LibGuides: Self-management of expectations: What is a self-management of expectations?

What is self management of expectations?

Self-management

Self-management refers to strategies, techniques and approaches we use to direct our activities and behaviours effectively.

Being able to self-manage and take personal responsibility for your own future is one of the most valuable things you can do.

You should be able to set realistic goals and aim to reach them.

If you encounter some problems along the way, you should be able to recognise them and seek help and solutions to overcome them.

It is important to be clear about your expectations of what it is like to be in higher education.

It will help if your expectations are informed and realistic.

Do you have a clear idea about what is expected of you as a successful learner in higher education?
Have you a set of well defined, dynamic goals and a plan of how and when you will achieve them?

What might happen if my expectations and my reality are different?

If your expectations and your reality are different then there is a gap that could widen and impact negatively on your academic success. Here are some examples:

Expectation	Result	How to overcome this
Focusing on your employability at the end of the course	You may concentrate on merely passing assessments to get through the course	At University, you need to develop a deep approach to learning and trying to understand the course material
Lecturers will use similar teaching styles to those you experienced at school	Lecture material may not be as detailed as you expected	Engage with the material and fill in the gaps yourself
Overestimating the amount of contact time that will be offered at university and the role lecturers have for your learning	You see lecturers as being unavailable and unhelpful	You need to take responsibility for contacting lecturers and personal tutors with problems, as well as studying independently to fill in gaps

Resources used to inform this page:

Aalto University (n.d.) Self-management and time management. Available at: https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/study-skills (Accessed: 20 May 2020)
Eales, A. (2020) Supporting students to develop transition skills during times of uncertainty. Available at: https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/ethemes/student-transitions/managing-my-expectations-at-university.doc (Accessed: 12 May 2020).
Hassel, S., and Ridout, N. (2018) 'An Investigation of First-Year Students' and Lecturers' Expectations of University Education', Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2218.
Trinity College, Dublin (2019) Self -Management. Available at: https://student-learning.tcd.ie/learning-resources/self-management/ (Accessed: 20 May 2020)

Potter's skill Effective self management relies on the following skills:

Clear and fact-based thinking
- the ability to separate personal interpretations and beliefs from facts
- See the LibGuides on Critical Thinking and Fake News for further help
Taking responsibility
- owning mistakes
- talking about how you have learned from them
- how mistakes have helped you develop professionally and academically
Initiative
- taking ownership of responsibilities
- responding to things without prompting from others
- ability to make decisions and seek the correct information to support them
- trust in your own judgement
Resilience
- ability to adapt and bounce back when things don't go as planned
- regulate your energy level and take care of your well-being - know when rest is needed
- recognise things that bring joy and challenge you positively
- See the Academic Resilience LibGuide for further information
Assertiveness
- listening but also ensuring that the best ideas are pushed forward in a sensitive and constructive manner.
Time management
- demonstrating how you currently plan work at university (e.g. using diary, scheduler, to do list)
- See the Time Management LibGuide for further help
Flexibility
- stepping in at short notice to cover for someone who is ill

Resources used to inform this page:

Aalto University (n.d.) Self-management and time management. Available at: https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/study-skills (Accessed: 20 May 2020).
City University (2020) Self-management and development. Available at: https://experience.city.ac.uk/develop-skills/self-management-development?page=2 (Accessed: 20 May 2020).

Resources used to inform this page:

Eales, A. (2020) Supporting students to develop transition skills during times of uncertainty. Available at: https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/news-events/news/blog-supporting-students-to-develop-transition-skills-during-times-of-uncertainty (Accessed: 12 May 2020).
Eales, A. (2020) Supporting students to develop transition skills during times of uncertainty. Available at: https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/ethemes/student-transitions/self-management-of-expectations-session-slides.pptx (Accessed: 12 May 2020).