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S.C., United States
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost 1915)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013


Blog Module 5

Briefly describe a situation in which you have encouraged people to use a new technology and have been met with resistance or disappointing results.

Interestingly, I am in a middle of a situation where faculties have to incorporate online classes to their curriculum this upcoming fall term. The two faculty involved in this pilot phase initially dug their heels and approached the project with negative attitudes. At every corner, the two faculty would always ask the “how” and “why” questions.

What attitudes did these people exhibit?

They did not hesitate to show their disagreement with the project. They continuously proclaimed that their courses are hands-on and project-based learning. For every possibility, the two faculty would match with “how” question.

What behaviors did they demonstrate?

The two faculties appeared to lack confidence in them and in their ability to teach online. More so, they did not seem satisfied with the idea that online classes equally challenging and beneficial to students.

Using Keller’s ARCS model, describe how you could change the motivation of these people, or learners, to encourage success?

Given Keller’s ARCS model i.e. Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (Learning-Theories.com, 2013), experience is still the best teacher. The two faculties will experience growing pains during the online course development process before appreciating the benefits of an online course. The cliché “the proof is in the pudding” implies that the two faculties will have to see for themselves how students can benefit from activities and assignment, what a great motivator the discussion forums can be for both parties (students and instructor), and the amount of attention students seek from their instructor – equating to Keller’s (Learning-Theories.com) relevance model. All in all, the best approach that proved to be effective for the two faculties was Keller’s (Learning-Theories.com, 2013) confidence model. The two faculties had to gain self-confidence in their abilities to create an equally relevant online course as their traditional face-to-face class. The confidence came in the form of praise, demonstration, and most importantly, support from their Industrial and Engineering Dean.

Lynda Marshall

Reference

Learning-Theories.com (2013). ARCS Model of Motivational Design (Keller). [web article]. Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html

5 comments:

  1. Good post, I agree with the proof is in the pudding, I deal with some people that are the same way, they will refuse to go along until they find out for themselves. Until that happens they will fight against any change.

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  2. Lynda,
    Lynda,
    You said that you are in the middle of this situation. How were the faculty chosen for a pilot? Often participants for pilot programs are chosen because they have expertise in some aspect of the new program. Do you know why these instructors were chosen? Asking questions is not a bad trait. The instructors need to understand how to implement the program effectively in order to give it a chance. Are these faculty members beginning to see that students are benefiting from this program?

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  3. That sounds like a project that might raise the same type of issues with several people at my school. The mindset of several that online is not real education (even my principal tends to scoff at the fact that I am working toward a specialist degree online). The confidence in the system and in oneself is, I agree, one of the most important factors in working toward success in this endeavor. Great post and I do agree with your resolutions.

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  4. Lynn, I received the same types of drawbacks in my situation. I think that you will always have someone to be negative and opposing to anything new and different that someone does not feel comfortable pursuing or trying out. The proof is definitely in the pudding, but sometimes that is not even enough for some sceptics.

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  5. Lynda some people are just negative with every new approach especially if they are use to their same routine. When I was in common core training teachers made the comment that they would have to change their lesson plans. They were complaining because they had to try and incorporate technology and engage the students. Once the video was shown and the new practice was put into action their attitudes changed. Self confidence does cause people to second guess themselves.

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