Overview

With the rise of asynchronous e-learning in which a learner navigates through a training course independently, engagement and motivation have become key factors for consideration within the field of instructional design.

According to Pamela Hogle with Learning Solutions Magazine, “A motivational design model, such as the ARCS Model, can aid instructional designers in creating eLearning that will engage more learners and sustain learner engagement.”

In her influential book The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age, Cammy Bean explores the ARCS Model in Chapter 5: Finding Your Hook. Bean notes that the ARCS Model helps IDs answer several key questions including:

• How do we make instruction more appealing?
• What makes a learner eager and willing to sit through an e-learning program?
• How do you keep the learner interested?
• How do you make sure they know what’s going on and what to expect?
• How does the learner know that their time was well spent?

Created in 1979 by John Keller while a professor at Florida State University, the ARCS Model of Motivational Design is “a problem solving approach to designing the motivational aspects of learning environments to stimulate and sustain students’ motivation to learn” (Keller 1983, 1984, 1987). Keller breaks motivation down into four core components: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction. From there, each of the components is further broken down into subcategories with design strategies.

Over the next week, I’ll take a closer look at each of the four ARCS components as well as its subcategories and strategies for design.

Sources

• http://www.tamus.edu/academic/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/07/ARCS-Handout-v1.0.pdf
• https://elearningindustry.com/arcs-model-of-motivation
• https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2523/arcs-model-aids-in-designing-for-motivation
• https://www.flarelearning.com/post/22-leveraging-learning-theories-in-elearning
• https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Instructional-Designer-Learning-Digital/dp/1562869140