“How Learning Works”: Unpacking Motivation in the Learning Proces

Written by: Dr. Diane Salmon and Anthony Boen

Principle: Students’ goals generate, direct, and sustain what they do to learn.

How do students develop their goals in the context of learning? How can you help students adopt positive learning goals?

Research on how students learn indicates that learners’ values, expectancies, and perceptions of support in the learning environment interact to impact the goals they set and hence, their motivation in a particular learning context. Motivation lies not in the learner, but in the dynamic interplay between what learners value, their sense of efficacy, and the support they feel as they engage in particular learning activities. Motivation is highly contextual and can be shaped by instructors.

One powerful pedagogical tool that instructors can use to influence learner goals and hence, their motivation, is formative assessment. The formative assessment system within a course can be intentionally designed to help learners develop positive expectancies for success, adopt learning goals, improve their self-regulated learning, and internalize value for course content. The following are important design characteristics in an effective formative assessment system within a course

1.       Well-defined expectations for assessed performances

2.       A clear rationale for assessments that clarifies the real world value of required learning

3.       Authentic assessment activities that embody a rationale for the learning goals

4.       Rubrics and exemplars that unpack complex performances for novices

5.       Alignment of multiple sequential formative assessments that shape learner performances for success in the summative assessment

6.       Feedback that shapes how students interpret their performances to focus on growth, effort, elaborative explanations, and self-regulation

7.       Formative assessment activities that direct students to think about the effectiveness of their own learning strategies (metacognition) and include self-assessment

Take a moment now to think about how you can you use technology to achieve some of these design characteristics the formative assessment system within your course.

It’s no secret that modern instructors have a wealth of formative assessment tools available to them. Hundreds of assessment platforms available on the market today allow instructors to craft formative assessments specifically molded to unique learners, experiences, and requirements. But nothing is without its price. With incredible flexibility comes incredible complication as users struggle to learn a seemingly never ending list of new and evolving technologies. Now more than ever it is important that instructors work together to implement formative assessment using standardized yet flexible tools.

One of the most obvious assessment tools available in D2L is the Quiz tool. When most students and instructors think of the “Quiz” tool they immediately think of summative assessment. However experienced instructional designers will know that the tool can be molded to fit many different needs. It’s all about how the assessment is set up and framed within the context of the entire class. Rather than calling the assessment a “Module 2 Quiz,” (which often carries a summative assessment connotation), the instructor may call the assessment something like “Module 2 Key Points.” The instructor can also set the assessment up to automatically release feedback based on student responses, and allow multiple submissions to encourage improvement and further learning. Some instructors of blended courses here at NLU use the Quiz tool to create short, low-stakes formative assessments students take before coming to class. The instructor can then review the quiz statistics stored in D2L as an opening activity in the f2f class session.

Incorporating these suggestions in the use of the D2L quiz tool would achieve which of the design characteristics of formative assessment discussed above? How have you used the quiz tool to shape student goals and enhance their engagement in the learning process?

Not all feedback needs to come from the instructor. One often overlooked formative assessment tool available in D2L is the discussion board. Many instructors often do not take advantage of the collaboration made possible by the discussion board.  Many discussion assignments seem to only require students to restate something they learned from some reading or a prior activity. Student interaction rarely adds value to these assignments. Often the thread authors do not even bother checking on responses they have received because the content is in the past and they have already earned full points for the activity. On the other hand some instructors have been able to leverage the tool effectively as a formative assessment tool. One instructional strategy might be to require students to make posts in the same topic over multiple weeks. For example, have students post multiple revisions of an assignment to one topic. Between submissions peers can critique the revisions and make suggestions for improvement. Posting in the same topic each week not only encourages students to return to their topics (and review feedback from others), but when finished the author can look in one place to see how the document evolved over time with the feedback from peers.

What motivational design characteristics of formative assessment can the instructor achieve by requiring students to post to the same topic over multiple weeks? How might this practice shape students values, expectancies and perceptions of the support in the learning environment? Can you describe your own experiences with discussion as a formative assessment practice that enhances motivation in the learning environment?

Join Our Upcoming Discussions on How Learning Works!

