How to Increase Student Motivation in VLEs

Huitt, W. (2011). Motivation to learn: An overview. Educational Psychology Interactive. [Infographic]

How to Increase Student Motivation in VLEs

Beyond the fact that learners need to be motivate in online learning, there are different ways to encourage them to learn through the creation of a class learning community, by involving students in course decisions in terms of content to be covered, and with the setting of clear expectations for student work and communication. Nonetheless, learner motivation in VLEs can also be increased by means of making resources relevant to their way of learning and of providing good feedback.

The relevance of resources is connected to how today’s learners are immersed in the media. 21^st Century students differ from the learning standards of previous decades such as the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s. With the presence of the Web 2.0 the learning and teaching panorama have changed exponentially; the Internet and its paramount contributions to education nowadays are the cornerstones of 21^st Century learning. Having in mind these facts, it is necessary to consider that online instruction requires appealing Web resources that can keep students engaged and motivated to complete and fulfill course learning goals. The challenging part in resources decision-making is on the hands of the instructor who needs to understand students’ learning styles and preferences and the ways they learn nowadays.

school-teacher-student-motivation-resources-courses.com (n.d.) FreePoster2 [Poster].

If the search of relevant sources is a must, giving good feedback to one’s students is vital. Feedback has a profound impact on student motivation. Due to feedback, learners can get more excited about their learning, or it can have the opposite effect: they can get fully discouraged. Feedback frequency is really decisive in VLEs since students require rapid communication and responsiveness. This type of speed feedback can even guarantee teacher presence in online teaching scenarios and student motivation. But feedback must also be focused. If not targeted appropriately, feedback that is directed towards student intelligence or talent is futile. Teachers’ comments must be aimed at helping students develop their strategies when dealing with the work process and at praising them for their efforts in completing coursework.

In my personal current and future teaching situation, the use of motivational techniques with my students is crucial. In my empirical hybrid courses I have steadily tried to always incorporate relevant resources for my pupils so they can achieve the course learning goals satisfactorily. Among those online assets provided to my students, I have tried to provide audio, video, interactive tools, PDF files, eBooks, etc. My courses are now a blend of class discussion (pair work, group work, and teacher’s talks) and online work to produce a final product that is always done online and delivered through our Moodle platform. As soon as papers are delivered, I have also tried to be a speedy teacher providing feedback or guidance, whether that is by means of the class LMS or by talking to students F2F. The use of these techniques in student motivation can keep learners focused, satisfied, and willing to continue acquiring knowledge.

Heick, T. (2013, Sept. 20). A Framework for Student Motivation in a Blended Classroom [Infographic]. Retrieved on May 11, 2014 from the Te@chThought Website: http://www.teachthought.com/learning/framework-student-motivation-blended-classroom/

Huitt, W. (2011). Motivation to learn: An overview. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved on May 11, 2014 from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/motivation/motivate.html

school-teacher-student-motivation-resources-courses.com (n.d.) FreePoster2 [Poster]. Retrieved on May 11, 2014 from http://www.school-teacher-student-motivation-resources-courses.com/freemotivationalposters.html

  

? To fully comprehend the scope of this teaching reflections, it is highly advisable that the following topics must be expanded further:

·         Class learning communities

·         Web resources for online education

·         Web2.0 Teacher trainings

·         eBooks in online learning

Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano ELT Trainer, Instructor & Curriculum Developer based in Costa Rica Active NCTE – Costa Rica Member Resource Teacher & Curricular Developer at CCCN Senior ELT Instructor at Universidad Latina, Costa Rica, since 1998 Contact Information: Twitter @jonacuso Email: jonacuso@gmail.com

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Article published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014

How to quote this blog entry:

Acuña, J. (2014, May 13). Challenges of Student-Centered Learning. Retrieved from Reflective Online Teaching Website: http://reflective-online-teaching.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-to-increase-student-motivation-in.html

How to increase student motivation in vl es from jonacuso

Heick, T. (2013, Sept. 20). A Framework for Student Motivation in a Blended Classroom [Infographic].