Motivation. The word is bandied about too much these days. An entire body of literature has sprung up around it. There are coaches who teach people how to cultivate motivation. There are websites, courses, seminars, and workshops to teach the how-to's, the wherefores, and the what-ifs of motivation. 

So first,  let's address what is motivation? And why should you care about it as an eLearning professional?

What is Motivation? 

Simply stated, motivation is what people WANT to do, CHOOSE to do, and COMMIT to do. Motivation is the WHY that makes people do what they do. It is the WHY that makes people choose an object or a goal over another and forego something pleasurable to pursue his object of desire.

You can spot a motivated person from a distance. Apart from the proverbial glint in his eyes, his choices, actions, focus, and perseverance point to a strong inner urge that drives him/her.

As an eLearning designer, you want your learners to be motivated about taking a training program and keep alive the motivation throughout the course.

The Importance of Motivation in Learning

Go back to the time when you were in school. There was always some subject that you found more engrossing than the others. Whether it was because of Miss O’Neil or how the textbooks transported you to a world of wonder, you eagerly looked forward to the classes, prepared your lessons on time, and even went the extra mile to go to public library and pick up new information. You usually scored well in this subject.

Motivation is critical to achieve effective learning. Unfortunately, it is hard to achieve if you cannot address the WHY of the learner. To compound matters, adults are notoriously short of motivation. The curious child of yesterday—the one who never stopped asking questions and wanted to explore and find out for himself—grows up to become a skeptic adult, uninterested in learning new skills and loathe to implement newly-acquired knowledge in practical scenarios. 

The challenge for eLearning designers is to create and cultivate motivation in learners.

Motivation Theories

Knowing what drives people to learn is crucial to create high engagement levels in your eLearning courses. Psychologists and scientists have developed three theories to help explain the way the human mind works. As eLearning professionals, we should apply them to create courses that inspire and persuade people to move forward and complete the required tasks.

Let’s look at the basic tenets of these motivation theories:

1) Flow Theory

Being in the flow is the ultimate manifestation of intrinsic motivation, according to Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. It is that state of intense focus when you are so absorbed in the work at hand that you forget the passage of time. You forget to eat. You forget to sleep. Musicians, actors, sportsmen, and writers are familiar with these moments when they are in the zone. Perhaps you too recognize these moments too.

In eLearning, being in the flow happens when the learner is fully and voluntarily engaging with the course and can control the pace and flow of the learning according to his/her needs and preferences. Being in a state of flow maximizes the effectiveness of every training activity. Higher engagement levels aid retention, comprehension, recall, and transfer. When learners are able to lose themselves in the learning, they can effortlessly overcome challenges and master skills. 

Here’s how you can help learners ease into a state of flow:

• Specify the tasks clearly. Explain what they have to do without leaving any room for doubt. This not only helps learners perform the task efficiently but also establishes the relevance of the task concerning  the overarching learning objective. 
• Provide feedback. Instant straightforward and direct feedback helps learners advance through the tasks. Feedback ensures that they can learn from their mistakes, if any, right then. Feedback also boosts the confidence of the person; he/she feels safe that he is doing great. 
• Balance challenges with learner ability and time. According to the Flow theory, optimal learning takes place when there is a perfect balance between the level of difficulty of the task and the skill level of the learner. Csíkszentmihályi emphasizes the importance of this correlation. If the task is too easy or if information is presented too slowly, the learner feels bored and may feel that the course is not going anywhere. There is also a feeling of stagnancy that is demotivating. If the tasks are impossibly challenging, the learner loses motivation and feels he is not capable of acquiring the skills taught in the course. 
• Provide learner control. Adults want to have control over their environment. You will keep them happy and motivated if you let them wield control over the pace and flow of the course. For instance, in gamified eLearning courses, you can let them choose tactics and strategies. In simpler courses, you can let them skip content or move back and forth between modules. 
• Provide consistency: Consistent formatting and a “look and feel” that feels cohesive all throughout allows learners to quickly understand the course format, assignments, and requirements. 
• Minimize distractions. Minimize distractions so that learners can focus on the learning journey. Do not include content or graphical elements that disrupt the natural flow, cause clutter, or create ambiguity.

2) Self-Determination Theory

The above-mentioned motivation theories peek into the minds of your learners and lay bare their expectations so that you can create eLearning courses with different flavors.

Further Readings:

How To Motivate Learners Before, During and After an eLearning Course