Motivating Learners

Learning development is often based solely on gaps between what learners are believed to know and the learning objectives.

In the 1970’s, a learning researcher, John Keller, was frustrated with this point of view and began looking at success factors. He surmised that the effort level a learner applied to learning was a significant factor in the resulting success of the learning. His theories about the importance of motivation have since become an accepted key aspect of learning strategies.

To demonstrate his theories and present an example to follow, Keller developed the ARCS Model. ARCS stands for the four key pieces and include: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction. Knowledge about the learners and learning context is vital to any motivational strategy.

The ARCS model applies to the design of a single instruction or a program of various instruction pieces. It is classified as pre-instruction, in that it is presented to learners prior to the actual learning.

ARCS Model

Attention: In order for a student to take interest you need their attention. Methods used to get a learner’s attention depend on the learning environment. Questions, mental challenges, and human-interest stories are often used.

Relevance: Learners need to understand how the learning is important to them. How does it fit into their personal goals and objectives?

Confidence: Learners need to feel that they can master the objectives and that the learning is not a waste of their time. Learners reviewing a program description may not participate or apply themselves if they feel that they are not advanced enough to keep up or if they feel that they already know the objectives. It is very important to align the objectives of a course or program with the knowledge base of the learners.

Satisfaction: Learners are often motivated by the support and rewards for learning within their environment. It is rarely the intrinsic value of mastering a new skill that truly motivates a learner to learn.

The ARCS model is just one opinion aimed at improving the success of any learning strategy. There are many others. However, motivation is considered by most to represent one of the most important, if not the most important factor to learning success.

Learn more from the Educational & Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University where John Keller is listed as part of the faculty: http://www.epls.fsu.edu//.