This document discusses motivating online learners through effective communication, feedback, and use of technology. It explores communication methods like syllabi, announcements, emails, and synchronous meetings. It emphasizes the importance of timely, personalized feedback that acknowledges strengths and identifies areas for improvement. Lastly, it addresses making technology a tool rather than barrier through student-centered use, engagement, catering to learning styles, and being prepared to assist students with technical issues. The overall message is that flexibility, encouragement, and addressing individual needs are key to motivating diverse online students.

1. Motivating the
Distance Learning
Student
Florida State College – Open Campus
Dr. Sheri Litt, Academic Dean
Amy Moore, Instructional Program Manager

2. Purpose:
The purpose of this workshop is to explore ways of
motivating online learners by introducing you to
some important standards and best practices in
Distance Learning today.
Over the course of
the next three hours,
you will have the opportunity
to learn, engage scenarios,
and - of course - to participate
in ongoing discussion.

3. What Is
?
Motivation has
many different
definitions:

4. The MUSIC model
of student motivation
Brett Jones, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Virginia Tech
has developed a helpful model by which to understand online student motivation.

5. Real comments
from online students
• My professor helped me to understand the materials and gave me
encouragement to stay focused. I enjoyed his class and will recommend
it to other students.
• This professor was amazing, she follows up quickly, answers all emails
promptly and is very helpful. I definitely recommend her to anyone.
• I have taken MAT0028 4 times between 2 different schools and failed
miserably. 2 because of concentration issues outside of school (life
going downhill!) and the other 2 because the professors were a joke,
they had no concern for the students or a desire to teach students. I
have struggled with factoring since 10th grade and after watching one
of his video's it clicked in, NOW I am helping a friend of mine who’s
having difficulties. I would recommend this professor any day to anyone
who struggles with math, I just wish he was teaching MAT 1033 
• The class was challenging, but the professor made it easier by
encouraging interaction through the discussions and team project
• I have taken other online courses before, but I have never had a better
online Professor as Professor Haworth. He seems to be always present
which can be very hard to do when everything is being done online.
Professor Hayworth is a pro, he was timely with his responses to my
emails and always posted the weekly announcements clearly.

6. Real comments
from online students
• I will never take another course by this professor. She was very
uninterested in helping with problems, and had an attitude of
"figure it out yourself".
• Uncommunicative, and when the professor did choose to
communicate, it was usually on an entirely different subject than
that proprosed/questioned. Several times, I received response
emails about entirely different topics/subjects and eventually, no
response to the original email topic.
• All I got was posted grades. Absolutely no feedback on the work
that I did. While satisfied with the grades themselves, a little
commentary from time to time would have been nice.
• This class was very weird from the beginning and the instructor
could[n’t] care less! I am not sure if all the hard work I put into
this class even matters.
What do these say about each student’s motivation, if you go by the MUSIC
model?

7. Let’s Talk
Online Students

8. Online student profile
• Most online students are adults (25 or older)
• Many juggle jobs and families, in addition to school
“Compared to traditional students, many more adult students have
full-time jobs, spouses, and/or dependent children—in short, they are
place-bound and busy people.”
“Addressing the Needs of Adult Learners” (AASCU)
• Whether young or older, most students entering college require
some remediation
So, how do we respond to these
diverse student needs?

9. Open Campus
student demographics
Gender Age
0%
4%
Male 17% < 19
34% 34% 19-20
Female 21-24
66% 25-29
26%
30+
19%
Source: JIRA Data Report

10. A Typical Online Student

11. With a diverse student body…
… a “one-size-fits-all” approach won’t work.
Digital Natives Digital Immigrants
Think of themselves as Think of themselves as
students teachers
Short attention spans, parallel Longer attention, linear
processing, random processing, step-by-step, text
access, graphics first, play- first, work-oriented, stand-
oriented, connected alone
Self-centered Instructor-centered
Process is more important Content is more important
Adapted from Alexandra Pickett and Marc Prensky, 2005 and 2007

12. Potential barriers
What can “unmotivate” students?
 Technology or content issues
 Lack of communication
 Lack of empowerment
 Life issues + instructor inflexibility
 Lack of individualized engagement
They often have questions
they’re afraid to ask…
What if it’s too much work?
What if I don’t understand?
What if I fall behind?
Is it too late to get back on track?

