Include online discussion participation in the course grade.If grades are not given for participation, students typically do not use the discussion forum – even in a purely online class. Decide how much of the course grade to give to discussions and whether you will assess the quantity or quality of postings, or a combination of the two.
Online discussions should be graded for participation only.
Set early deadlines for postings.In order to keep the discussions on track, attach deadlines for initial posts and follow-ups so that students are moving at roughly the same speed in the same direction when pursuing their assignments. Be sure to check the timing of discussions against the timing of other course elements.
This is important to have some time frame for participation in the posts.
Setting limits and being explicit with students as to your availability. (“I read and respond to the board five out of seven days a week, usually taking off Friday and Saturday,” for instance.
It is good for students to know when to expect comments from the teacher.
Which makes you wonder, do gamers actually enjoy failing? As it turns out, yes”
Failing multiple times makes success so much sweeter. If it was easy, the game wouldn't be so much fun!
Second, fl ow activities provide abundant, rapid feedback, so that it’s immediately clear whether one’s actions are having the de-sired effect.
Students need to know that failure is okay because they will get another chance.
Optimizing challenge means that the participant has to stay fully engaged (not too easy), yet keep attaining enough small successes along the way to feel a sense of mastery (not too hard)
This is what makes a good game fun!
Lastly, something that I’ve employed with some success in my online courses is to include a discussion thread where students are asked to post their own most successful study strategies— the idea being that reading this advice from a peer might just hit home in a way that advice from me might not
This is a good idea.
even something like a getting- to- know- you discussion thread or personal welcome message— is another missed motivational opportunity
This is why we do this at the start of every Marlboro class.
writing a supportive letter to a younger “pen pal”— in an effort to get students to adopt a growth mindset. Students who explained to their “pen pals” why effort, not fi xed intelligence, was the main determinant of success not only changed mindset in a pos-itive direction, they also achieved signifi cant gains in GPA.3
A neat idea.
ou are really smart!” or “Wow, you’re a real whiz at math!
I can see how if they do poorly on a math test a student might interpret that as not being smart.
Insidiously, positive comments can be the worst offenders for pushing students into a fi xed mind-set
Interesting.
fi xed mindsets
This can happen at a very young age. Students will say, "I am not good at math," etc.
here’s also self- handicapping, an even more worrisome dynamic in which students put up barriers to their own success— everything from procrastination to psychosomatic illness to drug use— as a way to shield themselves from the pain of trying hard and failing anyway.
Would moving away from grades help with this? It sounds like it might.
“Success without trying can indicate one has talent, but failure following effort is often viewed as compelling evidence that one lacks ability”
Is this why some kids don't even try?
For example, student motivation improves when course materials are worded in a way that emphasizes how the course ties into students’ long- term intrinsic goals. This effect is strongest when the language also foregrounds student autonomy, such as by saying “you might” or “we suggest” instead of “you must”— just as predicted by self- determination theory.
Student choice is important.
Examples include framing grades as feedback that is useful for improving fu-ture per for mance.
standards based grading?
In general, students who think that they can do well are the most mo-tivated
Picking role-models who are similar to the typical student will help provide motivation for other students.
So, as a student keeps returning to that challenging online course at the end of each tiring day, it’s possible that he or she will begin to build up greater reserves of personal willpower
This is why developing good habits is so hard to get started.
Ego depletion created by exercising self- control in one arena re-duces our self- control in completely different arenas, leading to some surprising crossover effects
Fascinating!!
People with high need for cognition are drawn to activi-ties that allow them to do mentally effortful things, like analyzing information and solving puzzles. In contrast, people low in this per-sonality trait are less motivated by opportunities for mental effort.
Is this simply that we tend to like to do things that we feel we are good at?
Wa nt i ng to avoid failure, for example, is a powerful motivator because failure threatens our self- concept as a worthy, capable person
Is this why some kids don't even try? If they try and fail, then that would affect their self-worth. If they don't even try, they didn't "fail" then.
they actually enjoyed the activity more
Is cognitive dissonance playing a role here? I have read studies that people convince themselves that an activity is fun because why else would they have agreed to do it. The reward gives them the reason. If there is no reason, they tell themselves, they are doing it because it is "fun" even if the activity is really useless.
“carrot and stick” point sys-tems to get students to really maximize effort and engagement.
It is amazing how grades motivate some students and turn other students off.
college instructors
Any teacher, in most cases, has to be a motivator as well. Teacher love those students who can motivate themselves to learn, but some students need help.
emotions shape our thinking, and conversely, how thinking shapes our emotions
Is this why some days it is easier or harder to motivate than others?