Instructor Strategies for Motivating Students in Distance Education

Learning requires a great deal of effort. Reading, writing, studying, and collaborating can be time consuming, tiring, and often unexciting in any learning setting. Self-motivating can be even more challenging in a distance setting because there is often a lack of support systems that the traditional learning setting has to help keep the learner motivated. A primary distinction in the distance education setting is a lack of face-to-face interaction with the instructor or other students. Part of what makes learning motivating in a traditional setting is the human interaction in talking about what one is learning, and the sharing of common interests among one's peers. For this reason, interaction must be an essential part of the distance education setting.