13. Combating those barriers
We will focus on three important areas to help
increase online student motivation.
 Communication
 Grading and feedback
 Making technology work for you

14. A note before we begin…
“Online learners must understand the increased personal
responsibilities that come with the flexibility of a virtual
environment, while online educators must differentiate
between academic rigor and an unyielding rigidity that
would conflict with the benefits associated with taking a
course through the Internet.”
“Maximal Interaction in
the Virtual Classroom:
Establishing Connections
with Adult Online Learners.”
Walter Rankin, PhD.
George Mason University.

15. Communication

16. Overview
Especially online, students are looking for a sense of
connection and engagement; this, in turn, contributes to
their persistence and success in the classroom.
Therefore, it is vital that we look for ways to connect and
provide the personal attention that students crave.
We set the stage for the tone of each class through a
variety of communications, including our syllabi, our
announcements, our e-mails, our feedback notes, and our
synchronous contact with students.
So, how do we start providing
better communication?

17. An encouraging tone counts
One recent study of online students found that
when comments were communicated respectfully,
“Students felt agency.
They felt more involved
in the class.”
Five Pedagogical Practices to Improve Your Online Course, Feb
2013, Vol. 13, Num. 2, Online Classroom

18. Types of communication

19. Course syllabus
Are you communicating what you want to communicate?
Think of your syllabus as part of your
first impression. What you say, and
how you present yourself, matters.
Personalize
• Professional photo
• Standard and synchronous contact
information and virtual office hours
• Course information
• Important dates
• Assignment due dates
• Assignment late policy
• Grading and plagiarism policies
• IT Maintenance windows
• Any additional items unique
to your course
Adopt a tone that is professional but approachable. This will make
students more likely to feel comfortable contacting you with issues.

20. Regular announcements
• Provide feedback for the class on recent work
• Provide a wrap-up of previous week
• Provide a list of assignments for current week
• Preview next week
• Post additional reminders and encouragement as needed
• Capitalize on your responses to common e-mail
questions by sharing your answers with the class,
remembering always to avoid identifying individuals.

21. Example announcement
Hello Students,
I've graded the Written Assignment, and given you feedback.
I thoroughly enjoyed the candid and thoughtful analyses most of you
created. These are rich sources of our culture in very different ways and
you spent the time to explore them and respond. Consensus: medieval
music is more familiar if you were raised in a traditional
church, contemporary sculpture owes much to the development of the
genre, Plato's cave analogy is widely open to our individual
interpretations (and that is good) and most of you would prefer an
Athenian style society, though the Spartans are much more
exciting to think about.
One strong caveat: some of you simply posted a list of URL's for
sources. As I've been saying all along, URL's are NOT MLA citations.
So, be sure that in your final project works - PowerPoint and paper -
your Works Cited and citations are correct. You have plenty of
resources, and ignorance of the format will not serve as an excuse. As a
group, be sure no one has plagiarized and everything is carefully cited.
Keep up the good work! Professor Cheryl Huff-Marmora

22. Timely, personalized e-mail
Showing genuine concern can go a long way in
retaining students who have may had other events
arise that have hindered their progress.
“Maximal Interaction in the Virtual Classroom: Establishing Connections with Adult Online
Learners.” Walter Rankin, PhD. George Mason University.
• Send progress messages addressed to
the individual student
• Respond to students, by name, when they contact you
with questions. When possible, use the same rule of
thumb you would in an office – respond by the end
of the day and certainly within 24 hours.
• Reinforce class announcements by sending also through
e-mail. This will help ensure students “get the message”
one way or another.

23. Example e-mail
Dear Student,
I very much enjoyed reading the week 5 discussions this week. You all
are doing a GREAT job of tying in outside sources using APA formatting!
I did notice that there are a large number of students that did not
complete Exam 1. It was due last week, although I extended it officially
through tonight. Please make sure you have COMPLETED it by 11:59
pm EST TONIGHT (2/13).
Contact me if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Professor Corey Hall

24. Discussion forum participation
• Participate early and often
• Create a sense of activity in the classroom
• Require participation
• Include a grade for participation
• Provide an overview of what is due for each week
• Make the discussion interesting. Ask questions.
• Keep your tone clear, concise and conversational
• Structure the discussion
• Include ideas, and information generated in discussion
on exams
• Deal with unacceptable behavior via private email.
Include policies on unacceptable behavior in syllabus and orientation
materials.
Source: http://www.suny.edu/sunytrainingcenter/files/enhancediscussion.htm

