The New Face of Higher Education: Strategies That

Enhance the Motivation and Success of Diverse Learners

Laurie Yates, DMgtEastern Oregon University

Learning

Survival in the 21st Century demands– Active engagement in knowledge and competence

acquisition– Lifelong learning

Detraditionalization of social life- periods of learning, work, unemployment, care giving, or resting (Bye, Pushkar, & Conway, 2007)

Who Are Today’s Learners?

Higher Ed Enrollment 2000-2010 (U.S.)• All students 37%• 18-24 yr olds 34%, 25 & older, 42%• Non traditional students to 73%• % of Hispanic, Asian, Pac. Islanders, Black students

increased; white student attendees decreased • (National Center for Education Statistics)

(National Center for Education Statistics)

Our Students

• Age• Ethnicity• Gender• National origin• Physical and mental

abilities• Underprepared

• Race• Religion• Language• Sexual orientation• Socio-economic status• No family history of HEd

experience• Disability

Culture

“Culture can be defined as a dynamic system of values, beliefs, and behaviours that influence how people experience and respond to the world around them” (Guo & Jamal, 2007).

Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity can be referred to as “distinctions in the lived experiences, and the related perception of and reactions to those experiences that serve to differentiate collective populations from one another” (Marshall, 2002, p. 7).

Benefits of Diversity

• Improved campus climate• Opportunities for acquiring broader

perspectives and viewpoints• Participation in more complex discussions• Can lead to openness to diversity, improved

critical thinking skills, and greater personal development (Guo & Jamal, 2007)

Nontraditional Undergraduates

Characteristics (any of the following)– Delayed enrollment of 1+ yrs after high school– Part-time attendance– Financial independence from parents– Full-time work– Dependents (other than spouse)– Single parent– No high school diploma or GED(National Center for Education Statistics)

Adult vs. Traditional Learners

Challenges/barriers for adult learners– Lack of time to pursue education– Family responsibilities– Scheduling of course time and place– Cost of educational courses

Different approaches to learning and teaching are needed to encourage participation and engagement in learning

Andragogy vs. Pedagogy

Andragogy

• Self-directing• Experience is valued in the

learning process• Readiness to learn and need

to know• Intrinsic motivators• Problem-centered or task

focused

Pedagogy

• Teacher directed• Teacher’s experiences are

relevant• Readiness to learn to

achieve next step• External motivators• “Chalk and Talk”

(Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005)

Motivation

• Motivation binds emotion to action. It creates as well as guides purposeful behavior involving many systems and structures within the brain and body (Ratey, 2001)

• “From a biological perspective, motivation is a process that determines how much energy and attention the brain and body assign to a given stimulus” (Wlodkowski, 2008, p. 2)

• Research in neuroscience and learning• “Intrinsic motivation is governed to a large extent by

emotions, which in turn are socialized through culture” (Wlodkowski, 2008, p. 20)

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

• Intrinsic– Driven by challenge, curiosity, and mastery– Self-development rather than immediate return– Sustained interest with little recognition or support

• Extrinsic– Seek approval and external signs of worth– The learning task itself is a means to an end

• Engagement in learning is the visible outcome of motivation

How can we motivate students in their pursuit of learning? Can we?“We can influence the motivation of students by

coming to know their perspective, by drawing forth who they naturally and culturally are, and by seeing them as unique and active” (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995, p. 18).

Learner Motivation

• McCombs and Whisler (as cited in Wlodkowski, 2008), “In general, ideas from neuroscience and constructivism are compatible with intrinsic motivation’s tenets that human beings are curious and active, make meaning from experience, and desire to be effective at what they value” (p. 96).

• Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching (MFCRT) provides a structure for planning and applying motivational strategies.

Motivating Instructors

• Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching (MFCRT) – a tool for inclusion and connectedness

• Five pillars– Expertise (knowledge)– Empathy (caring)– Enthusiasm (commitment)– Clarity (individual follower attention)– Cultural responsiveness (respect and social responsibility)

• Qualities– Realness or genuineness– Caring, trust, respect– Empathetic understanding and sensitive listening (Wlodkowski,

2008)

MFCRT

• Four conditions that teachers and students create/enhance– Establishing inclusion: Respect and connectivity– Developing attitude: Positive view of learning

experience through personal relevance and choice– Enhancing meaning: Creating challenging, thoughtful

learning experiences that include students’ perspectives and values

– Engendering competence: Students are effective in learning something they value

Motivational Condition Question To Ask Strategy Learning Activity

Establishing inclusion How do we create or affirm a Collaborative Randomly form small groups

learning atmosphere in which learning in which students exchange

we feel respected by and experiences and perceptions they

connected to one another? have about the hiring process

Developing attitude How do we create or affirm a Relevant Ask students to choose one aspect

favorable disposition toward learning goals of the hiring process for which

learning through personal they would like to develop better

relevance and choice? skills and learn more (Ex: interviewing)

Enhancing meaning How do we create engaging Critical Form teams to devise interview

and challenging learning questioning and questions based on crafted job

experiences that include predicting descriptions which will result in

students' perspectives and selection of qualified applicants and

values? successful employees

Engendering How do we create or affirm an Self-assessment Students "field test" their interviewing

competence understanding that students skills on volunteers who will provide

have effectively learned feedback. This is followed by team and

something they value and individual reflection on what they

perceive as authentic to their learned and how they will apply it in

real world? the workplace

Human Resource Management Course

Lesson Plans• Design with active rather than passive learning in mind.

Active learning can be described as “anything that involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing” (Fink, 2003, p. 103).

• Examples of rich learning experiences– Debates– Role-playing– Simulation– Dramatization– Community service– Real world project and application– Reflection

Feedback• “Feedback about one’s learning and behavior

significantly contributes to one’s sense of control and is vital to intrinsic motivation and improving learning” (Wlodkowski, 2008, pp. 19-20).

• Prompt and frequent• Positive• Informational rather than controlling• Specific and constructive• Quantifiable (percentages, ratings, measures)• Ask students what type of feedback would be helpful• Was the feedback understood?• One-on-one, team, and class feedback

Learner Motivation: Impact

• Outcomes• Retention• Success in the 21st century• Lifelong learning(Taylor & House, 2010)

Thank You

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