Motivation is essential for learning, especially in an online setting. Educational psychologist John M. Keller recognized this, and first proposed the ARCS Model of Motivation in 1979, an acronym for the four components for motivation (i.e., Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction). The model consists of two parts: 

1. The four factors of human motivation
2. A design process that considers motivation-related problems in learning 

The four factors of human motivation

Keller listed four components that contribute to learner motivation; all four are required for a learner to be fully motivated. Each has its own subcategories that encompass different strategies to use.

1. Attention: a learner’s attention must be gained; you must initially engage the learner to even begin the learning process. After their attention is captured, it must also be sustained throughout the period of instruction.

There are six strategies of Attention.

Strategy	Definition	Example
Incongruity and Conflict	Pique your learner by presenting incompatible or conflicting facts or examples.	Play devil’s advocate about the topic you are introducing.
Concreteness	Provide examples and visual representations to your learner.	Open with a personal story related to the topic.
Variability	Incorporate a variety of techniques to keep the learner engaged.	Use a combination of lecture, film, and hands-on activities when teaching a topic.
Humor	Appropriately use humor to gain the learner’s interest.	Use a funny analogy to explain a concept.
Inquiry	Stimulate the learner’s curiosity.	Allow learners to choose their own topic for a project they must complete.
Participation	Engage learners through their participation during the learning activity.	Use games, role-playing, and other hands-on activities to increase participation.

2. Relevance: learners must see value in what they are learning; why does this matter to them beyond getting a passing grade? Connecting the topic to someone’s own experiences, future goals, or interests can help build meaning for the learner.

There are six strategies of Relevance.

Strategy	Definition	Example
Experience	Tie instruction back to the learner’s own experiences and interests.	Ask learners what they know about the topic from a previous lesson or their life experience.
Present Worth	Inform the learner why they are learning something; explain its value.	Tell learners how the lesson will be valuable in solving a real issue.
Future Usefulness	Describe how instruction is relevant to future goals or activities.	Tell learners that knowing a topic will help them become better at a future career.
Need/Motive Matching	Match learning goals to learners’ motivations or needs.	Give learners appropriate tasks and opportunities based on their interests or learning goals.
Modeling	Bring in figures who can demonstrate success of knowledge.	Have a guest lecture by a successful person in the field.
Choice	Provide students autonomy within the instruction.	Allow for multiple pathways to accomplish a task.

3. Confidence: learners will be more motivated if they have confidence in themselves and believe they can reach success. See our previous article on self-efficacy here.

There are five strategies of Confidence.

Strategy	Definition	Example
Learning Requirements	Clearly explain the learning outcomes so students know the expectations for success.	Provide learners with learning objectives and rubrics at the beginning of each topic or assignment.
Difficulty	Have the learning content increase in difficulty.	Structure the content with each chapter harder than the last one.
Expectations	Help students create realistic goals for themselves by being upfront about difficulty and effort required for the course.	At the start of the course, share how previous students performed in the class, including which chapters students struggled with most, and what study strategies tended to work.
Attributions	Make sure to credit a learner’s success to their hard efforts rather than luck.	Leave praise on an essay, recognizing the time it took for them to write it.
Self-confidence	Build self-confidence by providing ample opportunities to practice  and creating low-risk spaces for trying new things.	Throughout instruction, emphasize that it is okay to make mistakes and provide plenty of practice problems to work on.

4. Satisfaction: in order to sustain motivation, learners must feel accomplished and proud of their work. Incorporating recognition of success can help their internal motivation to learn. 

There are five strategies of Satisfaction.

Strategy	Definition	Example
Natural Consequences	Encourage and facilitate successful learners to apply their knowledge and help their peers.	After a learner masters a topic, ask if they can explain the concept to a struggling peer.
Unexpected Rewards	Reward learners for completing tasks, but be deliberate in how often this occurs.	If a learner goes above and beyond for an assignment, provide a performance-based award.
Positive Outcomes	Provide praise and helpful feedback.	Give verbal praise when a learner makes progress and provide constructive feedback on aspects that can be improved.
Negative Influences	Avoid punishment as a tactic for getting learners to learn.	Do not threaten to fail a learner if they make another mistake on a task.
Scheduling	Be deliberate of when you provide reinforcements.	Provide praise more often when a learner is practicing a new task and give less praise when they are practicing a task they are comfortable with.

A design process that considers motivation-related problems in learning 

Keller also proposed a ten-step process that ensures learner motivation is addressed in a learning experience. The ten-step processes can be broken down into four major phases: Analyze, Design, Develop, and Evaluate. See Figure 1 for each step in each phase.

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By using this motivational design model, you will not only provide instruction to learners, but also increase their motivation throughout the entire learning experience. This  model provides the framework for instructors to close motivational gaps from start to finish. The strategies mentioned for each of the four factors of motivation are simple methods to use within this design process. 

The ARCS Motivational Design Model draws similarities to the ADDIE model (see our article on the ADDIE model). The ARCS model provides four broad steps with more specific sub-steps. Arguably, the ARCS model follows the ADDIE model but focuses on addressing motivational problems. One difference is the lack of a formal “implementation” step; the ARCS step closest to this would be sub-step eight, “integrate with instruction.”

Understanding both Keller’s four factors of human motivation and his design model, you can combat issues stemming from lack of motivation. By keeping your learners motivated, you may have more effective instruction and improve the experience for all learners. 

References

Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of instructional design. Journal of instructional development, 10(3), 2-10.

Keller, J. M. (2000). How to integrate learner motivation planning into lesson planning: The ARCS model approach. VII Semanario, Santiago, Cuba, 1-13.