Motivating Online Information Literacy Students

Abstract The design of online information literacy courses should include various motivational strategies and techniques. Librarians should consider what motivates students in the online environment. This article presents a brief overview of Moore's theory of transactional distance and Keller's ARCS model of motivational design. Also included are factors in course design that affect student motivation, such as: visual design, content, and communication. Introduction Information literacy instruction is emphasized at Louisiana State University and implemented through a variety of methods such as course-related instruction, web-based tutorials, point of need instruction, and through LIS 1001, the Library Research Methods and Materials class. Credit-based library instruction at LSU began in the mid 1930's. Instruction for LIS 1001 is provided to students through two separate mediums: completely online and in an electronic classroom within Middleton Library. The online version of the class was established fall 2000. Since the inception of the online information literacy course more than forty sections of the class have been taught reaching over 1450 students. The Instruction Committee within the library hopes to add more sections of the course to the online environment. As information literacy instruction moves more towards a virtual pedagogy, librarians should consider what motivates students in the online environment, specifically in online information literacy classes. Motivating students is an important aspect of teaching. In regards to student learning, motivation refers to the "inner processes that determine whether learners will engage in a task, the amount of effort they will expend, the length of time they will persevere and the persistence they will show when obstacles are encountered" (Jenkins, 2003, p. 32). The views that students who choose online classes are more motivated than their conventional counterparts are becoming more difficult to defend. With the development of course management software and the use of the Internet, universities are continually placing a higher emphasis on online learning. It is not uncommon to find traditional students selecting online classes because they are convenient to their schedules and they view themselves as competent in the online environment. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Some psychologists have described motivation as a trait or individual characteristic while others see motivation as a state, a temporary situation. Either way, there are two types of motivation orientations: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation reflects a student's desire to engage in an activity because the activity itself is perceived as a reward. Students who are intrinsically motivated want to learn for the challenge of learning. They gain an internal reward of satisfaction. Students who need external incentives or pressures in order to achieve a certain behavior of task are extrinsically motivated (Woolfolk, 1998). In the classroom, extrinsic motivation includes the instructor's use of reinforcements such as extra credit, grades, and praise. Both, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation orientations are valuable in the education setting. The combination of these motivational strategies challenges students to produce their best work academically and provides students balanced opportunities to succeed. Educational Theory Before designing ah online information literacy course, one should consider Moore's theory of transactional distance. According to Moore (1993), "The transaction that we call distance education occurs between teachers and learners in an environment having the special characteristic of separation of teachers from learners. This separation leads to special patterns of learner and teacher behaviors" (p.22). Transactional distance, "is a psychological and communications space to be crossed, a space of potential misunderstanding between the inputs of instructor and those of the learner" (Moore, 1993, p. …