Main Body
ARCS Model in Practice
Section Highlights
- The ARCS model has been validated in a variety of educational contexts
- The ARCS Model was designed not only as a theoretical synthesis but more importantly as a model with tools for practical application in motivational design
- Motivation to learn is not static, instructors have an opportunity to influence it
- Even the most academically motivated learner is not likely to be equally interested and invested in every course they take (Angelo, 2017)
- Instructor feedback is key to help students build skills to monitor and enhance their own motivation (Angelo, 2017)
- Engagement and satisfaction in online courses have been shown to influence outcomes achievement
- There are conceptual overlap between the Community of Inquiry Framework and the ARC’s models
“From a systems perspective, motivational characteristics and states are influenced by many overlapping and interacting subsystems and supra systems in an environment” (Keller, 2009, p. 35)
ARC motivation model and MVP have been used in a variety of settings from K-12 to higher education and in professional development training. In all settings, the purpose of motivation strategies is to help learners form the impressions that success is possible if an effort is exerted (Keller, 1987). These strategies can be used to address each of the four model components – attention, relevance, confidence, and volition. They are not meant to take away from the course objectives and need to be aligned to the course delivery format and the instructor’s personal style. Ideally, strategies should create a gap between what the learners know and what they need to know (Keller 2017) and instructional methods such as the flipped classroom, problem-based learning and project-based learning help to address this gap.
The Community of Inquiry Framework
The Community of Inquiry(CoI) is built on the premise that education is both a collaborative and individually constructed learning experience (Garrison, Vaughn, Cleveland- Innes, 2013). The three key elements of the CoI framework are social, teaching and cognitive presence. Social presence is key to creation of an environment where trust and communication build group cohesion. Cognitive presence is the facilitation that supports learners in the development of skills and knowledge through reflection and discourse. Teaching presence relates to the design and facilitation of the learning community. While the ARC model and ARC-MVP model were explored, it was noted that although the focus for CoI is on the teachers role and the ARC model is directed at student motivation, there are similarities or consistencies in the strategies that support these two important functions of learning online.
Online learning environments require students to have a significant amount of self direction and perseverance to be succesful, in the ARC- MVP model these are aligned to volition. For cognitive presence to be established relevance, reflection and metacognitive processes need to be developed. There is also a significant need for feedback to guide students as they learn. With respect to teaching presence, the instructional design strategies and course planning components are key and the strategies provided in the ARC models can support successful course delivery.
ARCs Model Design Questions (Keller, 2000)
In preparing your own course plans some questions to consider include:
What can I do to capture their interest?
How can I stimulate an attitude of inquiry?
How and when can I provide my learners with appropriate choices, responsibilities, and influences?
How can I tie the instruction to the learners’ experiences?
How can I assist in building a positive expectation for success?
How can I provide meaningful opportunities for learners to use their newly acquired knowledge/skill?
Strategies for all settings (Angelo, 2017)
- students identify learning goals so teachers can show relevance to learning outcomes
- topic interest survey provides students an opportunity to show areas of highest interest and for teachers to construct course plan based on this
- project based learning can be created around students selecting topics of interest for through inquiry and sharing their learning with classmates
- learner self assessment of motivation to help faculty to identify appropriate strategies
- instructor feedback helps students build skills to monitor and enhance their motivation
” People may forget what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel” Carl W Buehner
Links and Resources
- The ARCS model has been developed into the 34 item Course Interest Survey Tool (Keller, 2009, p. 278)
- The ARCS Model has been developed into two validated measures of instructional materials assessment. The Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) (Keller, 2009, p.283) and the shorter Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS) (Loorbach, Peters, Karreman, & Steehouder, 2015)
- An article by Keller in 2000 introduced a very usable ARCS model lesson planning template (Keller, 2000, p. 9).
- A Motivational Tactics Checklist has been developed to aid Instructional Designers to consider adherence to ARCS principles (Keller, 2009, p. 286)
- https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/
- https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/insights-online-learning/2018-02-27/how-communities-inquiry-drive-teaching-and-learning-digital-age
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