Which learning methods best support motivation?

I have created a matrix to categorize different learning methods. I have done this to better discuss the characteristics of the different categories without having to go into too much detail about the individual methods.
The matrix has two axes. On one axis we have one-way communication at one end and two-way communication at the other. On the other axis we can see whether the communication is simultaneous or not simultaneous.

I have plotted different types of learning methods into the different categories, both digital and analog. The learning methods in brackets describe forms of learning that require the presence of teacher and student, sender and receiver, at the same time. There are two colors, blue and green, where the green ones give the receiver a high degree of autonomy and the blue ones a low degree of autonomy. I will return to this at the end of this article. For the sake of clarity, I would like to mention that this is not a complete overview of all learning methods.

In the following, I will primarily deal with the digital methods. There are of course different strengths and weaknesses of the different forms of learning within each quadrant, but here I will focus on the characteristics of each quadrant and which learning needs they will typically be able to address.

The matrix has a total of four quadrants.

1. Simultaneous one-way communication, such as a webinar, a kind of digital lecture.
2. Non-simultaneous one-way communication. It is in this category that you find most types of digital learning such as e-learning and podcasts.
3. Simultaneous two-way communication, e.g. Skype meetings, possibly with more than two participants. It could be a kind of virtual workshop.
4. Non-simultaneous two-way communication, such as wikis or online forums, where you can ask questions and get written answers.

The attentive reader will probably notice that I have placed email and SMS in non-simultaneous one-way communication. One could argue that it belongs in non-simultaneous two-way communication, since one can of course have a dialogue over email or SMS. When I place it in non-simultaneous one-way communication, it is because email or SMS in the context of digital learning are most often used to inform the recipients about something, and are rarely used for dialogue.

If you use self-determination theory as an analysis model, you can create a hierarchy of which learning forms in the matrix should, theoretically, be best for the participants' motivation.

1. Simultaneous two-way communication.
2. Non-simultaneous two-way communication.
3. Simultaneous one-way communication.
4. Non-simultaneous one-way communication.

This should not be taken too literally. Boring Simultaneous two-way communication will be less motivating than exciting Non-simultaneous one-way communication. Of course, you will also find examples where non-simultaneous one-way communication can be more motivating than simultaneous two-way communication.

An important point with this is to point out that there are some problems in relation to motivation for e-learning (and other non-simultaneous one-way communication), and that it is important to be aware of this and try to compensate for it when designing learning.

For example, you can make sure that there is a clear sender of what is being communicated; it could be a person on a video or an avatar. You can address the recipient as “you” and “you”, and you can make sure to do what I call ‘facilitating learning’. Facilitating learning is “taking the person by the hand” and making sure to tell them what is expected of them. It can be something as simple as asking them to press a next button when they are ready. Of course, you have to find a balance between, on the one hand, not talking down to people, and on the other, making sure that they always know what to do.

Another approach you can use is to try to involve the participants in the material - even though an e-learning module cannot actually hear what the participant is saying. This can be done, among other things, by asking the participants to reflect on some information you give them.

If you have the opportunity to create blended learning courses, it is beneficial to mix the different learning forms, as the variation itself can help make a learning course more exciting.

Autonomy, motivation and expertise reversal effect

It is also beneficial to work on giving participants a great deal of autonomy in how they use the e-learning. This must be done with consideration for the target group, as too much freedom can be overwhelming and too little freedom can be demotivating.

An important thing in this regard is to be aware of the phenomenon called the expertise reversal effect , as it is of crucial importance to the target group's need for autonomy. The expertise reversal effect refers to the phenomenon that there is a difference between how an expert and a beginner learn best within a field. The methods that work well for a beginner (simplified explanations, simple graphics, guided progression through the material, etc.) typically work very poorly for an expert and vice versa. Experts typically want to control the course of the battle themselves. They know what they know and don't know, and want to be able to jump around in the material. They want pictures with lots of detail. Case-based learning, where experts are "thrown out" into a problem they have to solve, is also typically a good idea. Beginners risk cognitive overload if the task is too complex, which many cases are.

So the choice of method should also take into account the target group's prior knowledge of the subject. In particular, it is important to make it clear that if you have a target group that consists of both beginners and experts, the choice of method can potentially have a negative impact on the motivation of one part of the target group. This applies to methods that are in the same quadrant. For example, Podcasts and e-books are in the same quadrant, but since it is difficult to skim a podcast, an expert will probably prefer an e-book, as they get greater autonomy here. Note that it is of course possible to create e.g. learning games and e-learning with a reasonably high level of autonomy, but this is not the norm.

Do you want to? learn more?

If you are interested in reading more about the brain and learning, these articles will probably interest you.

• Self-determination theory. The most important theory you need to know about learning.
• Coercive design – how not to design e-learning .
• Which learning methods best support motivation for learning?
• Your brain is NOT a computer - Predictive Coding
• Flick 2 learn. Why Interactive elearning is NOT always exciting elearning
• Gamification
• Expertise Reversal Effect

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