High level of motivation is crucial in an adult learner’s pursuit of higher education. It is vital that the adult learners stay constantly in touch with their goals and remains motivated in completing their course, while simultaneously balancing work and family roles. Evaluating the elements that enhance motivation has received much attention from educators to reduce inactivity of adult learner. The institution in an open distance learning (ODL) environment has a greater challenge as students and teachers are separated by distance and time factor. As the ODL institution tries to reduce learners’ inactivity, elements that motivates must be identified and designed to meet and exceed students’ expectation. The purpose of this study is to examine the institutional elements that influence a students’ motivation. The authors aim to identify and discuss the elements of the teaching, learning and support environment in pursuit of gaining deeper understanding on factors that motivates the ODL learners in Wawasan Open University (WOU). A primary survey on undergraduate students was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The sample consists of a combination of new and current student cohort. The ARCS model by Keller was adapted as a basis of this study, measuring elements that motivates along four dimensions of attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. The findings and implications of the study are discussed together with managerial implications and recommendations.
Material type
Electronic
Notes
Paper presented at the 25th AAOU Annual Conference (28-30 September 2011; Penang, Malaysia)
Motivating the open distance learners in Wawasan Open University: the teaching, learning and support environments
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Motivating Open Distance Learners
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