how to encourage students to complete assignments

Center for Teaching

Motivating students.

Introduction

• Expectancy – Value – Cost Model

ARCS Model of Instructional Design

Self-determination theory, additional strategies for motivating students.

Fostering student motivation is a difficult but necessary aspect of teaching that instructors must consider. Many may have led classes where students are engaged, motivated, and excited to learn, but have also led classes where students are distracted, disinterested, and reluctant to engage—and, probably, have led classes that are a mix. What factors influence students’ motivation? How can instructors promote students’ engagement and motivation to learn? While there are nuances that change from student to student, there are also models of motivation that serve as tools for thinking through and enhancing motivation in our classrooms. This guide will look at three frameworks: the expectancy-value-cost model of motivation, the ARCS model of instructional design, and self-determination theory. These three models highlight some of the major factors that influence student motivation, often drawing from and demonstrating overlap among their frameworks. The aim of this guide is to explore some of the literature on motivation and offer practical solutions for understanding and enhancing student motivation.

Expectancy – Value – Cost Model

The purpose of the original expectancy-value model was to predict students’ achievement behaviors within an educational context. The model has since been refined to include cost as one of the three major factors that influence student motivation. Below is a description of the three factors, according to the model, that influence motivation.

• Expectancy refers to a student’s expectation that they can actually succeed in the assigned task. It energizes students because they feel empowered to meet the learning objectives of the course.
• Value involves a student’s ability to perceive the importance of engaging in a particular task. This gives meaning to the assignment or activity because students are clear on why the task or behavior is valuable.
• Cost points to the barriers that impede a student’s ability to be successful on an assignment, activity and/or the course at large. Therefore, students might have success expectancies and perceive high task value, however, they might also be aware of obstacles to their engagement or a potential negative affect resulting in performance of the task, which could decrease their motivation.

Three important questions to consider from the student perspective:

1. Expectancy – Can I do the task?

2. Value – Do I want to do the task?

• Intrinsic or interest value : the inherent enjoyment that an individual experiences from engaging in the task for its own sake.

• Utility value : the usefulness of the task in helping achieve other short term or long-term goals.

• Attainment value : the task affirms a valued aspect of an individual’s identity and meets a need that is important to the individual.

3. Cost – Am I free of barriers that prevent me from investing my time, energy, and resources into the activity?

It’s important to note that expectancy, value and cost are not shaped only when a student enters your classroom. These have been shaped over time by both individual and contextual factors. Each of your students comes in with an initial response, however there are strategies for encouraging student success, clarifying subject meaning and finding ways to mitigate costs that will increase your students’ motivation. Everyone may not end up at the same level of motivation, but if you can increase each student’s motivation, it will help the overall atmosphere and productivity of the course that you are teaching.

Strategies to Enhance Expectancy, Value, and Cost

Hulleman et. al (2016) summarize research-based sources that positively impact students’ expectancy beliefs, perceptions of task value, and perceptions of cost, which might point to useful strategies that instructors can employ.

Research-based sources of expectancy-related beliefs

Research-based sources of value

Research-based sources of cost

• Barron K. E., & Hulleman, C. S. (2015). Expectancy-value-cost model of motivation. International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 8 , 503-509.
• Hulleman, C. S., Barron, K. E., Kosovich, J. J., & Lazowski, R. A. (2016). Student motivation: Current theories, constructs, and interventions within an expectancy-value framework. In A. A. Lipnevich et al. (Eds.), Psychosocial Skills and School Systems in the 21st Century . Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

The ARCS model of instructional design was created to improve the motivational appeal of instructional materials. The ARCS model is grounded in an expectancy-value framework, which assumes that people are motivated to engage in an activity if it’s perceived to be linked to the satisfaction of personal needs and if there is a positive expectancy for success. The purpose of this model was to fill a gap in the motivation literature by providing a model that could more clearly allow instructors to identify strategies to help improve motivation levels within their students.

ARCS is an acronym that stands for four factors, according to the model, that influence student motivation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

• Attention refers to getting and sustaining student attention and directing attention to the appropriate stimuli.
• Relevance involves making instruction applicable to present and future career opportunities, showing that learning in it of itself is enjoyable, and/or focusing on process over product by satisfying students’ psychological needs (e.g., need for achievement, need for affiliation).
• Confidence includes helping students believe that some level of success is possible if effort is exerted.
• Satisfaction is attained by helping students feel good about their accomplishments and allowing them to exert some degree of control over the learning experience.

