All learners are Human: A humanist approach to your course may help create and sustain motivation throughout the course.  

Students’ motivation to learn can be understood as the result of three key variables:  

  1. VALUE: Perceived importance of the task 
  2. EFFICACY: Belief that one can succeed at the task at hand 
  3. SUPPORT: Perceptions of whether the learning environment offers the supports needed for success 

Key words to keep in mind when thinking about what motivates learners: *Acknowledge * Accept * Welcome * Flexible * Informational * Meaningful * 


Strategies to build students' perceived VALUE - How is this important, satisfying, or valuable to me?

Offer choice & autonomy 
  • Create an environment for agency where students feel like they have some ability to control or have a say.  Offering choice gives students agency- this impacts motivation, engagement, learning, psychological well-being.  Provide choice in discussion forums, self-enrolment into groups based on personal interests, how they engage with the content, how they demonstrate they have met the learning outcomes, etc. 
Make it meaningful 
  • Activate prior knowledge by connecting to student experiences.  Invite students to ‘bring in’ texts, objects, stories from their lives that connect to the course.  Ask students to reflect on how the knowledge and skills from your course is important to their personal goals. 
Actively engage with the course outline &/or syllabus 
  • Annotate, tweak, co-design the syllabus. This could also help students to create learning goals/learning pathways.  Create space for students to voice their interests, ask questions, share thoughts. 


Strategies to build EFFICACY - Can I really do this and be successful?

Hold students to a high standard 
  • Hold students accountable for the work they submit. Acknowledge that some parts of the learning process will be difficult, but that students can succeed if they do the work.  Provide clear expectations, assignment criteria, rubrics, exemplars, and a readiness to provide supports for students who don’t meet the standard. 
Help students to see that they are making progress 
  • Provide low-stakes opportunities for students to test their skills and understanding. Be explicit in your feedback about what they are doing well and the progress that you’ve observed.  Give students opportunities to reflect and self-assess that explicitly address areas of improvement. 
Embed empathy & kindness 
  • Create room for Get Out of Jail Free cards, Oops Tokens, or other ways that students can successfully complete tasks and assignments without punishment. Support motivational & self-regulation development.  Be patient to allow time for self-paced learning.  Share stories of your own academic struggles or of past students who have overcome difficulty in the course. 
Trust your students 
  • Trust that they want to learn and trust that they are not all cheaters. Look past digital platforms, algorithms, surveillance tools.  Stay away from plagiarism checkers and proctoring services.  Encourage collaboration when appropriate. 

Strategies to build SUPPORT - Does this course offer the support I need?

Start with care, compassion, joy, delight, exploration, discovery 
  • Become aware of student perspectives, cultural contexts and interests.  Welcome their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.  Ask students to share.  Find out what they are interested in.  Be willing to share things about yourself. 
Establish routines 
  • Create opportunities for regular engagement with peers, instructor, and content.  Use weekly update video announcements, discussion forums, collaborative activities, group activities, synchronous engagement. 
Maintain clear communication 
  • Be able to provide a rationale for what you are asking students to do.  Be present and accessible.  Make sure students know what they can expect from you. 
Provide ongoing support 
  • Students will require more support at the beginning until they become familiar with your routines and expectations.  Be available for virtual check-ins, reach out (email/phone) to students who seem disengaged early on.  Provide structures for group interactions that support team development. 
Provide structures or frameworks to support learning 
  • Annotate, tweak, co-design the syllabus: create space for students to voice their interests, ask questions, share thoughts.  This could also help students to create learning goals/learning pathways.  Collaborative annotation can be done using tools like Hypothes.is, Voice Thread, or more simply with Google Docs or Word Online. 

Additional Resources


Last modified: Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 2:12 PM