This study addressed how usability improvement and motivational design affect learners' motivation and learning performance in a self-paced, online learning environment. The study also investigated the interrelationships between commonly-used usability measures and the motivation measures based on Keller's ARCS model. A two-phase study approach was used. In Phase I, an existing self-paced, online safety training tutorial was used as the baseline. Two alternative designs were developed with improved usability and motivational design based on the ARCS model. In Phase II, the effects of the three interface designs were evaluated through a three-group, generalized randomized block covariate design experiment. A total of seventy-two college students (48 males and 24 females) participated in the usability testing and the online training session using one of the interface designs. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Results suggested a significant interface design effect on learner motivation. Learners who used the interface design with both usability improvement and motivational design applied (the UM group) showed the highest level of motivation. In particular, the attention level of the learners in the UM group was significantly higher than the baseline group. Results also indicated motivation differences between genders. Females showed higher scores than males in overall motivation score and in each of the four subscales of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. No significant difference in learning performance was found among the three treatment groups using different interface designs. None of the usability or motivation measures was a significant predictor of learning performance. Small to medium positive correlations were found between usability satisfaction and three motivation measures, i.e., attention, relevance and satisfaction. Content analysis identified a number of interface design components to be relevant to learners' motivation components: overall appearance, graphics/multimedia, text appearance, page layout, navigation, and paging/scrolling. Implications and design recommendations for online tutorial interface design were discussed. Additional discussion was provided regarding the online learning environment and the integration of usability, motivation, and instructional design and technology. / Ph. D.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether external conditions, in the form of an e-learning tool, impact the learning motivation of adult learners in a distance education environment. This study also tested the use of Voice-over-PowerPoint™ technology as a suitable medium to deliver motivational instruction as supplementary content to the course curriculum. This empirical study was conducted over a period of approximately two months on a sample of 57 adult learners who were enrolled for a distance education course for non-degree purposes at a tertiary education institution. Quantitative research methods were applied and data was collected using two motivation measuring surveys: (1) The Course Interest Survey, and (2) The Instructional Materials Motivation Survey, which were both developed by Keller. Motivational strategies were designed for the chosen educational technology, Voice-over-PowerPoint™ (VoP) videos, using Keller's Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (ARCS) model of motivation. These strategies were then delivered via the learner management system for learners to use at their convenience. This research suggests that overall, learner motivation can be affected by external conditions (VoP videos), and further supports the ARCS model. Furthermore, the use of VoP videos as a viable medium for delivering motivational strategies in a distance learning environment was validated. / Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Taxation / MCom / Unrestricted

Informed parent advocates are essential to planning the educational outcomes of their children with special needs in the K through 12 public school system. However, inappropriate instructional techniques used in advocacy training may reduce trainees' learning outcomes by adding complexity and increasing cognitive load. This study examined whether using worked examples to break down complex problems into component parts to build long term schema could lower cognitive load and thus improve learning outcomes for parent advocacy trainees. Based on cognitive load theory, this 2 x 3 factorial design study examined the efficacy of noninteractive video lessons for parent trainees using worked examples to reduce extraneous cognitive load. Research questions explored the relationships between the independent variables of using worked examples and parents' perceived class relevance on the dependent variable, change in cognitive load of parent trainees, as well as the interaction between training type and perceived class relevance. Two groups of 65 adults in advocacy training (N = 130) participated in a video lesson in either the worked examples or nonworked examples format as part of their advocacy training. The NASA Task Load Index and the Perceived Class Relevance Survey instruments were used to measure cognitive load of trainees and perceptions of training relevance. Key findings included a significant main effect between the use of worked examples and change in cognitive load and significant interaction effects with the perception of class relevance. Training was developed for advocacy trainers in the use of worked examples for learners new to a domain. Implications for social change include improved learning outcomes for parents who must learn IEP terminology in beginning classes to effectively advocate for their children.

