distraction and temptations, and to remain present and focused on the task at hand. This skill also allows you to control your emotions and respond in a skillful way to emotionally challenging situations, rather than react automatically without careful thinking or emotional control. The skills needed for mindfulness are developed through practice. You must start with simple activities to develop mindful awareness in a variety of situations. Meditation is a common activity to practice awareness and to focus on the present.
Present-time awareness involves letting go of all of the distractions that are an inherent part of life and instead focusing on what is happening in the present. To be aware of the present one must push away incoming thoughts about future worries or tasks and instead focus only on what is happening in the present. To develop this awareness you will practice mindful qualities throughout the module.
As stated by Carol Dweck in Mindset: "Mindsets are beliefs – beliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities and abilities.” Identifying your current mindset is essential to guide and take control of your learning. Working towards a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset means you will be more open and hard-working and will allow you to be more motivated and dedicated to your goals, studies, and work.
SMART goals can be used in all aspects of your life and allow you to develop your goals into actionable statements that you can work towards, rather than goals that seem overwhelming or difficult. There are five components to a SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Reachable, and Time Specific.
Metacognition requires you to think about your own thinking and is separated into two parts - knowing what you know and deciding what to do for your learning. This skill is essential for identifying how well you know the prerequisite knowledge, developing study strategies, and learning how to schedule your time.
Self-monitoring involves monitoring your progress towards your goals and making any adjustments you feel are necessary. This technique also involves using metacognition to evaluate your learning and decide what to do to improve your learning. Self-monitoring is key to reaching your goals and it allows you to stay on track.
The capacity to embrace and accept failure as a part of learning and bounce back. Resiliency applies to your course work, midterms or exams, personal challenges, and other aspects of life.
