The Motivational Currency of the Classroom

If you’re generally the life of the party and a fun guest, you get invited to stuff. If you dress like a style god, fashionistas will worship you. And if you are always helpful, people will help you back whenever you need it.

Currency comes in lots of forms, not just cashish, and learning environments are not exempt. Learners spend their resources, time and effort. In return, they expect a return on their investment. In at least one of four ways:

1. Knowledge

2. Soft skills: organizational skills & time management

3. Social skills: Knowing how to read social situations and also knowing what to say, to whom to say it, when to say it and how and second, knowing what to say, to whom to say it, when to say it, and how to say it so that we get what we want from the situation.

4. Network affiliations: Connections give you access to experts, resources, and others who can help you. Who you know is almost more important than what you know in today’s hyper-connected world

After learners invest their "currency" - they adjust how they behave based on the return. This calculation determines whether they will;

• embrace challenge and attempt difficult work, or avoid it and sit passively by.

• persevere through frustration or give up.

• participate actively or reject the learning experience out of hand.

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However, learner motivation takes a big hit if the return on what they spend doesn't seem worth it.

In developing eLearning, what are some ways you could increase the ROI of the currency yours learners spend?