Articulating the Value of What We Teach

A common complaint among faculty is that their students are unmotivated to learn. Indeed, it can seem at times that what we think is our most brilliant lecture or an exciting new assignment ends up eliciting blank stares and yawns from our students. We know from the significant body of research on motivation (see chapter 3 of How Learning Works for a succinct summary of the research) that one of the major factors affecting motivation is that the student values the task at hand. Students in upper-level courses in the major, for instance, often are interested in what they are studying and can see that the work they are doing will lead directly to goals after college, so they have a mixture of intrinsic and instrumental values at play that lead to high motivation and good outcomes. On the other hand, we may have more trouble getting students motivated in core or foundational classes required for graduation.

In a class that looks to students as just a hurdle to be jumped over on the way to the good stuff, we need to think more deeply about what we do to communicate value. I once asked a precalculus teacher why students should take her course; her response was “it’s a prerequisite for calculus.” When pressed to articulate the value of learning precalculus, she couldn’t do it. But, if we can’t articulate the value of what we teach, how will our students appreciate the value?

Here’s a little exercise to stretch your ability to communicate value. Imagine a student can choose between your course and another course to fulfill a requirement. Using only a discussion about the value of the course, convince this student to take your class. Try writing down your argument. Think about how course content connects to student interests, the skills students will learn, the habits of mind they will develop. This guide may be of help to you as you work through the exercise.

Now, begin communicating that value starting with the syllabus and throughout the course. You may start to see your students’ motivation rise before your eyes!