Supporting Learning Motivationby Email

SUPPORTING LEARNING MOTIVATIONBY EMAIL

- suggestions for helping students ‘switch on their learning motivation’
by using email messaging

Ormond Simpson

Recently: Visiting Professor - Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

Previously: Senior Lecturer in Institutional Research UK Open University

Contents

1. Introduction - ‘Motivational messaging’ in distance education…………………………………...... ……2

2. ‘Motivational emails’ – using Keller’s theory to design emails………………….……...... ………4

3. List of suggested motivational emails...... ………………………………..5

4. Examples of motivational emails– content………………………………………….…...... …………………..6 on

May 2010
‘MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGING’ IN DISTANCE EDUCATION

1.1 Introduction

There has been interest in using written messages to enhance student retention in distance education for a number of years.

Lya Visser (1999) was amongst the first to specifically identify enhancing students’ learning motivation as a function of messages. She looked at a model of motivation due to Keller (1987) – the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction) which suggested that any contact must clearly catch the students’ Attention, must be seen to be Relevant to their needs, enhance their Confidence and promote their Satisfaction with their experience.

Visser then used Keller’s model to devise a ‘Motivational Messaging System’ (MMS) of short messages to students. She used a series of postcards on a course run by the International Extension College. She claimed - albeit from a relatively small scale study - that such a system had significant retention effects. Her findings were that short messages were as effective as long ones, and that the source of the messages – tutor or institution (sometimes on behalf of the tutor) - did not seem to make a significant difference to their effects.

As well as Visser’s work there areother developments in learning motivation theory such as the work of Dweck, Anderson and Boniwell which may be useful, inn designing motivational messages - see ‘Guide to Proactive Motivational Support’ available from

1.2 ‘Motivational emails’

The advent of email makes it much easier to send messages to students. So over the last three years on a UKOU course on which I teach (’Starting with maths’ Y162) I experimented with sending a series of ‘motivational emails’based mostly like Visser on Keller’s ARCS theory.

Over the three years of the course the results were encouraging – Table 1:

My tutorial group
% pass
(number of students) / Whole course
% pass
(number of students) / Difference in retention
% points
(my group-whole group)
2006 / 93.3% (15) / 71.1% (398) / +22.2%
2007 / 92.3% (13) / 62.3% (403) / +30.0%
2008 / 73.3% (15) / 58.4% (483) / +14.9%
Av. / 86.3% / 63.9% / +22.4%

Table 1 Comparative results on UKOU course Y162 ‘Starting with maths’

I cannot ascribe these results to the use of ‘motivational emails’ as I was using a motivational approach – ‘Proactive Motivational Support’ (PaMS) using the phone at the same time and if the results are significant (still to be shown) they will be due to the combinationof these approaches.

Nevertheless the simplicity of this approach may make it worthwhile describing it in detail for tutors who’d like to use it on their own courses. Some of the emails are specific to the Y162 course but they could be omitted or other topics could be substituted at the tutor’s discretion.

2. ‘Motivational emails’ – using Keller’s theory to design emailson the ‘Starting with Maths’ (Y162) UKOU course.

I mix ‘News Emails’ with ‘Study Tips’ which contain what I hope are motivational elements. They are sent at regular intervals to all students on the course as text emails, not as attachments. Where students are not on email I am careful to see that they get them by post at the same time as the others. I don’t refer to them as ‘motivational’ as I suspect that would create a reaction against them as a kind of manipulation.

Like Visser I use Keller’s ARCS theory as a basis for designing the emails:

Attention- The emails are written in a deliberately light-hearted style. The humour is an essential part as it helps to gainstudents’ attention and get the messages read, demystifies learning and acts to lower stress levels (humour being the best de-stressor we have – I often think we don’t use it nearly enough in distance teaching. I’m sometimes mystified why learning should be treated so seriously – I’ve never had negative feedback from students when I’ve used humour in teaching). I also use short anecdotes – psychologists suggest that stories are a particularly effective way of getting attention, communicating points and getting the messages remembered.
Relevance – However light-hearted the messages seem they always contain serious ideas about learning and overcoming learning problems. The emails are always short so that they do not impinge on students’ study time too much; I try to keep them down to the length of an average newspaper feature – about 400 words.
Confidence - I address them individually, and copy and paste the message content. There is psychological evidencethat personally addressed messages are more likely to be read (even these days) and inspire more confidence in the content. I believe I get a better response than using a group email and it only takes a little more time. It would be a help if the OU could develop a simple email merge system.
It also helps to make the messages sounds as authoritative as possible - if I had the cheek I’d have the messages coming as if from the Vice Chancellor...
Satisfaction – I can’t guarantee satisfaction, but feedback from students so far suggests that they enjoy the messages and are happy with the frequency. I aim to ensure that students get something each week in a course starting in June and ending in October. I also try to use recent news items each year to provide some freshness.