This dissertation investigated relevant issues among undergraduate students at two institutions and how these issues could be incorporated into an introductory personal health course. By illustrating how these issues can attract student attention, relevancy, confidence, and satisfaction, educators can make these introductory personal health courses more responsive, thereby increasing student motivation to learn. This study used a qualitative research design. Focus groups and interviews were conducted in order to gain insight into issues students felt were relevant to their lives, their satisfaction with their personal health course, and how these courses could be updated in terms of content and delivery. The ARCS Model of Motivation was used as a theoretical framework for development of questions as well as to organize emergent themes. This model has been shown to increase student motivation to learn, and the current study aimed to expand this to include health courses, which could lead to an increase in adopting healthier or risk-reductive behaviors. After five focus groups and two interviews, data saturation was met, and analysis was conducted. Findings indicate a strong desire among undergraduate students for a larger focus of content to include mental health issues (e.g., stress, time management, pressure, and healthy coping mechanisms), physical health issues, and harm reductive issues surrounding the areas of sexual health and alcohol and substance use. Additionally, students reported better recall and a preference for active learning over a more didactic method of instruction. By understanding relevant issues facing college students and incorporating those within an introductory personal health course, educators can enhance the responsiveness of these courses by illustrating relevancy of topics and teaching students how they can confidently learn to adopt healthy behaviors and practice harm reduction. This is particularly useful among undergraduate students as they are in a time of transition and emerging adulthood and are willing to learn and establish new patterns of behaviors. If educators can balance what they as experts want students to know and what students say are relevant to their lives and what they want to know, these introductory personal health courses could be an effective tool for increasing overall health and wellness of students.

Supporting retention, student success, and online enrollments are some of the most significant and challenging topics in higher education today. Students who fail to succeed early in their studies are less likely to be retained, and students in the online environment are more likely to fail than their campus counterparts. Motivational techniques have been shown to support course retention and success, but studies of online motivational course support methods are limited. Some evidence exists that motivational messages can affect student performance in online courses, but the message format that is most effective has yet to be definitively established. A survey research design was employed and quantitative and qualitative data were collected to determine how motivational messages and message type affect student performance and retention in an introductory online community college course. The population consisted of students in three sections of an introductory online IT course. The data included student course grades, final course scores, responses to three surveys, and the researcher's reflexive journal of motivational message design decisions made throughout the course. Due to low course participation levels and low survey return rates, only the descriptive data were reported. Additional exploration of the literature to explain low participation was sought. Potential causes for low survey return rates included low course participation, survey length, the number of survey contacts, inaccurate estimates of survey completion time, and the number of surveys deployed. To explain the low course participation, best practices with regard to online course design were identified in the literature and compared to the design of the course used in this study. Qualitative survey results and a reflexive journal of the researcher's design decisions are also presented. The results suggest that students liked the motivational messages. The reaction was stronger for the personalized messages than for the general, but this was not a conclusive finding. To the contrary the findings suggest that motivational messages (regardless of type) are not by themselves effective at engaging and retaining students and should not be used as a stand-alone motivational technique.

Although many researchers have pointed out that educational robots can motivate student learning, learning motivation inevitably declines over time. The sustainability of learning motivation is closely related to instructional strategies. In other words, appropriate instructional strategies are still essential to sustain a learner's learning motivation in robot-assisted instructions. The ARCS model provides systematic guidelines for enhancing and sustaining learning motivation; however, it provides very limited instructional practices in the model. Recent development in educational robot grows rapidly. A humanoid robot, which has a tangible and attractive body and limbs, is able to perform movements and gestures and to interact with its users. This study aims to develop instructional strategies and activities based on the ARCS model and the specific features of the robot teaching assistant (RTA) to enhance and sustain motivation in learning English reading skills. A quasi experiment and a survey were conducted to evaluate the effects of the designed strategies and activities. The results showed that the design of the RTA-based activities following the ARCS model for learning English reading skills was positively and significantly contributed to students¡¦ learning motivation, learning performance and continuance intention.

