Using Motivation Assessment as a Teaching Tool for Large Undergraduate Courses: Reflections From the Teaching Team.

Abstract

Student motivation is a critical predictor of academic achievement, engagement, and success in higher education. Motivating students is a crucial aspect of effective teaching. Although there is a wealth of research on student motivation, practical guidance for putting theory into practice in challenging teaching environments (i.e., large-format introductory courses) is lacking. We discuss a first step toward motivating students: understanding how motivated they are and using that information to inform teaching. Anxiety, impeded motivation, and high student-to-teacher ratio are all challenges associated with teaching foundational introductory courses, such as statistics. The Expectancy-Value-Cost model of motivation provides theoretical background to assist with these courses. We discuss the implementation and use of motivation assessments as a teaching tool. Motivation assessments are feasible and useful while teaching large-format introductory courses. Instructor reflections lend insights as to how to use these assessments to improve pedagogy.