Bear in mind when reading through these emails that they are specific to Y162 and don’t all arrive at once. Neither do I claim that these are the best possible messages – this is an ongoing experiment and comments and ideas are very welcome.

Ormond Simpson

May 2010

3.‘Motivating learning by email’ - list of suggested emails

Introductory letter at start of course. Appendix - Are you fixed or malleable?
Study tip number 1 – Getting organised - a Funnel in your letterbox?
News Email 1
General email - What can you expect from studying at the Open University?
News Email 2
Study tip number 2 - A formula for success?
Study tip 3 - Finding your best Study method
Study tip 4 Activities and Formative Assessment
Study tip number 5 - World’s Shortest Guide To Catching Up
News Email 3
Study tip number 4 - Make lists!
News Email 4
Study tip number 5 “I’ve got those ‘why-the-heck-am-I-trying-to-study-blues….’”
News Email 5

15.Study tipnumber 6 - Survival Guide for You and Your Family

News Email 6
Study tip no 7 ‘Self-discipline’
Study tip 8 ‘Procrastinitus’
‘Are you a lucky student?’

Appendix – other possible motivational emails

Study tip number–‘Getting the most out of tutorials’
Study tip number–‘Tactics In The Exam Wars’
General email – ‘Finished? – don’t go!’

4. Examples of motivational emails – content

1. Introductory letter at start of course

This is sent by letter but could equally well be sent by email.

‘Dear Student

‘Starting with maths (Y162)’

Welcome to your Open University course ‘Starting with Maths’. I’m your tutor for the course and it’s my job to help and advise you through the course.

I work for the OU full time in educational research and my contact details are above. I will try to phone you sometime soon after you get this letter but don’t hesitate to contact me before then if there’s anything you’d like to discuss with me. I’m happy to be contacted by phone, email or texting. Note that emails sent to will reach me more quickly than using FirstClass). If you have an email address I will shortly try to email you on it to check that you’re happy to be contacted that way.

The quickest way to contact me is via my mobile and I’ll be happy to phone you back to save your phone bill. Leave a message on that number if you like.

As a researcher I’ve been investigating how people learn and I’ve written a very brief article about my findings which is overleaf. Have a look – I hope you find it interesting.

I very much look forward to talking with you – my warmest wishes for success on the course.

Ormond Simpson

1a. Appendix to Introductory letter

Are you fixed or malleable?

Recent findings1 in psychology suggest that what we think about our own intelligence or IQ is the most important factor in how successful we are when we try to learn something. Psychologists say that people fall into two groups –

‘Fixed’ intelligence people – these people believe that their intelligence is fixed at birth and can’t be changed by external factors or their own efforts.
Malleable’ intelligence people – these people believe that their intelligence is not fixed and that it can be changed through effort.

These beliefs affect how people learn, particularly when they run into difficulties or fail an exam. People who believe that their intelligence is fixed may work hard. But when they run into difficulties or failure they tend to believe that they’ve reached the limit of their intelligence and give up.

People who believe that their intelligence is malleable will see difficulties as a sign that they need to try harder. This is because they believe that effort will overcome such difficulties in the end.

IQ is not fixed

We now know that (despite what psychologists used to believe) that intelligence is not a fixed quantity for life. We know that it can be developed by a good environment and by personal endeavour. As psychologists2 now say “People often overestimate the important of intellectual ability. Practice and perseverance contribute more to accomplishment than being smart”. In other words the malleable people are right.

We also know that this may apply particularly to learning maths. We are all hard-wired to be able to do maths at birth. Unfortunately sometimes we’re put off maths at school or elsewhere and come to believe that we can’t do it. That’s not true – with enough effort maths can be learned, even if you’ve been put off it previously.

Malleability is the key

Malleable people don’t see something hard to understand or a poor grade as a comment on their basic intelligence. They just see it as a sign that they need to ask for help and try again. So remember – your intelligence is malleable! With effort and support you can succeed on this course.

Good Luck!

Ormond Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Institutional Research, Open University

1Dweck, C. (2000) ‘Self-Theories’ Psychology Press 2Hoppe and Stojanovic (2008) Sci Amer Mind

2. Study tip 1 – Getting organised - a Funnel in your letterbox?

Dear

I hope things are going well. During this course I’ll occasionally be sending you short ‘study tips’ that I hope will be helpful. Here’s my first one:

“So how would you sum up your experience of being an OU student so far?” I said. Pete thought for a moment “Well Ormond” he said “ – it’s a bit like having the narrow end of a funnel jammed in your letter and email boxes. And scores of people standing round the wide end chucking stuff in.”

