Learning doesn’t happen in isolation. Whether learners engage, persist, or quietly disappear from a learning space is deeply influenced by how learning experiences are designed, the contexts learners bring with them, and the technologies that mediate the experience.

In technology-mediated environments, motivation is often framed as something learners either have or don’t have. In this course, we’ll take a different approach:

Motivation in a technology-mediated learning environment isn’t solely a personal trait – it’s something that emerges (or doesn’t) from design.

Even highly motivated learners can disengage when learning feels irrelevant, isolating, confusing, or overly controlled. At the same time, well-designed learning environments can support motivation even when content is challenging.

Rethinking Motivation in ANY Learning Environment

Think back to the last time you felt genuinely invested in learning something new. What were you learning? What kept you going when it got difficult?

In a technology-mediated learning environment, motivation is often shaped by:

  • Whether the learning feels relevant to a learners’ lives or professional contexts
  • The degree of choice and flexibility learners have
  • How supported learners feel as they develop confidence and competence
  • Whether learners experience a sense of connection or belonging
  • How progress, effort, and success are made visible

Motivation often fades when learning feels disconnected, overly performative, or when learners are unsure what “success” looks like.

A Few Ways to Think About Motivation

There are many ways to understand motivation. This week, we’ll focus on a few that are especially helpful for thinking about online and technology-mediated learning.

Self-Determination Theory

Self-Determination Theory suggests that motivation is supported when three basic needs are met:

  • Autonomy: feeling a sense of choice and agency
  • Competence: feeling capable and supported as you learn
  • Relatedness: feeling connected to others

Technology can support these needs – but it can also undermine them. Design decisions matter.

Expectancy–Value Theory

From the Expectancy-Value Theory of motivation, learners are more likely to engage when they believe they can succeed, and the learning is worth the time and effort.

Clear expectations, meaningful tasks, and transparent, well-explained and aligned assessment practices also all influence how learners experience motivation.

ARCS Model (Keller)

You may encounter Keller’s ARCS model as a practical way to think about motivation in learning design:

  • Attention – How will learners’ interest be sparked and sustained?
  • Relevance – How is the learning meaningful?
  • Confidence – How does the design support self-efficacy?
  • Satisfaction – How do learners experience progress and accomplishment?

Rather than treating ARCS as a checklist, it’s most useful when combined with what you know about your learners and their contexts.

Motivation, Unlearning, and Discomfort

Learning often involves questioning or letting go of what we thought we already knew. After watching the Backwards Bicycle video in the “Why is learning hard?” post,  you may notice that this is why learners have to sometimes undo old understandings when confronted with new information. This process of unlearning can feel uncomfortable, especially when new ideas challenge deeply held assumptions.

In technology-mediated environments – where feedback may be delayed and learning can feel more solitary –  this discomfort can impact motivation. Designing for motivation means acknowledging that learning can be challenging and supporting learners through that challenge, rather than trying to eliminate it altogether.

Designing for Motivation (Looking Ahead)

As you move through this course, you’ll be asked to think critically about how motivation is shaped by design decisions, influenced by technology selection, supported (or not!) by assessment and experienced differently by each learner.

Designing for motivation isn’t about bonus points, badges, or other rewards. It’s about crafting learning environments where learners can experience agency, belonging, competence, and purpose.

Optional

For further exploration of Motivation, feel free to read this short chapter on Motivation Theories and Instructional Design from the  Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: The Past, Present, and Future of Learning and Instructional Design Technology textbook.