Using The Arcs Model

Mona YounesE-Training Consultant at

IslamOnline.netMay, 2007

Using ARCS Model to motivate Adult Arab Learners in an online setting

Case study

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

The Educational Scene

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

1. How many of you have visited an Arab country before?

2. How many of you have any teaching experience with Arab Learners?

3. How many internet users do you think are there in the Arab world?

4. What is the percentage of Arabic speaking population?

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

• The Arab World consists of 23 countries with a combined population of some 325 million people, 26.3 million of them (8%) are regular internet users . This figure is poised to double to 50 million by 2009, according to Eric Schmidt, Google Chief.

• Arabic speakers worldwide represent 5% of the world's population but only 2% of its Internet users.

• Internet usage rates increased to 8.50%, compared to 5.36% in 2004.

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

• No data could be found related to internet usage within the educational sector in the Arab region.

• IN the year 2001:

Total of

100.000 PCs installed in

Arab educational institutions

16 million in the USA

2 million in Japan1 million in

Germany

The E-Learning Market…

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

The E-learning market in the Gulf region: IN 2004 $ 72 million

raising at 27 % compound average rate

by the end of 2009 $ 240 million

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Obstacles:

What do you think are the obstacles towards the active and constructive engagement of learners in online learning?

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

One of the major obstacles was motivation… to motivate the learners in a non-formal online setting to engage

interactively and constructively.…

What is motivation?

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Motivation

Motivation deals with the question "Why do people do what they do.“

Learners' motivation describes the learners' willingness, need, desire and compulsion to participate in, and be successful in, the learning

process"

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Why is Motivation in an online setting especially important ?

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Contrary to conventional education, in distance education, motivation problems go undetected and

the student is mostly left without any outside help .

Motivation of students and finding incentives to participate actively, was seen by Mason( 2001) as one of the most central keys to online teaching.

Kelvin Kruse (n.d.) saw a direct correlation between success in any e-learning initiative and motivation

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Keller invented in 1983 a simple, yet powerful four-factor theory explaining motivation called the ARCS

Model:

A - Attention strategies for arousing and sustaining curiosity and interest;

R - Relevance strategies that link to learners' needs, interests, and motives;

C - Confidence strategies that help students develop a positive expectation for successful achievement ;

S - Satisfaction strategies that provide extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement for effort.

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Case Study

A Bilingual Portal with a special focus on social

issues

In 2005: (acc. To Alexa)

#1 : Spiritual & Religious Site

#1 :Islamic Website

A need to serve a very

diverse audience

Counseling pages:Arabic and English

A better understanding of differences stemming from the religious, cultural, and intellectual

heritage of the audience.

First hand information about

audience needs

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Five Year Experience:

The audience needed more than a good listening ear, and advising

mouth; they needed a real helping hand providing them with

skills and knowledge.

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

LMS MOODLE

Specification Life Skills

Instructors SMEs

Mode 100% online

Type Interactive

Ed. Theory Social Constructivism

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

The Survey

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Post Course Interview:Parental Course ( total enrolled 87, final no. 40)

80% rated the course as excellent/v. good.Survey Sample: 5 males and 2 females .

When did you feel most motivated during the course? Why do you think you felt this way?

What effected your motivation ( positively and negatively)?

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

80% : Rapid and timely feedback and frequent

communication on the board

42% : Provocative postings

42% : Having a highly active group of learners (made 'interaction' like an inevitable virus)

ATTENTION

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

70%: Content was very much related to authentic situations, dealing with practical and every day issues

and dilemmas .

42%: Skill-oriented content and instruction.

42%: Opening Open Forums for socialization

Relevance

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

57%: Supportive and very encouraging tone.42%: Personal Introductions (even if anonymous)

42%: Friendly and safe environment (anonymity allowed) 28%: Heterogeneous groups, culturally diverse, with a

14% :Credibility and expertise of trainers14%: Catering for cultural understanding

Confidence

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

100%: Frequent, timely, positive, supportive and encouraging communication. (Family-like

environment(58%: Warm welcoming messages on the personal

introduction forum.71%: Meeting others with same problems and issues

71%: Chances for socialization and further networking.14%: Reminding emails, which avoided their usual

attitude of ‘lurking

Satisfaction

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

A Best Practice List can be found on the forum

Future Plans

To survey what worked and what didn’t in an online

Collaborative project

)A course about Multi- Intelligence for Teachers (

Using ARCS Model to motivate Online Adult Arab Learners

Mona Younes

monayegy@yahoo.com

http://www.monay.net

Skype: monayegy1964