2 - GROW your powers into goals

2 - A. Powerlevels:

Everyone has different skills and talents when they start their journey. Some people already know about X, some others about Y. Where do you stand on the ladder? What is within your power and reach?

Look at the competencies (see 1. Call to Adventure)...What skills do you already have that match them? Don’t think you start from zero, it’s not only about using tools or knowing code. Everyone has a form of creativity and social skills for example. And what about self-fashioning? What are you good at or are already able to do? If you would need to classify yourself from beginner, intermediate to advance, where do you stand with the competencies?

What activities are you looking forward doing this coming year? Can you describe what you would do during those activities? Think and write down at least two situations.

What things might be more difficult for you? Can you translate them in challenges? What will help you tackle those challenges and what are you going to do for that yourself?... that is what the next steps are for:

2 - B. GROW

It’s time to choose your goals and use your skills. Now you are going to shape and fit the CMGT competencies into the vision you aim for. Let’s use the GROW method for this!

GROW stands for: Goal, Reality, Options, Will/Way. It is a tool to make sure you plan your way to grow in the right manner that makes sure you can do it. You first describe a goal in detail, then look at what the current reality is, think about what your options are how to reach your goal and lastly make sure to commit to it, to find the will to do it. You can ask yourself the following questions:


Goal: what is your (specific/SMART formulated) goal exactly?

Reality: What can you already do, where are you in terms of your goal

Options: What are the ways to reach your goal, what kind of actions will you take?

Will/Way: Why do you want it? What will motivate you to actually do this?


Now take the list of competencies and use the GROW method for each of them. Don’t just copy-paste the competency as the goal, make them your own and cut them in realistic steps. How?


Example of a GROW goal:


Goal

In the coming block I want to be able to develop/program a simple one-level platform game by using Unity

Reality

I used programs like Game-maker or other simple applications. I did see some tutorials about Unity and I know what kind of game I’d like to create

Options

  • Do tutorial X & Y from the internet

  • Follow development lessons at Hanze

  • Ask help from classmate Z when I don’t know what to do

  • Become a member of online coding community 

  • Use free assets from a website

Will/Way

I will start doing tutorials in week 2, by week 4 I want to have a simple prototype. If it gets too difficult I will ask for help from a lecturer or another student in my team. I will keep myself motivated by making a game that I think is fun and that I will show to my brother once I’m done. 


Realistic steps:

It is important to cut a big goals in smaller steps that are doable, into challenges that you know you can take on. Besides that, for now you are setting goals for the first year first. Make use of the courses you have. The courses are already linked to the competencies, you can look it up on Blackboard or in the assignment rubric.


A way to make a goal achievable is to use the SMART acronym: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound


Specific:  

  • What do I want to accomplish?

  • Why is this goal important?

  • Who is involved?

  • Where is it located?

  • Which resources or limits are involved?

Measurable:

  • How much exactly are you going to do

  • How will you know it is done?   > make a definition of done


Achievable:

Do you think you can actually accomplish this goal, how realistic is it? Take into account the time and resources you have for it.


Relevant:

Is this a worthwhile goal for you or are you only doing it because it says so in the competency? Is this the right time to do it, does it match your current learning/skill-level? Should you actually do it anyway, do you need it?


Time-bound:

When will you be doing the actions, for how long, when will it be done, what can you do this week/today?


Save your GROW goals in a place that is easy accesible so that you can take a frequent look at them.