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This study was aimed to provide insight about affective teaching practices that influence students&#039 / affective characteristics in physics lessons using mixed methodology. Affective characteristics consisted of attitudes and motivation. For this purpose Keller&#039 / s ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction) model was revised by adding Communication category. The Affective Teaching Practices Questionnaire, including these categories, was administered to 1,138 students and 31 physics teachers in Ankara. Moreover, the Affective Characteristics Questionnaire was administered to students to find out the relationship between students&#039 / affective characteristics and their perceptions about the teaching practices used by teachers. Four physics teachers, who were performing teaching practices frequently, were purposefully selected according to results of quantitative phase. In qualitative phase, observations were conducted in these teachers&#039 / classrooms to find out teaching practices used to enhance affective characteristics and their effects. Besides, interviews were conducted to support observations. The quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed by cross case analysis. Results revealed that affective teaching practices are related to students&#039 / affective characteristics. Assisting comprehension and providing role models to students are effective for enhancing affective characteristics. Similarly, providing students concrete materials / arousing their inquiry / organizing what is taught from simple to difficult / attributing success to effort / relating topic to students&#039 / experience / stating clearly what is expected of students / providing feedback / using positive outcomes / giving enough time to students / using clear, understandable, fluent language in lessons / caring about teaching / being self-confident / caring about students / and providing an atmosphere suitable for learning are also effective.

Blended and online courses can require more student self-regulation than traditional in-person courses. Instructors and course designers can support student motivation and self-regulation in a variety of ways, such as by including motivational strategies in the course materials. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the following three factors: the motivational strategies employed in the online course materials of a blended German language course, student engagement in the course, and student usage of the course materials. Selected course activities were analyzed using a checklist based on Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model for motivational design to identify the motivational strategies that were present. At the end of each unit, students completed surveys about their level of engagement with the online portions of the blended course and their perceptions of the online activities. At the end of the semester, data about student usage of the online activities was collected from the Canvas Learning Management System. The results of this study show that a wide range of motivational strategies are used in the online materials of this course and that students were highly engaged in this course. Students found the grammar and vocabulary activities to be the most motivating and the most useful for their language learning. The number of Attention strategies in an activity was strongly correlated with how often students used the activity, and the number of Attention strategies also predicted how often students would use the activities, likely because Attention strategies increase ease of use of the materials and encourage student curiosity. The number of Satisfaction strategies in an activity predicted how motivating students would find the activity, likely because Satisfaction strategies allowed students to use their new skills in realistic contexts and experience intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. There was a strong correlation between how motivating students found an activity and how useful they found the activity for their language learning. Including more motivational strategies, particularly Attention and Satisfaction strategies, can enhance the student experience and increase student motivation; however, students are most likely to be motivated by activities that they find useful for their language learning.

Våren 2020 genomförde pedagoger från 2047 Science Center (2047) undervisning i teknik i grundskolor i Falu Kommun. Ämnet för insatsen var automatisering, programmering och dess påverkan på individ och samhälle och riktades till elever i årskurs 7. Utöver de mål som följer av skolans styrdokument fanns en strävan att eleverna skulle uppleva undervisningen som relevant. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur 2047 Science Center arbetat med målet att göra sin undervisning relevant för eleverna, och vilket resultat det gav. Studien undersöker elevernas perspektiv på relevans, att undervisningen upplevs som viktig för dem i förhållande till deras intressen eller mål. Viktig blir den, enligt Self-determination Theory, om den bidrar till vårt behov av att uppleva kompetens, autonomi och tillhörighet. Styrkan i vår motivation beror sedan på hur högt vi värderar detta viktiga, och vår förväntan att nå det, enligt Expectancy-Value Theory. För att undersöka undervisningens design för relevans analyserades undervisningen utifrån ARCS-modellen för utformning av undervisning för motivation till lärande (Keller, 2010). Elevernas respons på undervisningen undersöktes sedan med en enkät i sex klasser på tre skolor i kommunen. Resultatet visade att samtliga av Kellers tre koncept för relevans i undervisning; målorientering, matcha motiv och förtrogenhet, beaktas vid utformningen av kursen. De användes också vid ett flertal tillfällen och på olika sätt. Elevernas respons på kursen visade sig vara övervägande positiv. På de fyra påståendena om upplevelsen av undervisningens relevans svarade mellan 55 och 75% av eleverna att det stämde ganska bra eller bra. Innehållets generella nytta, rankades högre än det egna intresset. Denna studie har visat att man kan utforma undervisning så att den ökar elevernas upplevelse av relevans. Tidigare forskning, och studiens resultat, antyder dock att stoffets relevans är en nödvändig, men inte tillräcklig, förutsättning för elevernas upplevelse av relevans. Läraren måste först få elevernas uppmärksamhet, och klassens sociala norm behöver tillåta deras engagemang och lärande. / <p>Teknik</p>