Most instructors have, at some point or another, felt their enthusiasm for class deflate, if only momentarily, in the face of students who are visibly disengaged, routinely unprepared, or seemingly interested in one question alone: "Will this be on the test?"

Research on motivation and learning suggests that students are motivated to learn:

• When they value what they are learning
• When they expect to succeed
• When they have some choice in or control over the task
• And when the cost of failure is low. (Svinicki)

Instructors can help motivate students by:

• Giving them frequent and low-stakes opportunities to practice skills;
• Offering them early and regular feedback on their performance;
• Explaining the value of the course or of individual assignments (How might the skills and knowledge learned the course apply to other courses in or outside of the major?)
• Beginning a class by figuring out what students already know or believe about a topic.
• Incorporating active learning strategies such as games and simulations, collaborative learning, clickers, blogs, wikis, problem-based learning,or community-based service learning.

Additional Readings

Svinicki, M.D.  (2004). Learning and motivation in the postsecondary classroom. Bolton, MA: Anker.

• Motivating students
  (Chapter from Barbara Davis's Tools for Teaching)
• Motivating students (Vanderbilt Center for Teaching)
• Motivating students (Carleton College)
  
• Student goal orientation, motivation, and learning (IDEA Paper 41)
  
• Capturing and directing the motive to learn (Newsletter from Stanford's Center for Teaching and Learning)
• Motivating students to do the reading
• Dealing with apathetic students