Student’s Attention in E-learning (Motivational Design)
Learning process that occurs in individual is aiming to get skills, abilities and knowledge. The success indicator of learning process learning can be seen in student’s achievement that qualitatively should be better than the previous state. In order to achieve student’s learning achievement as expected, it is necessary to note several factors that affect learning performances, including: internal and external factors. Internal factors are contained in students, such as: intelligence, talent, interest and motivation. While external factors are factors that come outside of the student, such as experience, family background, school environment and so on.
The development of student’s motivation in the learning process can be referred as a way to improve learning. With motivation, students are encouraged to learn to increase their performance to acquire new KSA. ARCS model approach (Keller, 1987) can be used as motivational design approach when designing e-learning. Attention is one from four motivational categories described in this model. For me, gaining student’s attention is basically method or strategies how to make students focus, prepare and ready for information transfer which enable information processing and storing to student’s long term memory. But based on my observation in e-learning environment, gaining attention efforts are problematic. In face to face environment, teachers can directly monitor their students (activities, performance, etc) and make it relatively easier for them to act in order to intercept the degradation or to keep and enhance student’s attention. Teacher’s action can be jokes, direct question, etc. These are rarely happen in online environment. In fact, I think it almost impossible to directly monitor the changes. In connection with my experience, I found that a lot of UT’s students are not interested in e-learning or leave in the middle e-learning session although we offer this services free of charge and gives bonus point to the final grade ( In UT, tutorial student is not mandatory and only for student’s learning support services. They can get bonus point when joining the tutorial and have good performances the tutorial but if they do not join the tutorial, their final grade are taken from final exam). These facts showed that teachers failed to maintain student’s attention. Fortunately these problems can be reduced because we continuously improve the system and provide workshop for online teacher.
There are three main concepts under attention category in ARCS model; Arousal, Curiosity, Boredom. Arousal is human emotional /psychological state or level that refer to how ready people to engage in a behavior. Study shown that people can get optimum learning results when their arousal level is located in the middle of continuum curve while the learning efficiency will degrade when their arousal level is located in both low and high state. In relation with my experiences, I cannot focus to lecture when I feel sleepy (low level). Usually, I do several activities to get my level back to normal. These activities can be: go to toilet to wash my face, make little physical exercise in the class or hearing teacher’s jokes (some teachers are aware with their student’s level of arousal and will do everything to keep the arousal level in the middle, but some other might not). For the example of high level of arousal, I need to get calm down when doing quizzes because if I’m the middle of panic (high level of arousal), I cannot remember what I have studied before and cannot answer the questions. In online environment providing visual aid, humorous graphics will help to increase arousal level and providing clue or sample for upcoming quizzes or assignments will help to reduce student’s anxiety (lowering arousal level).
Curiosity is probably the main factor why people become the most dominant creature on earth. Because of curiosity, human have tendency to explore unknown. People discover, learn, and create things to make life easier. So what is curiosity anyway? Based on my perception, curiosity can be defined as desire to know or need for knowledge. Curiosity is definitely one of several factors that influence learning although there were debates to decide whether curiosity is a motive or drive. Now new question arise, is curiosity positive influences or negative influences for learning? Now we back to the question why human need to learn. In nature and in basic condition human need to learn in order to survive and somehow curiosity is not good for survival because curiosity can place human in dangerous conditions. At first, learning and curiosity might look oppose one to another but to recognize dangerous conditions, human engages learning then to have drive to learn it needs curiosity. In the end, curiosity combines with tendency to learn is what teachers want and looking for from their students. In connection with creativity, I think the connection is clear; Creativity is curiosity to explore innovative thoughts.