25. Discussion Example
The professor seeds the discussion with a series of thought provoking
questions.
What was Cleopatra's role in the First and Second Triumvirates?
Who did she align with in each Triumvirate? Who did she have romantic affairs
with in each Triumvirate?
Why was Egypt strategically important to would be rulers of Rome during this
period?
Jane (student) submits a post.
In the first Triumvirates, Cleopatra fell in love with Julius Caesar. The relationship
strengthened Caesar's power. He now had access to her military. Cleopatra bore
Julius a son. Cleopatra followed Caeser back to Rome, but returned to Egypt in 44
B.C., following his assassination. In the Second Triumbirates, Marc Anthony fell in
love with Cleopatra. Both Leaders were embroiled in a battle of Rome's control.

26. Discussion Example, cont’d
The Professor does not stop there. He continues the conversation
and provides feedback.
Jane, It is important that you made this connection. When Julius
pursued Cleopatra, it was not love that he was initially after but
leverage and control over Egypt's military. Great job!
Here is a great scene where Julius Caesar presents Cleopatra and
his first born son to the people of Rome [attached video link]
I have a question for you: How would a situation like this be be
interpreted in today's society?
The Professor grades the student's discussion post. His message is
positive and encouraging.
Jane, You have done your research and will receive full credit for
your post. I enjoy reading your often thoughtful posts. Please keep
up the good work!

27. Presence in the virtual classroom
Synchronous office hour sessions
and visual communication
Why? and what?

28. Synchronous Meetings

29. Video Announcements

30. Other Synchronous Tools

31. Remember, Being Rigid and “One-Size-
Fits-All” Does Not Motivate Students
“When forced to make a choice between an
important project just assigned by the boss and
a long-planned research paper for an instructor,
the online learner will most likely have little
choice but to fulfill work obligations first.
Perhaps the biggest mistake an online educator
can make is to maintain rigidity that conflicts
with the benefits associated with taking a
course through the Internet.”
“Maximal Interaction in the Virtual Classroom: Establishing
Connections with Adult Online Learners.”
Walter Rankin, PhD. George Mason University.

32. Grading and
Feedback

33. Overview
Importance
Just as we need feedback to grow and improve, online
students rely on feedback to make progress over the
course of the term. The more specific and personalized
the feedback, the better!
When giving feedback, remember:
• Refer to students by name
• Acknowledge strengths
• Identify areas for improvement
• Be specific and substantive
• Be timely!

34. Targeted feedback is essential
“The online classroom might be the only educational
outlet in which the one-to-one interaction between
the instructor and the student is more important than
the textbook, assignments or lectures. . . students
have no other gauge of their ability than
targeted, specific feedback from the instructor.”
The Journal of Educators Online, Volume 3, Number 2, July 2006

35. Feedback and success
“Monitoring and feedback is a condition for student
success. Students are more likely to succeed in
settings that provide faculty, staff, and students
frequent feedback about their performance.”
“Taking Student Success Seriously: Rethinking the First Year of College”
V. Tinto, Syracuse University. 2005.

36. Model critical thinking
“Ask a yes-or-no question
followed by why or why not?
It balances quantitative and
qualitative feedback.”
Five Pedagogical Practices to Improve Your Online Course,
Feb 2013, Vol. 13, Num. 2, Online Classroom

37. When is feedback necessary?
Types of Assignments
• Essays
• Reflective papers
• Discussion responses
• Journal entries
• Open response quizzes and tests
• Multiple choice quizzes and tests

38. Feedback video

39. Discussion: What Goes into Feedback
Creative Thinking – Putting things together
in new ways, new patterns, alternate
approaches
Knowledge
“Models and Metaphors: Developing Critical Thinking in Asynchronous Threaded
Discussions” Fredericka Joyner, Indiana University East

40. In providing feedback, consider
whether students:
• include the Why beneath their response? (e.g.
I think that it is important to have fun at work
because . . . . .)
• include illustrative examples? (e.g. A time when
I experienced boredom at work was . . . )
• make connections to other
theories, models, and/or frameworks from
current or from other courses? (e.g. The text
discussed recognition as an important aspect of
engagement and this fits with my best job
experience.)
• ask questions.
“Models and Metaphors: Developing Critical Thinking in Asynchronous Threaded
Discussions” Fredericka Joyner, Indiana University East

41. Essay: Anatomy of good feedback

42. Activity
• Discuss ways feedback has helped you
professionally, personally, or academically
• What are some of your best tips regarding
feedback for students?

