08/16/2022
Setting Practitioner Goals for the Academic Year
Written by Courtney Cullen
As many of us ready ourselves for the fall semester in the coming weeks, faculty are designing syllabi and students are anxiously mapping out daily schedules. Meanwhile, academic integrity practitioners are … wrapping up summer misconduct cases waiting for the fall breaches to roll in.
Instead of dwelling on the number of incoming cases, I am choosing to focus on the goals my office has to educate students on campus. Using the GOST method that my spouse uses to teach his students, I am creating goals for outreach. GOST breaks down goals into objectives, strategies, and tactics. Starting with the goal, this overarching, high-level concept is where I began the process. I then developed my objectives for this goal. In other words, what were specific and measurable targets that will help me reach my goal. These three objectives each have their own strategies, or plans of action, for reaching them. In turn, each strategy has its own tangible and specific action item(s).
If you are like me, you might find this visualization more helpful:
The steps for GOST – with examples from my own list – are below:
G: goal – Main, overarching target
Improve student awareness and understanding of academic integrity on campus
O: objectives – Specific & measurable target
O1: Double the number of peer educators for fall 2023 enrollment
O2: Increase the number of peer-to-peer education contact hours by 25% in the fall and spring semesters compared to the previous year
O3: Increase faculty utilization of the online module by 50% in the fall and spring semesters compared to the previous year
S: strategies – Plan of action
O1-S1: Create pipeline between administrators and incoming students looking for extracurriculars
O1-S2: Develop communication strategy for program promotion
O2-S3: Develop content strategy for additional peer-to-peer education events
O2-S4: Coordinate additional opportunities for peer-to-peer education events
O3-S5: Communicate with faculty regarding the online academic integrity module
T: tactics – Tangible Actions
S1-T1: E-mail academic advisors with semester updates and information on what activities peer educators engage in with their fellow students
S1-T2: Request nominees from department chairs
S1-T3: Engage with former peer educators and ask them to promote the program to their internal networks
S2-T4: Partner with student organizations to use their social media for events and recruitment
S2-T5: Incentivize program participation
S3-T6: Work with peer educators to create games and interactive experiences for students
S4-T7: Liaise between peer educators and university offices to find spaces and dates to engage with students on academic integrity topics for a set number of contact hours
S5-T8: Send information to faculty using department chairs, faculty newsletters, and internal correspondence lists
S5-T9: Follow up with faculty that use the module for suggestions for improvement/facilitating what would help them continue to use and promote the module in their circles
Share your goals on Facebook, Instagram, or on Twitter. Tell us what you are planning to make your year a success!
Interested in GOST? These websites may help you:
- https://www.communiquepr.com/goals-objectives-strategies-and-tactics-discerning-the-micro-from-the-macro/15419/
- https://www.prcouture.com/how-to-write-fashion-pr-goals-objectives-strategies-and-tactics/
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