Motivational Issues

Motivational Video (6 min.)

Examples and Solutions Learner types from Bender, Sharon, and Eileen Dittmar. "Dealing with Difficult Online Learners." International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, 1 July Web. 17 June Solutions from Stavredes, Tina. (2011) Effective Online Teaching: Foundations and Strategies for Student Success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp ,

Learning Outcomes In this session, you will: Participate in group activities and offer suggestions for managing a variety of motivational issues in the online classroom. These will include the following types identified by Sharon Bender and Eileen Dittmar in “Dealing with Difficult Online Learners: Two perspectives, five best practices, and ten difficult learner types.”Dealing with Difficult Online Learners Arrogant Learner, Careless Learner, Delinquent Learner, Disjointed Learner, Irresponsible Learner, Overachiever Learner, Stubborn Learner, Surprised Learner, Unmotivated Learner, Unskilled Learner

Let’s use Socrative Go to m.socrative.com. Enter

Arrogant Learner The arrogant learner lacks appreciation. These learners barely meet assignment requirements, turn in assignments late, do not integrate instructor feedback, and feel their educational experience is a waste of time. Go to Socrative.

Solution The best recommendation I can give for managing arrogant learners is to call them on the phone and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts. Ask them how you can help make their time in the course satisfying. Be very specific about their need to meet the expectations and requirements for the course but be willing to negotiate areas that will not have an impact on the course outcomes or be unfair to other learners.

Careless Learner The careless learner lacks attention. The learners do not follow directions and details for completing assignments and skip reading required resources. Their assignments are weak and they fail to correct grammar and spelling errors in their papers. Go to Socrative.

Solution Many times careless learners who lack attention to details indicate a learner with poor academic skills. Learners who have strong thinking skills but are careless in their work for other reasons can be managed by providing feedback on the needs for a standard of work. Grading rubrics can be used to communicate the standards to learners, and reduced scores can motivate them to pay more attention to details to improve their grade. You may also want to contact learners prior to assignment deadlines to review the grading rubrics to ensure their work meets the requirements of the assignment.

Delinquent Learner The delinquent learner lacks devotion. These learners post to discussions and assignments at the 11 th hour, and the result is a rushed product. Go to Socrative.

Solution Managing delinquent learners is critical because it can cause you to have to spend additional time grading work submitted by learners after the due date. It is important to set guidelines for late submissions at the beginning of the course and follow through on point deductions in order to help delinquent learners overcome the behavior. A delinquent learner may have motivation issues, so take the time to determine the issue and provide encouragement to support the learner and help him or her engage in activities in a timely manner.

Disjointed Learner The disjointed learner lacks direction. These learners do not know where to begin and may be considered field dependent in that they are not sure how to break down the big picture into manageable chunks of work. These learners suffer from a lack of direction, resulting in poor time management and poorly completed work that is submitted late or not at all. Go to Socrative.

Solution Course road maps, unit overviews, unit checklists, and graphic organizers are a few of the scaffolding tools you can use to support disjointed learners. Having these supports available in the course can help them avoid difficulties and can be used to work with learners one-on-one to overcome problems with course activities.

Overachiever Learner The overachiever learner lacks patience. These learners perform well but their field independent cognitive style makes them want to take control of their learning to the point of not following processes and procedures for the course. Go to Socrative.

Solution The overachiever is the advanced learner who is self-directed.… When interacting with such learners, recognize their achievements and ask them what they need to have a satisfying learning experience. It is important to make sure they understand that all learners have to demonstrate the outcomes of the course, so there are not opportunities to skip activities they find boring or mundane. You may want to provide additional alternatives to engage them in activities at a higher level.

Stubborn Learner The stubborn learners lack flexibility. When you provide feedback, they refuse to consider your feedback. They will not make necessary changes to meet the requirements of an assignment or course activity. Go to Socrative.

Solution The best way to manage stubborn learners is to listen to them, ask them for ways to resolve that issue, evaluate their solution, and make a final decision on the resolution. The key is once the resolution has been determined, if the learner is not happy with it, you need to be firm and exhibit your authority to ensure the learner understands your expectations.

Surprised Learner The surprised learner lacks self-confidence. These learners are not prepared for online learning and are dependent on the instructor to lead them through the course activities. You may recognize the learner by communications that state, “I don’t know what to do.” These learners also tend not to take advantage of additional resources you provide to support building their skills. Go to Socrative.

Solution Early in the course, develop activities that provide opportunities for learners to be successful. Use templates, examples, and clear instructions to increase the likelihood of the learner succeeding in completing the course activities. Verbal persuasion by the instructor and peers can also have a positive influence on self-confidence.

Unmotivated Learner The unmotivated learner lacks enthusiasm. These learners turn in work on time and meet expectations; however, they are not involved in the course outside of meeting the requirements. Go to Socrative.

Solution This is a specific type of motivational issue because the lack of enthusiasm doesn’t impact grades but may ultimately lead to learners’ becoming bored with the course and eventually dropping out. The key to motivating learners is to help them understand how the course activities will help them build their thinking skills and discuss the importance of creating knowledge as part of a community of inquiry.

Unskilled Learner The unskilled learner lacks prerequisites. These learners do not possess the necessary academic skills to be successful in any learning environment, but they especially have difficulties in the online learning environment where learners need good reading and writing skills. Go to Socrative.

Solution Continuously monitor unskilled learners and provide just-in-time feedback to help them overcome difficulties as they engage in learning activities. Consider your grading and be honest about their performance. It may be difficult to fail learners who are making an effort; however, it does not do them any good to be passed from one course to the next. This could lead to their graduating without the necessary skills and knowledge to perform in a professions environment.

Five Best Practices to Motivate Difficult Learners Bender and Dittmar Skill Variety - Require a variety of tasks and activities with different skills to include something the learner perceives as useful. Task Identity - Complete a task that would be used in a real-life setting. Task Significance - Complete a task that impacts the learning of others. Flexibility - Allow freedom for the learner to schedule the work and determine how it will be done. Feedback - Thorough and constructive feedback given in a caring manner will likely encourage students to put forth more effort.

Question What one technique did you learn today that you may use in your online courses? Go to Socrative.

Thank you for attending.