The Office of Teaching and Learning in collaboration with Learning and Information Technology Services is offering a monthly professional development series on

How Learning Works

  

Through this series participants will complete common readings and engage in webinar discussions to connect key learning principles with effective teaching practices and useful learning technologies. The common reading is a book entitled How Learning Works 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching by Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro, and Norman (availabledigitally through the library).

The perspective provided and associated discussions will help us consider learning as a trajectory of increasingly sophisticated performances – and how that might look within specific instructional domains. It will also prompt us to consider significant ways in which learners vary in their learning progress and the types of interventions we might use to facilitate their progress. Each chapter focuses on a principle of learning illustrated by higher education scenarios, explains the research base behind the principle, and provides several evidence-based strategies for teaching in ways that are consistent with the learning principle. Participants can drop in to the monthly chapter discussions, share related experiences, and examine new learning technologies that can apply.  The book group/webinar will also be supported by a D2L course where participants can continue posting online and share resources.

Schedule of Upcoming Events

Chapter 3: Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn.	November 15, 2016 12am to 1pm
Chapter 4: For mastery, students must acquire component skills practice integrating them, and know when to apply what they have learned.	December 20. 2016 12am to 1pm
Chapter 5: Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning.	January 17, 2016 12am to 1pm
Chapter 6: Students’ current level of development interacts with the social, emotional, and intellectual climate of the course to impact learning.	February 21, 2016 12am to 1pm
Chapter 7: To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.	March 21, 2016 12am to 1pm

RSVP for specific sessions to: learning@nl.edu

Questions: Contact Diane Salmon dsalmon@nl.edu or Anthony Boen aboen@nl.edu

We look forward to your participation!

Action Mapping, What Is It?

Cathy Moore is the original author and owner of this concept.  She explores the complexity of instructional problems and presents a holistic approach to designing instructional goals and activities for learning.  Although her presentation uses the language and ID methodology for business, you will easily understand her intuitive design concepts for getting to the root of the learning problem. 

Action Mapping Explained

To get a full perspective on Action Mapping Ms. Moore has provided a wonderful resource on her web site at http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2008/05/be-an-elearning-action-hero/ you can also view a short video clip where Cathy distills the process down to a more concise description here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azr2OFw6Woo .

Action Mapping is one way to brainstorm the activities and content that you want to include in your training without a lot of development expense. In terms of Instructional Design, this is typically a process for creating a design document.

 

The Traditional Course Design Process

Traditional course design is a process whereby an instructional analyst and or designer analyze an instruction problem then provides a proposed solution.

This solution is called a design document; a road map describing an instructional problem, and the proposed solution(s) recommended by an Instructional Designer.

Design documents typically include the following:

1. The integration and alignment of business and training goals to the actual instructional design solution
2. An analysis and measurement of internal vs. external resources
3. An in-depth timeline mapped to the resources and budget analysis
4. The design, development and implementation process
5. Recommendations for updates and evaluations

 

Is Action Mapping an Option?

Action mapping is action driven; which means it does not rely solely on measurable success based on a learner’s ability to successfully pass a test or participate in a discussion. Action Mapping also includes uses the following processes:

1. Identify the Business Goal. In our case, this is the UCO which defines the administrative learning goals for the course. We convert the UCO into course level instructional goals.
2. Identify what students need to DO, to achieve these instructional goals. These become those measurable tasks; activities, discussions and assignments, etc. in an online course.
3. Design the tasks around the learning.
4. Identify the information and resources learners need to complete the task

How it works for NLU

In OIT, our course design and development strategy uses a combination of both of these processes to assist faculty in the planning, design and development of their online courses and programs. Each opportunity provides us with a unique solution based on sound instructional design principles and practices.

Ms. Moore’s approach for analyzing an instructional problem and defining a learning strategy is called Action Mapping. As an instructional analyst, my job is to investigate and explore various methods of instructional design and development practice – the concept of Action Mapping is intriguing and when integrated with traditional instruction design practices, it provides a truly comprehensive and effective process for designing learning.

