Case+Scenario

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. **Albert Einstein**

//A student in your online course has not been involved much during the first half of the course. The student’s assignments are turned in at the last moment, and, upon grading, receive low scores. The student’s group interactions are minimal, and some group members have complained as well. The interaction of the student in the discussion forum is basic. How would the instructor help motivate the student to be more interactive in the classroom and improve academically?//

Murphy & Rodriguez-Manzanares conducted a study on motivating students in distance learning in a high school scenario. The study states most learners who experience success in distance learning are self-motivated and have tremendous self-discipline and time management skills. Distance learning faculty must be creative in finding meaningful ways to improve student meaningful participation. The Murphy and Rodriguez-Manzanares research describes several areas of consideration when it comes to motivating the reluctant learner. These areas include but are not limited to: building personal relationships, including humor, tone of voice, face-to-face meetings, teacher feedback, teacher-initiated communication and a strong tracking system. Team Orange identified five key areas to address issues with unmotivated students.
 * **Personal Communication and Relationships**
 * Sincere, personalized communication from the instructor is essential from the very beginning of the course.
 * Understanding why a student is struggling, what is going on in his or her life that is keeping the student from doing his or her best learning in an important component of understanding one’s students
 * Developing a personal relationship based on commonalities outside the course are beneficial when it comes to helping the instructor understand what a student’s issue might be in a course.
 * Grades do not motivate everyone. Appealing on a personal level may be more beneficial to the student who does not care about an A versus a B, but is willing to work for the betterment of his or her team members and classmates.
 * Alternative contact, such as a video chat or a telephone call provide students with a voice. Tone is important in terms of stressing items of importance and conveying an attitude of caring and can help ease anxiety.


 * **Extrinsic Motivation**
 * Instructors have the right and responsibility to tailor instruction to fit student needs. Alternative assessments, differentiated grading systems, or extra credit might be offered to a student based on increased participation and quality work.
 * Applying a course directly to a student’s personal future may increase motivation


 * **Engagement**
 * B. Jean Mandernach, Director of Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching at Grand Canyon University states in “Indicators of Engagement in the Online Classroom,” “...Research overwhelmingly supports the value of engagement for promoting student achievement and retention.” Instructors must ascertain the reason (or reasons) for the lack of engagement in order to begin providing the appropriate support for the student.
 * Help students understand the real life application of a certain problem or assignment. A task that is applicable or meaningful to a student’s own life will often have a higher rate of completion


 * **Outside Help**
 * Instructors may or may not be able to develop a personal relationship with every student in a course. It is essential to remember that not every personality clicks. In some cases, it might be best to contact a guidance counselor, academic advisor, or past instructor (if possible) with whom the student did have a good relationship. Someone else may have already established a meaningful bond with a student that is the key to refocusing and motivating him as a learner.


 * **Clearly Communicated Expectations**
 * Communication early and often is essential.
 * Providing specific examples of what is expected is always helpful. It is possible that the student did not understand what was expected of him. Eliminate ambiguity as an excuse.
 * Specific, timely feedback on what was done correctly and what needs to be improved helps students see what to do differently next time.
 * Provide more structure for group projects by incorporating scaffolded activities or assigning specific jobs with their own specific expectations.
 * If a student is motivated by grades, it may suffice to point out their current grade and how the quality of their current work may affect that grade either positively or negatively.

Inspiring students to work to their full potential is a lofty task attributed to every educator. Using the identified strategies will decrease the likelihood that a student will fall behind his or her peers. The members of Team Orange recognize and encourage every educator to remember, however, that every learner is different. A one size fits all method of motivating learners does not exist. Flexibility, personal relationships, and understanding are essential ingredients to motivating all students to learn and work to the best of their abilities.

The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. **John Lubbock**

Murphy, E., & Rodríguez-Manzanares, M. A. (2009). Teachers' Perspectives on Motivation in High School Distance Education. //Journal Of Distance Education//, //23//(3), 1-24.

**NOTE: All individual team member contributions can be viewed in the Team Orange CLC Discussion Forum**