Interesting, I have never taught a class where I didn't have direct experience, must be difficult without it.
I think providing detailed feedback both positive and constructive on assignments in a timely manner is a good motivator. Also returning emails or phone calls within 24-48 hours is also important. I think it is a little different with online students. Also, if I see a student not completing assignments, I reach out with an email asking if there is anything I can do to help. The ability to perhaps catch a student before class or after class is not really available to an online instructor. Where I teach we do have live interaction but you can't really reach out to one student, you would make the issue public, which I don't think is a good idea.
I show my students alot of examples of art, i.e., paintings, sculpture, architecture, craft, graphic, fashion, music, and literature. I do this to show them how artistic ideas can influences all art forms.
stress the final goal regularly and always
give the "why"
Hi Elizabeth,
You are inspiring your students through listening and support. They know you want them to be successful and you are showing them that they can be as illustrated by your own college experience. This is what motivates students to keep trying in spite all the everyday challenges that come up in their lives.
Gary
Hi Michael,
With this approach your students can see application in a number of different ways and settings. This is what makes the content come alive. Before they know it they are going to be using math they never felt comfortable with before in their everyday lives because you have reduced the fear factor for them.
Gary
The best way I have found is to ask them questions. I teach an introductory course where many of the assignments ask students to identify their goals and create support systems to overcome obstacles. So, some of their information is provided to me in the assignments. I use that to ask them open ended questions. For example, I had a student who was coming back to school for Paralegal Studies to get a better job for her family. I asked her what offices in her area she had looked at so far. The more she spoke the more detailed she became and you could see her excitement increase. She came back to me a few times that session to give me new information about jobs in her area. by keeping her eye on the job market, she motivated herself to keep going. I don't believe that you can really provide motivation - just guide people to their own impulses. I also found that talking about my graduation seems to help people tune into their motivation. When I talk about my son wearing my mortar board around the house, I suddenly have students telling me about how their kids, parents, spouses will act at their graduation. Visualization is motivating. I think the important thing is to interact with the student until they reveal what motivates them.
I am also teaching Math and find that asking them to bring examples really helps to motivate them.
During these times, using examples that involve personal finances (especially budgets and paying bills) often work as well.
And when I need examples of fractions there's always cooking and baking.
I try to make all of my courses have real life examples. I am a chemist so that is easy for me. I am teaching math right now and find that students don't know how much math they really know. Each class I have them bring examples from the news and internet of math situations that they encounter everyday, such as stock market, weather report, sports statistics, etc.
Hi Elizabeth,
This is so important because for most students it doesn't take long before they forget the reason they enrolled in college. They get so bogged down with everyday life that learning starts to slip off their "to do" list so a reminder helps to get them back on course.
Gary
Hi Carrie,
This is how you get buy in from students. By being able to work on their own projects they get to see the value of the content they are learning.
Gary
know the meterals presented and being excited about the class yourself are great ways to mativate others to follow
I think it is helpful to talk about how what the students are learning in my course will be used in their profession. I am always trying to find assignments that have real world application for them. I think this helps them to feel better about the education they are getting and confidence that they will be able to do this in the "real" world.
Since my particular field is music production, I have plenty of examples and hands-on time.
In my classes, I usually show the students how to do something, with them following along, and then have them try it themselves.
Music is something almost everyone gets excited about (especially if they are taking a course in it!), so my main goal to keeping students motivated and excited is to show them results, and have fun!
Nothing is a bigger buzz-kill than a boring presentation about something potentially exciting, and what better way to present something than to have lots of hands-on time?
I find that the most motivating aspect for my students is the end result. I perfer to speak to career opportunities or graduation day. Often, I will mention my own goals and asperations. When I explain the things I had to go through to get my degrees, students seem to respond strongly. College/University is too expensive for most people to enroll in for no reason. They will often tell you what motivates them. Just remember it and remind them often.
I try to tailor their projects to their interests, if a student loves a specific area that we do not cover fully in the course I encourage them to expand upon that area in projects/assignments. Many students are more motivated to work on their projects and it fosters greater learning within the subject as well.
This is one of the most difficult tasks for an online instructor. Yes, cheering, and giving direction are good, but not enough. The methods to motivate in a conventional class are easier to apply. What else an instructor in an online setting could do?
Demonstrate real-world application of concepts from the course. This way students may see the value in developing similar competencies.
Hi Duane,
Right you are. This is what makes learning for adults so valuable. They are taking a risk by becoming students and then even more risk by being in classes with others where they risk failure in front of peers. This is why I admire adults learners so much. They put it all out there so they can improve their lives. This is why we need to support them in anyway we can to help them achieve their career goals.
Gary
Hi Duane,
You have to get the students to become invested in what they are learning and to see the outcome from their effort. You are doing all of this through your approach to instruction and the develop of student rapport.
Gary
