Learning doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
In technology-mediated environments, motivation is often framed as something learners either have or don\u2019t have. In this course, we\u2019ll take a different approach:<\/p>\n
Motivation in a technology-mediated learning environment isn\u2019t solely a personal trait – it\u2019s something that emerges (or doesn\u2019t) from design.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
In a technology-mediated learning environment, motivation is often shaped by:<\/p>\n
Motivation often fades when learning feels disconnected, overly performative, or when learners are unsure what \u201csuccess\u201d looks like.<\/p>\n
There are many ways to understand motivation. This week, we\u2019ll focus on a few that are especially helpful for thinking about online and technology-mediated learning.<\/p>\n
Self-Determination Theory suggests that motivation is supported when three basic needs are met:<\/p>\n
Technology can support these needs – but it can also undermine them. Design decisions matter.<\/p>\n
From the Expectancy-Value Theory<\/a> of motivation, learners are more likely to engage when they believe they can succeed, and the learning is worth the time and effort.<\/p>\n Clear expectations, meaningful tasks, and transparent, well-explained and aligned assessment practices also all influence how learners experience motivation.<\/p>\n You may encounter Keller\u2019s ARCS model<\/a> as a practical way to think about motivation in learning design:<\/p>\n Rather than treating ARCS as a checklist, it\u2019s most useful when combined with what you know about your learners and their contexts.<\/p>\n Learning often involves questioning or letting go of what we thought we already knew. After watching the Backwards Bicycle video<\/a> in the \u201cWhy is learning hard?\u201d post, \u00a0you 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.<\/p>\n In technology-mediated environments – where feedback may be delayed and learning can feel more solitary – \u00a0this 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.<\/p>\n As you move through this course, you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n Designing for motivation isn\u2019t about bonus points, badges, or other rewards. It\u2019s about crafting learning environments where learners can experience agency, belonging, competence, and purpose.<\/p>\n For further exploration of Motivation, feel free to read this short chapter on Motivation Theories and Instructional Design <\/em><\/a>from the \u00a0Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: The Past, Present, and Future of Learning and Instructional Design Technology\u00a0<\/em>textbook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learning doesn\u2019t 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… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learning-motivation-and-theory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2537,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/2537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci335\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}ARCS Model (Keller)<\/h3>\n
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Motivation, Unlearning, and Discomfort<\/h3>\n
Designing for Motivation (Looking Ahead)<\/h3>\n
Optional<\/h5>\n