Academic Leadership: Fundamental Building Blocks
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Goals, sometimes referred to as objectives, should be future focused and describe
the target you hope to achieve. As such, the goal should follow SMART principles:
SMART Principles
S Specific (is the goal detailed enough to ensure understanding of the direction a
group or individual needs to take?)
M Measurable (is the goal measurable? Can you develop ways of measuring whether
the goal has been achieved?)
A Achievable (Is the goal achievable? Can the individual or team achieve the goal or
is it highly unlikely?)
R Realistic (Is the goal framed in a way that it is realistic for the team or individual
to achieve?)
T Time (What is the time frame? Is it realistic for the goal to be achieved?)
Example of a POOR goal:
- To improve course evaluation ratings by students.
Example of a GOOD (SMART) goal:
- To increase student based course evaluation ratings in the Bachelor of Marketing
Course in Semester 2 by 10% in comparison to Semester 1 results.
This goal is:
- more specific
- measurable
- achievable
- realistic
- it has a time frame specified.