According to Wikipedia, boredom is an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in the opportunities surrounding them. This can be associated with failures of attention. Although boredom may reduce learning outcome but sometimes this can be used in motivational design strategies. From my own perspective, boredom can enhance productivity and encourage creativity. For example in my workplace, I have to do several tasks repetitively every days and this make me bored. Because I’m a programmer then I found a creative way, I created a program that will do these tasks automatically so I can do another tasks in the same time. Boredom also can be used as a signaling tool when I need to work, rest and play. In connection with learning process, I think teacher can ‘play’ with student’s boredom level to maintain their attention. By knowing student’s boredom level, teacher can create strategies to present the learning material. The key knows when to start and when to stop. Which concepts are relevant to the topic? I think all of these concepts are relevant because these are interconnected and influence each other. By studying and understanding these concepts will provide me good foundation how to maintain and enhance student’s motivation
What the Research Says
I used attention, curiosity, arousal, boredom, and e-learning design as keywords when searching articles from Google and I found several interesting articles and concepts. First, lesson must gain and sustain learner’s attention. Berlyne (1965) and Kopp (1982) in their research provided an illustration the importance of implementing various tactics to gain and enhance learner motivation. These tactics can be the use of interesting graphics, animation that introduces incongruity or conflict, mystery or unresolved problem to arouse second level of curiosity and other techniques to stimulate sense of inquiry. Another important aspect is variability, No matter how interesting these tactics are, when being used repeatedly, these will lead to boredom and learner will lost their interest. Cheung et al. (1999) in their study implemented ARCS model in the instructional design of distance learning program resulting decrease in students drop out rate.
Recently, several studies about arousal (e.g., Currin, 2003; Dirkx; Hara & Kling, 2000; Wang & Kang, 2006) have shown the central role of arousal to any learning efforts and outcomes, especially in online learning. Another study (e.g., Kort, Reilly & Picard, 2001) also reveals the importance of the emotional states of learners and its relationship with effective learning. Isen (2000) found several findings that underscore the important effects of emotions on learning.
Curiosity can be divided into two kinds: sensory curiosity and cognitive curiosity. Sensory curiosity occurs when physical factors attracts learner’s attention. These factors can be; change in voice volume, tones, etc, while cognitive curiosity is a desire for more knowledge (cognitive structure modification). Most educators would agree that curiosity support learning and fostering attributes of curiosity in learner is an important task. But it is probably easier to state rather than to accomplish. Based on instructional design approach, Arnone (2003) proposed strategies to foster these attributes. These strategies are:
- Curiosity as a Hook. Use curiosity as primary motivator at the beginning of lesson
- Conceptual Conflict. Introduce a conceptual conflict when possible. Learners will feel compelled to explore the conflict until it is resolved. When the student has resolved the conceptual conflict, he/she will sense a feeling of satisfaction.
- An Atmosphere for Questions. Create learning atmosphere that make learners feel comfortable to raise questions or expressing their thoughts.
- Time. Allow adequate time for topic exploration.
- Choices. Give learners options to choice topic within subject area.
- Curiosity-Arousing Elements. Introduce one or more of the following elements into a lesson to arouse curiosity: Incongruity, Contradictions, Novelty, Surprise, Complexity, and Uncertainty.
- The Right Amount of Stimulation. Be aware about the amount of stimulation may affect learner’s arousal.
- Exploration. Encouraging learn through exploration.
- Rewards. Exploration is self-rewarding; study has shown that give extrinsic rewards to intrinsically motivating may reduce their interest in future activity.
10. Modeling. Model curiosity. Ask questions. Engage in specific exploration to resolve a question posed, and demonstrate enthusiasm.
Conclusion
I think Attention category in ARCS model is very important. Students need to be ready before they start to learn. Their curiosity need to be gained and enhanced because curiosity supports learning. It also needs to be emphasized that people learn effectively when their arousal level is located in the middle of continuum curve. In order to keep their arousal level, stimuli to the learner should be given wisely. Too few stimuli will lower learner arousal level (sleepy, bored, etc). Too much stimuli will increase learner arousal level which can increase learner anxiety and can reduce learning effectiveness as well. I don’t have experiences in teaching and only have background in computer programming. Before this I only expected that problem in our e-learning system that I have mentioned before are mostly caused by technical problem (students don’t know how to operate e-learning system). Now I realized that we might have motivational design flaws in our e-learning system. By studying this subject much further I hope that I can contribute to the improvement of UT’s E-learning system.