43. Making
Technology Work
for You

44. Overview
“When students are using technology as a tool or a support for
communicating with others, they are in an active role rather
than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by
a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively
making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or
display information. Technology use allows many more
students to be actively thinking about information, making
choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led
lessons. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to
support students in performing authentic tasks, the students
are in the position of defining their goals, making design
decisions, and evaluating their progress.
“Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students”

45. Create a bridge rather
than a barrier
Technological Reasons for Lack of Persistence
• Can’t log into LMS
• Can’t access e-book
• Don’t know how to submit assignments
• E-mail reliability issues
• “I don’t know how to do this!”
Technological Foundations for Motivation
• Student-centered informal community
• Novel engagement with material
• Caters to different learning styles
• “This is fun!”

46. Fixed technologies
What you have to know how to deal with:
• Your LMS
• Your e-mail application
• Any external study
platforms used in your class
• Any e-books associated
with your class
If you’re wondering how to use
them, your students are too!
If you don’t want to lose students:
• Take the time to learn the technology
• Keep video and/or text tutorials handy to send students
• Know the number for tech support (and be ready to call!)

47. Technologies you choose
You have the luxury of learning what’s out there.
• Gamification • Synchronous chat
• Social Media • Virtual conferencing
• Scholarly Annotation Sites • Virtual white-boards
• Web-Based Research Sites • Online tutors

48. Gaming and Other Technologies

49. Intersection and Integration
Image from http://mchabib.com/2006/10/05/digital-library-as-third-place

50. Some Options for Online Instructors
• Conduct Office Hours via • Use a location app for students
Skype or Elluminate to check in at assigned locations
• Use Twitter hash tags to or to create an educational
organize weekly discussions scavenger hunt
• Use Social Bookmarking to • Create a college Wiki
Note Important Sites for • Send Video Messages (via
Learning Eyejot) rather than Standard E-
• Create a Class Group Page on Mail
Facebook • Use Google Earth or Google
• Use Google Docs for Group Maps to Explore Cities or
Work and Collaboration Regions of the World
• Use Skype to Bring in a Guest • Have students create blogs to
Speaker (and record the talk) journal and display work

51. Reminder
Cardinal Rule of Educational Technology
Don’t just use it because it’s cool. Use it
because it makes sense for you and your class.

52. Activity
• How do, or your colleagues, you use
technology in your classroom?
• Brainstorm
sites, tools, apps, software, hardware that
might be helpful.

53. Break

54. Semester
Motivation
Checklist

55. Semester Checklist
Consider sending students an email to let them know the class has
started. This is a great opportunity to welcome the. Include basic
instructions and answer frequently asked questions.
The first week of class
 Set the stage - Help students feel connected
 Set expectations
 Answer intro posts
 Answer questions
 Address students by name
Each week
 Monitor activity/attendance
 If a student is not active:
 Reach out - send them an email
 If no response within first week, drop a student for non-
attendance. This will weed out students who lack
motivation and send them a consistent message that
activity is required.

56. Semester Checklist
Each week
 Be visibly present at least 3 times a week
 Host virtual office hours
 Respond in discussion forums at least 5 times
 Answer all student questions within 24 hours
 Post a weekly announcement
 Wrap up of the previous week
 Introduction to the upcoming week
 Assignments due for the upcoming week

57. Semester Checklist
Last week of class
 Post a course wrap up
 Encourage students to complete course survey
 Prepare to post final grades
Close of the semester
 Review student evaluations of your class.
 Self reflection: What worked? What didn’t work?
 Provide feedback to your campus.
 Remain in contact – in case students have questions.

58. Small Group
Activity

59. Demonstrate Your Approach
Now we’ll split into small groups and
receive real-life scenarios to which you’ll
respond as a team.
 Take a few minutes to discuss and
decide upon a presentation.
 Share with the group.

61. crc@fscj.edu or 904.633.8496