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The ARCS Between 

Motivation & Learning 

Halah Mohammed

It is Friday evening, and you are attending a 1-hour long training about creating online learning. The presenter clicks through slides highlighting some of the benefits of online learning and at the end gives everyone a handout that lists some of the latest platforms that could be used to teach students online. On a scale of 1-10 (1 - not likely and 10 - very likely), how likely are you to remember and apply what you learned in the training?

"Not likely" might be a generous response. The training was too quick, you didn’t get a chance to try out the suggested resources, and you probably zoned out after slide 7 (I know I did!). Simply put, the training was boring and not motivating enough for you to engage with it.

Motivation 

Motivation is what pushes and propels a learner into and through a learning experience. It is what incites and sustains a learners’ engagement. Without it, learning may occur, but it may not be as deep or rewarding of an experience as it could be.

It is important to note that not every form of motivation is the same. There is extrinsic or external motivation, like the Covid-19 Pandemic that prompted many instructors to learn how to teach remotely. There is also the intrinsic or internal motivation like Professor Jason Haffner’s research and innovation “with online delivery in [Rice’s] non-credit offerings before the pandemic” (Fitzgerald, 2022). Most instructional design and HPI practitioners consider intrinsic motivation to be more powerful in engaging a learner because it is self-activated, and I agree with them. At the same time, I also think both types of motivation are necessary for capturing a learner’s attention initially and potentially indefinitely.

For example, in a survey studying the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning in higher education, “four in five instructors said they had participated in professional development for digital learning to prepare for the [2020 fall semester]” (Lederman, 2020). The survey was taken after the instructors’ initial experience teaching virtually in the spring. Their interests in creating more and potentially better online learning could be the result of extrinsic or intrinsic motivating factors, such as the ongoing pandemic, their self-imposed desire to create more engaging online learning, or their institutions since “more than half of instructors credited their institutions with providing sufficient training for the fall” (Lederman, 2020).

As instructors’ motivation to learn about online learning increases, the demand for training on online learning will also increase. I think leveraging instructors’ motivation will be key to designing learning experiences that keep them engaged and excited about online learning. But how?

ARCS Model Graphic by Halah Mohammed 

ARCS Theory & Model Applied

One way to do it is through John Kellers’ adult learning theory and model, ARCS.

The acronym ARCS stands for attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction, which are four components of motivation that need to be activated to engage the learner and make learning happen (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). When applied to designing training for online learning, it could look like:

Attention 

The trainer could gather instructors’ attention by capturing their curiosity. The trainer could share information about online learning that the instructors may not be aware of. For example, did you know that online learning could attract a more diverse population of learners because it is not bound to one physical setting, style of teaching, and sometimes time? In this example, the trainer uses extrinsic motivation, the potential to connect with and teach students from a myriad of backgrounds to hold the attention of instructors. 

Relevance  

The instructor could activate relevance by surveying Instructors on what interests them most about online learning before the training and include that information in the training. In this example, the trainer capitalizes on intrinsic motivation to engage the learner. 

Confidence

Adults tend to be driven by their egos as they learn, which means they often try to avoid mistakes or opportunities in which they look incompetent (Rothwell, 2020). Keeping this in mind, it will be important for the trainer to set up a supportive learning environment to boost instructor confidence. One way to do that is to provide textual and visual support for complex processes or procedures such as how to use video conferencing software and learning management systems to create effective online learning. With these aids, instructors are more equipped to confidently practice translating their own course designs into virtual formats. 

Satisfaction 

Satisfaction in ARCS is not just the happiness of the learner, but also the satisfaction of the performance goal (Steiha, n.d.). For example, the trainer could provide opportunities for instructors to show off what they have learned in the class by having instructors present on their in-progress or complete online learning course designs and give constructive feedback to each other. The trainer could also evaluate the instructors’ satisfaction with the training through reflective discussions and surveys. Finally, the trainer could set up a virtual community of practice that the instructors could engage with after the training. By doing this, the trainer moves the instructor from a state of satisfaction into a state of curiosity and motivation again. 

Through ARCS, motivation begets learning and learning begets motivation. Unlike the training I describe at the beginning of this blog post, ARCS uses motivation to make a training on online learning engaging, supportive, deep, and rewarding. Now that you know about the two types of motivation and how motivation can be  utilized to design learning experiences through the ARCS theory and model, how can you use motivation to craft your next learning project? 

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