Why are some pupils more motivated to learn than others? What factors lead to an improvement in motivation? What can teachers do to enhance their students’ enjoyment in learning? How can parents support their children in their studies?

To answer these questions, Dr Tan Chee Soon, Assistant Professor Stefanie Chye, Ms Yvonne Seng and Associate Professor Caroline Koh from the Psychology and Child & Human Development Academic Group have published a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled “Motivating Gen Z Learners: What parents and teachers need to know”. The course is designed to equip educators and parents with the knowledge and skills on how to motivate young learners.

Course participants are invited to follow two children, Bob and Sarah, through their daily routine. In so doing, they are presented with problem scenarios illustrating common motivational issues which they can resolve using various motivational principles. Parents and educators can build a repertoire of strategies that enable them to better understand the Gen Z learners and to enhance their motivation to learn.

This is the first open online course to be published by the National Institute of Education. The course is available on Coursera.