Whatever the quality of your eLearning courses, no matter how annotated or interesting your training may be, unless and until learners are motivated, they will not commit to learning. It is thus important to motivate learners to learn. When you motivate your learners, they are more likely to participate in the course without having to be pushed into it on corporate learning.
We can take advantage of intrinsic motivation to develop engaging and effective eLearning solutions for corporate learners and employees. Whether a person takes a simple or complex action, there is a motivating factor behind their behavior. The majority of people believe that there are reasons for the actions they take.
Scientists and behavioral experts have focused on how to harness these motivating factors. Other people, such as leading experts, educators, and other professionals, also put a lot of effort into motivating people, since motivation is critical to achieving goals.
Motivation is a product of both internal and external factors. There are two types of motivation that are extrinsic and intrinsic. An external source encourages action, whereas intrinsic motivation originates within the individual due to the person’s drive and enthusiasm.
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Understanding intrinsic motivation to eLearning
Motivating oneself intrinsically does not necessarily mean that one does not receive rewards, but rather that those rewards are internal to the individual. Training and development teams may find this information useful when designing eLearning modules.
E-Learning designers should design courses to appeal to key motivators among target students. Among these are:
- The thrill of learning new things.
- The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from a challenge.
- Having a purpose and
- A sense of control.
- Motivations based on self-determination are exhibited in these ways.
In this article, we will discuss intrinsic motivation, how it occurs, and how it can be used by L&D teams to motivate learners in eLearning.
Adding intrinsic motivation to eLearning or corporate learning modules
As an eLearning designer, here are some ways you can make your courses more intrinsically motivating.
Initiate the process by emphasizing commitment- corporate learning
During the course, emphasize the goal of the program as a worthy goal. The aim is to ignite the motivating factor in the individual.
To do this, provide participants with forms in which they can formally indicate a learning goal. Provide details in the course description about the objectives and characteristics of the course, which will include the learning outcomes that are expected. But that’s not all. The learner should feel the anticipation as well.
Make sure the course highlights progress- corporate learning
The higher learners’ sense of progress, the greater their confidence and their likelihood of staying on course. The eLearning course should thus have a consistent, competent feel. Course content should be composed of easy-to-understand sections and subsections accompanied by assignments, quizzes, feedback, and rewards. Describe the skills and knowledge they have gained.
Use a Variety of Formats
Engaging learners and providing them with visually appealing content can be effective ways to intrinsically motivate them. The use of digital formats within eLearning courses is indeed abundant! Your e-learning course can incorporate the use of pictures, videos, and scenarios. You can add sensory appeal, which will naturally motivate learners to return to the course. For this purpose, you will need a reliable LMS like Docebo, Trainual, or similar LMS that can help you create courses with all the digital formats.
Give Them Control Over Learning
It is well known that adult learners are self-paced. Giving the learner control of their learning is the key. Although some readers may be able to understand the material on the first read, others may require a bit more time to grasp. Therefore, it would be unwise to expect your students to complete the entire eLearning program in one session. It’s important that you allow students to move at their own pace as they please. In this way, you will be motivating their intrinsic motivation.
Make scarcity and quest a part of the course
Implement a necessary component with care to create a feeling of scarcity, while also motivating participants to continue. When learners are aware they are only allowed to access a particular section of a course after completing the section before it, they are internally prompted to do as they’re instructed. The external reward of gaining access to a new stage may not be enough, but what it does is ignite the human spirit through the thrill of a challenge.
The use of social validation
Sharing progress and achievement with peers is a valuable feature of eLearning. Besides motivating others to learn, it helps to develop a goal for each learner, which inspires them to perform better. Apart from that, when they share their achievements publicly, they feel rewarded and recognized. This will also give them space and a platform to showcase their talents and develop contacts.
Conclusion
It is always important to stay motivated to achieve success. Motivation is the key for learners to do something, and if it is internal motivation, the likelihood of success is high. Obviously, hard work and determination are also required, but ultimately they only appear when your employee is motivated to complete your coursework.
