Learning Theories
6
Overview
An brief overview of the ARCS Model (6:18)
Description
The ARCS Model of Motivational Design was formulated by John Keller in 1983. Keller was interested in exploring how we might design learning experiences to create and to sustain student motivation in learning new content. Keller was interested in the concept of motivational design because it could systematically produce replicable results over time in improving a learner’s motivation to learn. Keller (2016) defines motivational design as a “process of arranging resources and procedures to bring about changes in motivation.” According to Keller (1983), the ARCS Model of Motivational Design suggests that an instructional designer can routinely improve a learner’s motivation to learn by focusing on Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS).
Guidelines for Use
Guideline 1 – Attention
The first step in instructional design for motivation is to capture the learners’ attention through either perceptual arousal or inquiry arousal. Using surprise, novel, engaging, and incongruous events at the start of a lesson will create perceptual arousal in learners and captivate their attention. Stimulating curiosity, wonder, and questioning by stating challenging problems and questions will create inquiry arousal in learners and capture their attention through intellectual or cognitive engagement. Key Question: is the content catching and keeping the learner’s attention?
Methods to Activate Attention:
- Active Participation: encourage active participation by using games, roleplay, simulations, and other hands-on strategies to involve learners.
- Variability: use a variety of modalities (e.g. video, infographics, audio, short lectures, discussion groups) for presenting content.
- Humour: use cartoons, humourous anecdotes to maintain interest.
- Incongruity and Conflict: use debate and play the devil’s advocate with comments that go against the learners’ past experiences.
- Specific Examples: provide specific examples of the content through images, stories, and biographies.
- Inquiry: Ask questions, present problems or dilemmas for the learners to grapple with and discuss.
Guideline 2 – Relevance
Finding ways to connect the content to the learner’s world ensures that the learning process is useful. Relevance helps connect the content to the real world. You can help establish relevance by using concrete language and examples that the learners will be familiar with. To establish relevance, you need to consider how the content connects to the learner’s goals, motives, and past experiences. Key Question: Why should the learner care about this content and how does it connect to the learner’s world?
Methods to Activate Relevance:
- Experience: show learners how new learning will use their existing skills and experience.
- Present Worth: help to show how the content will be immediately useful to them.
- Future Usefulness: help to show how the content will be useful to them in