By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
You’ve signed up for an online
course, and you’ve started out with a great deal of enthusiasm and
interest. However, you’re worried that you might lose your drive
somewhere along the way. You want to succeed and you realize that
one major factor is motivation. So, how is the best way to keep
yourself motivated in an online course? Here are some highly
effective techniques to try.
Find meaningful connections.
You’re
most likely to remain interested in a course if it means something to
you, where there are several connections between the course content and
experiences you’ve had, your personal interests, your career and
academic goals.
Further, some of the meaning can come from the
interaction you have with fellow eLearners and the contacts you
establish while taking the course. You may find that the ideas
you share with others stimulate you to investigate more
thoroughly. On the other hand, you may discover that the bonds
you forge with fellow eLearners help you gain confidence and feel
better about the work you will produce for the class. This will
also help satisfy your needs for affiliation.
Write papers on topics that interest you.
The ideal course
for this situation is a flexible one, which allows you to choose your
topics. This is an excellent opportunity to engage the power of
intrinsic motivation, which means, simply stated, that you find
pleasure and satisfaction without having to have any kinds of external
rewards. So, if you have the chance to choose the topic, be sure
to select one that allows you to probe areas of interest.
Self-determination is a good thing in eLearning, and it will help you
keep from feeling trapped or blocked. Instead, you will feel
empowered and confident in your abilities.
Select courses where you will be evaluated.
At
first glance, this does not seem like something that would motivate
anyone. After all, who wants to be compelled to perform?
Who wants to be tested? As paradoxical as it might seem, studies
have shown that students who are not given grades are not as motivated
as ones who received grades, as well as other kinds of feedback.
This is partly due to the fact that grades act as powerful rewards and
affirmations for a job well done. Further, your needs for
achievement will be partially satisfied. If your company
reimburses you for performing well in a course, or you receive a
scholarship, the satisfaction you receive when you receive by receiving
a high grade will be taken even higher. This is extrinsic
motivation in action.
Analyze the tasks you need to do. Divide the work into chunks.
It
is very motivating to succeed. Every time you successfully
complete a task, you can enjoy the realization that you are doing
things correctly, and that you are able to fulfill the expectations of
the course. Thus, be sure to divide your work into small,
manageable tasks. Each time you complete a task successfully,
take the time to pat yourself on the back. You are not only
learning the course material, you are being effective at
goal-setting. Your needs for power will be satisfied, while
simultaneously reinforcing self-efficacy.
Give yourself deadlines.
Most
courses will have a timeline and very clear deadlines. However,
some may not. Further, the course may not have established deadlines
for some of the very important steps along the way, which involve
reading the required texts, doing online research, creating outlines
and drafts of papers. Giving yourself deadlines enables you to
structure your work, as well as to reward yourself along the way as you
accomplish your goals.
Constantly remind yourself of the long-term benefits.
If
you find yourself demotivated while taking a class, it is good to
remind yourself of the long-term benefits of the class, and how it will
help advance you along the path to your goals and desired
outcomes. This is particularly the case if you took the course
because it was a required course and not because it intrinsically
interested you.
Final thoughts on motivation.
There
are numerous works on motivation, and competing theories. This
article takes many of the more accessible theories and applies them to
your life in a very specific context and setting: the online
course. Understanding how and why people are motivated is
important, and a very powerful tool you can employ to help yourself not
only succeed but also enjoy the process.
[Download the companion podcast at:
http://www.zenzebra.net/e-learners/podcasts/keeping-yourself-motivated.mp3 - 11.3 MB]