Using Online Course Tools to Achieve Chickering and Gamson's Principles of Good Practice

In order to help faculty prepare to continue face-to-face classes online during an emergency flu situation, OIT Academic Computing recently offered some training sessions on the Luminis Course Studio tools. Yet what I know about people and technology adoption is that they are not likely to start using a new technology for preventative purposes. People are more likely to start using something new if they can see some immediate value in it. It occurred to me that there is much everyday practical and pedagogical value in using the Luminis Course Studio tools, or Blackboard, to support a face-to-face class; and that faculty may be more attracted to using these tools if they were aware of the everyday advantages.

I wanted to use the renewed interest in Luminis Course Studio, peaked by H1N1 concerns, to share the everyday advantages. When listing the advantages, I was reminded of Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Using either Luminis or Blackboard provides several means for faculty to apply these principles to their course.

Chickering and Gamson propose that these seven principles can improve teaching and learning:

1. Encourages Contact Between Students and Faculty – The communication tools (email, chat, discussion) can help facilitate out-of-class contact between faculty and students. This is good for the student, who can ask for help outside of office hours. Also good for faculty, who can respond at his/her convenience.

2. Develops Reciprocity and Communication Between Students – Discussion and message boards are great for this purpose. Students can post thoughts and questions about the course or the content. Other students can respond and answer questions. This type of student collaboration is easily achieved with a discussion board topic dedicated to student questions (often called a Student Café topic) and enhances learning and feelings of connectedness.

3. Encourages Active Learning – students learn more when they can discuss what they are learning, relate it to their lives, and/or write about it. Again, online discussion boards provide a way to continue active learning outside of class time. Providing web resources and URLs also provide a way for students’ to investigate topics outside of class.

4. Gives Prompt Feedback – Using the online gradebook in Blackboard will help you regularly communicate your students’ progress to them. I’ve been in several online courses where I’ve been able to post portions of my assignments before the due date to receive feedback from the instructor and other students. It’s extremely helpful and empowering. Discussion boards and blogs also allow students to reflect on their learning: self-feedback. Online quizzes (for grade or just for practice) are another way to build a continuum of assessment in your course and to allow students to gauge their progress.

5. Emphasizes Time on Task – The announcements tools in Blackboard and Luminis can allow you to spend more class time on material. Save class announcements, schedule changes, due-date reminders and other administrative business for online announcements so that you can get down to business right at the start of class. Use the discussion board to address frequently asked questions rather than spending class time or answering multiple times for multiple students.

6. Communicates High Expectations – I can’t think of any specific tool in Luminis or Blackboard designed to help you achieve this. Perhaps the rubric tool, or attaching goals to online content.

7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning – Students may benefit from viewing your slides a second time. Others may appreciate that you posted visuals or transcripts of your lecture online. Shy or thoughtful students may be more active in an online discussion than in a face-to-face discussion.

If I still haven’t sold you on using an online tool to support your course… consider how posting all your paper materials online in digital form will reduce the weight of your bag. And result in more trees and fewer paper cuts!

UCF/Sloan Study to Expand & Clarify Components of Student Satisfaction

Because the focus of my masters' thesis was online student satisfaction and retention, I was particularly interested in a session presented by UCF. This session featured the results of a Sloan funded study that expanded and clarified the components of student satisfaction in an asynchronous learning environment. UCF gathered data from 1996 to present. No surprise, the primary reason students gave for taking online courses was convenience and flexibility. So what's new, right? Students liked the ability to juggle lifestyle and felt that the online learning environment increased learning flexibility. Furthermore, students noted that they felt the technology enhancement of their learning was valuable.

On the less positive side, issues that were noted included: missing face-to-face opportunities, technical problems, reduced instructor assistance, increased workload and some felt overwhelmed in the online environment. Boomers indicated more satisfaction than millennials who voiced ambivalence (perhaps because their technology expectations were higher?)

The UCF construct for satisfaction included 8 elements:

1. Reduce ambiguity with more clarity
2. Enhance the sense of course value with feedback and recognition
3. Reduce ambivalence and stress with recognition and connection
4. Clarify engagement and expectations with more collaborations
5. Increase responsiveness with connectedness, active participation
6. Increase interaction - anywhere, anytime with peer conversations
7. Make more augmentable with individual creativity, empowerment
8. Provide more freedom with self-managed environment