E-learning Motivation
The key to e-learning, what can make and break the essence of e-learning, is motivation. The responsibility of the learning is placed on the shoulders of the learner, and because of this, they have to be motivated. They can not rely on an instructor or teacher to do the motivating. Developers of e-learning work very hard to make programs and courses engaging in order to keep the student motivated, and the motivation cannot simply be to “pass a test” at the end. It must be a deeper motivation in order for the learning to be effective. They will often consider the learners' reasons and interests for taking the course and what they hope to gain by completing the course. These answers help in the creation of the learning.
The key to e-learning, what can make and break the essence of e-learning, is motivation. The responsibility of the learning is placed on the shoulders of the learner, and because of this, they have to be motivated. They can not rely on an instructor or teacher to do the motivating. Developers of e-learning work very hard to make programs and courses engaging in order to keep the student motivated, and the motivation cannot simply be to “pass a test” at the end. It must be a deeper motivation in order for the learning to be effective. They will often consider the learners’ reasons and interests for taking the course and what they hope to gain by completing the course. These answers help in the creation of the learning.
John Keller, a doctor at Florida State University, created a model for motivation in the 1970s because he believed the key to learning was not so much in the learners’ abilities, but in their motivation. His model is coined the ARCS model, short for Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction.
If a learner feels there is no relevance, he or she will have no motivation to continue the learning process. In a healthcare program, perhaps it’s a program about how to correspond with patients patiently. Or in a sales program, perhaps it’s how to sell to the difficult buyer. Each of these has a clear goal that if achieved, can be applied in day to day activities for people in those particular fields.
Confidence follows relevance. Learners need to begin a program with confidence that they can complete it, and not just complete it, but complete successfully in a timely manner. If the course appears too difficult or time-consuming, motivation will be stripped before the learning even begins to learn.
And the last part of Keller’s model of motivation is satisfaction. At the end, learners must feel satisfaction in the completion of the experience. Perhaps it’s a certificate. Perhaps there are external rewards such as a pay increase or a supervisor’s recognition and praise. All of these satisfy the learner and increase the probability of them doing a similar kind of learning in the future.
Developers will often consider this model as they craft an e-learning program. But, it’s also helpful for learners to keep this in mind as they begin an online learning course. It reminds them of the importance of motivation.
Attention is the most important aspect of the model. It refers to the gaining and keeping of the learner’s attention, and this is often done through different types of e-learning such as games, simulations, discussion groups and tests.
Next is relevance. Learners want to know what they will get out of the learning, how it will help or benefit them in the future.
Posted on April 14, 2006 at 4:55 PM
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