EDUC 7105 - ARCS Model

            As a Social Studies teacher within a 1:1 laptop school, I decided to go paperless for all written textbook assignments. Going paperless meant that all written textbook assignments would be completed through a word file and submitted via email. My attempt to go paperless created challenges for me that were not anticipated.

            This initiative was new to my student and parent population, and needed much explanation to mitigate confusion. The instructions for submitting their homework via email were straightforward. All assignments would be submitted by 8:00a.m. and completed on a “Word” document. I took efforts to explain the submission requirements thoroughly via my syllabus, and also articulated the homework requirements. The confusion and challenges, however, occurred primarily on my end. My email was not properly setup to take on the task of receiving weekly emails from up to seventy-five students. Furthermore, I also opted to grade my student’s papers digitally, and would reply to every submission with an emailed grade, which most students did not read.

            I think the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS ) Model of Motivational Design could have been helpful to further establish a well-thought system. ARCS ideas around relevance, in particular, if applied early in launch of the paperless homework initiative, would have allowed for more of a dialogue to ensure my requirements met the needs of my students appropriately. Relevance, as highlighted in the ARCS model calls for the use of ideas such as “modeling” and “choice”(“ARCS Model,” n.d.). Each of the listed ideas inherently would have allowed me an opportunity to garner how I might make the experience more useful to my students and myself.

References:
ARCS model of motivational design (Keller). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.learning-

           theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html

I responded to the following blogs:
http://kietzeroweds.wikispaces.com/EDUC
http://isaacu.blogspot.com