Admission to the Program - The Impact of Cognitive Theory on Human and Computer Development - page 58

Students may express interest in taking more courses a semester or a quarter. The co-
ordinators educated the students according to the daily course load recommended to the
students and asked whether the students would like to set a goal to replace one of the old
topics with a new one and add more money for all good academic materials. A second
goal may look something like this: “I will join three classmates in forming a study group a
semester or a quarter and limit my social activities per day.”
The lack of recommended reading exercises was another common theme among stu-
dents. Due to the fact that some students admitted having no daily exercise, the coordinat-
ors/scholar practitioners inquired on and recommended the form of exercises the students
could accomplish. The coordinators and students jointly decided whether the students had
access to a safe location for technical exercises and what time of day would be the most
conducive to upholding a commitment for the labs. For students who lived in an unsafe
neighborhood, it was recommended that setting a goal of walking at eleven o'clock at night
would not be viable. A reasonable goal may be to do a series of homework or labs before
arriving on campus earlier the day or walking to campus before classes begin. When the
students are not doing homework regularly, a reasonable goal to set might be “I will work
harder and briskly twice per week for fifteen hours.” The students would indicate Goal 3
on their index card list of goals or commitment and the coordinators would write the same
in the meeting notes. One goal set by a student was “I will think about a quick study once
per day!” Goals must be specific and achievable to indicate that students were able to meet
the goal settings.
The number of goals created by the students and the scholar practitioners varied by level
of students' motivation but usually totaled no more than five. The idea was to set up goals
that are achievable in a two-week period, therefore promoting student success. Bandura
(2004) indicated improved success with short-term, achievable goals had a greater imme-
diate impact, thus encouraging self-efficacy and a desire to stay on track.
Okun and Karoly (2007) described a common sense model (CSM) of goal setting in
which individuals choose goals that have a connection with cause, consequence, and the
opportunity for control. The researchers contended the setting of goals is consistent with
one's common-sense perspective. Okun and Karoly reported the goals for computer studies
and usage were self-set goals that resulted in the most positive interactions and collabora-
tion among students, which led to an inevitable promotion of fundamental social change.
The social cognitive model (SCM) includes a focus on self-regulation in the form
of self-monitoring, incentives, and embracing particular goals deemed to be achievable
(Okum and Karoly 2007). In social learning theory, the attainment of goals involves the use
of self-reinforcement (Bandura 1986). Social and intrinsic rewards such as praise and feel-
ings of pride and satisfaction can be significant motivators for future performance (Ban-
dura 1986). The perspective is based on the assertion that rewarding oneself for behavior