Is that how it’s feeling for you? Are you already having second thoughts about study? Here are a few suggestions:

Organise the stuff from the funnel into 3 real or virtual piles – one for course material, one for admin guff and one for support information – stuff about your tutor, who to contact and so on. Then throw the admin stuff away – no! I’m only kidding. Keep it somewhere safe – you’ll need it.

Look at the course material – just skim through and get a feel for it.

Do make contact with me by phone, email, letter, text (I can’t manage carrier pigeons – yet).. It’s not easy to phone someone out of the blue but really I’ll be really pleased to hear from you – it can be a lonely job…. If you have the internet try the computer forum for Y162 in order to contact other students. Again that’s not easy – they’re all much brighter than you aren’t they….? No they’re not. They’re all in the same boat wondering what’s going to drop out of the funnel next. [It must be a steam boat].

The first assignment – this is the biggest hurdle that all students face. Do your best and get it in. I won’t mind if it’s not the greatest assignment I’ve ever read - ‘the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single assignment calculating VAT on trousers’ as Chairman Mao used to say.

Get the family and friends on side – their support will be the most helpful you get. There’s an OU web page just for them – search for ‘Families and Friends’ on the OU’s website..

Now stop reading my meanderings and just get stuck in.

Best wishes

Ormond

3. Newsletter 1

Dear

It was good to have the chance to talk to you recently on the phone and I hope that you are getting stuck into the course.

Do let me have your learning plan if you have time in the next week or so. It’s not for marking in any way – it’s just to give me some background information about you. It’s not meant to be long – just some notes. You can send it to me by email if you like – I attach it as a file you can complete and send to me. Just add your name to the file name.

Remember to contact me at any reasonable time if you come across anything you don’t understand. But don’t get stuck on anything – just skip it and go on. You might like to gather up several items together and phone or email me about all of them in one go. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to understand absolutely everything as you go!

Finally here’s a small calculator puzzle to try on your family or friends if you have a moment:

Tell them to think of any three figures – eg 742 – but not tell you what it is

Say ‘Write down the same three figures again to give you a six figure number’ – eg 742742

‘Now divide that number by 7’ (it’s ok to let them use the calculator!)

‘Divide the new number you’ve got by 11’

‘Divide that new number by 13’

Hopefully they’ll be surprised to get back their original number. If you can explain how it works do let me know. No prizes though! - I'll send an explanation in the next email.

All the best

Ormond

4.General email -What can you expect from studying at the Open University?

Dear

I hope that you’re getting well stuck into the course by now.

Sometimes people ask me what the effects of studying through the OU are. SoI checked back through our research to see what students have told us about their experiences of having studied with the OU.

I found on the positive side that they experience increased confidence, increased skills and – for people in work – increased earnings, more than 15% on average.

On the downside they experienced some stress, a considerable loss of leisure and sometimes a little guilt about depriving families and friends of their time. But actually our research suggests that families don’t generally resent their students’ studies; on the contrary they’re often proud and supportive. Indeed students tell us that families and friends are often their best source of help.

Of course not everyone benefits to the same extent. I remember being shown a returned questionnaire from one of our graduates. In answer to the question ‘How would you say the OU has changed your life overall?’ he’d put ‘I used to be happy’. I’m sure he was just kidding - many of our students tell us how much they enjoy studying.

But perhaps in the end what people gain from the OU is something more intangible. In the past month I’ve presented students at two graduation ceremonies. One was the official ceremony in Ely Cathedral – a deeply moving yet intensely happy occasion. As I watched each graduate set off across the stage to shake the hand of the Pro Vice Chancellor (after I’d usually mispronounced their name) I was aware that for each of them it had been a hugely worthwhile and often pleasurable journey.

The other graduation ceremony was quite a contrast. It was in a high security prison and the student was a man from the East End of London who’d struggled against the odds to complete a degree in economics. His guest of honour was General Lord David Ramsbottom an ex Chief Inspector of Prisons. In his graceful speech of congratulations Sir David revealed that he too was an OU student having (he said) mostly studied in helicopters flying between postings.

And that contrast is what I think is the most important aspect of studying with the OU – its sense of fellowship between very different people. You are joining the most varied learning community on Earth in one of the greatest universities on Earth. Enjoy!

Best wishes - Ormond

5. NewsEmail 2

Dear

That puzzle!

I hope things are going well as you get stuck into the course. Here's the answer to the little puzzle I mentioned in my last newsletter where dividing a 6 figure number of the same three figures repeated (eg 743743) by 7, 11 and 13 gives you back the original three figures