To use the ARCS instructional design model, these steps can be followed:

• Classify the problem
• Analyze audience motivation
• Prepare motivational objectives (i.e., identify which factor in the ARCS model to target based on the defined problem and audience analysis).
• Generate potential motivational strategies for each objective
• Select strategies that a) don’t take up too much instructional time; b) don’t detract from instructional objectives; c) fall within time and money constraints; d) are acceptable to the audience; and e) are compatible with the instructor’s personal style, preferences, and mode of instruction.
• Prepare motivational elements
• Integrate materials with instruction
• Conduct a developmental try-out
• Assess motivational outcomes

Strategies to Enhance Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction

Keller (1987) provides several suggestions for how instructors can positively impact students’ attention, perceived relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

Attention Strategies

Incongruity, Conflict

• Introduce a fact that seems to contradict the learner’s past experience.
• Present an example that does not seem to exemplify a given concept.
• Introduce two equally plausible facts or principles, only one of which can be true.
• Play devil’s advocate.

Concreteness

• Show visual representations of any important object or set of ideas or relationships.
• Give examples of every instructionally important concept or principle.
• Use content-related anecdotes, case studies, biographies, etc.

Variability

• In stand up delivery, vary the tone of your voice, and use body movement, pauses, and props.
• Vary the format of instruction (information presentation, practice, testing, etc.) according to the attention span of the audience.
• Vary the medium of instruction (platform delivery, film, video, print, etc.).
• Break up print materials by use of white space, visuals, tables, different typefaces, etc.
• Change the style of presentation (humorous-serious, fast-slow, loud-soft, active-passive, etc.).
• Shift between student-instructor interaction and student-student interaction.
• Where appropriate, use plays on words during redundant information presentation.
• Use humorous introductions.
• Use humorous analogies to explain and summarize.
• Use creativity techniques to have learners create unusual analogies and associations to the content.
• Build in problem solving activities at regular interval.
• Give learners the opportunity to select topics, projects and assignments that appeal to their curiosity and need to explore.

Participation

• Use games, role plays, or simulations that require learner participation.

Relevance Strategies

• State explicitly how the instruction builds on the learner’s existing skills.
• Use analogies familiar to the learner from past experience.
• Find out what the learners’ interests are and relate them to the instruction.

Present Worth

• State explicitly the present intrinsic value of learning the content, as distinct from its value as a link to future goals.

Future Usefulness

• State explicitly how the instruction relates to future activities of the learner.
• Ask learners to relate the instruction to their own future goals (future wheel).

Need Matching

• To enhance achievement striving behavior, provide opportunities to achieve standards of excellence under conditions of moderate risk.
• To make instruction responsive to the power motive, provide opportunities for responsibility, authority, and interpersonal influence.
• To satisfy the need for affiliation, establish trust and provide opportunities for no-risk, cooperative interaction.
• Bring in alumni of the course as enthusiastic guest lecturers.
• In a self-paced course, use those who finish first as deputy tutors.
• Model enthusiasm for the subject taught.
• Provide meaningful alternative methods for accomplishing a goal.
• Provide personal choices for organizing one’s work.

Confidence Strategies

Learning Requirements

• Incorporate clearly stated, appealing learning goals into instructional materials.
• Provide self-evaluation tools which are based on clearly stated goals.
• Explain the criteria for evaluation of performance.
• Organize materials on an increasing level of difficulty; that is, structure the learning material to provide a “conquerable” challenge.

Expectations

• Include statements about the likelihood of success with given amounts of effort and ability.
• Teach students how to develop a plan of work that will result in goal accomplishment.
• Help students set realistic goals.

Attributions

• Attribute student success to effort rather than luck or ease of task when appropriate (i.e., when you know it’s true!).
• Encourage student efforts to verbalize appropriate attributions for both successes and failures.

Self-Confidence

• Allow students opportunity to become increasingly independent in learning and practicing a skill.
• Have students learn new skills under low risk conditions, but practice performance of well-learned tasks under realistic conditions.
• Help students understand that the pursuit of excellence does not mean that anything short of perfection is failure; learn to feel good about genuine accomplishment.

Satisfaction Strategies

Natural Consequences

• Allow a student to use a newly acquired skill in a realistic setting as soon as possible.
• Verbally reinforce a student’s intrinsic pride in accomplishing a difficult task.
• Allow a student who masters a task to help others who have not yet done so.

Unexpected Rewards

• Reward intrinsically interesting task performance with unexpected, non-contingent rewards.
• Reward boring tasks with extrinsic, anticipated rewards.

Positive Outcomes

• Give verbal praise for successful progress or accomplishment.
• Give personal attention to students.
• Provide informative, helpful feedback when it is immediately useful.
• Provide motivating feedback (praise) immediately following task performance.

Negative Influences

• Avoid the use of threats as a means of obtaining task performance.
• Avoid surveillance (as opposed to positive attention).
• Avoid external performance evaluations whenever it is possible to help the student evaluate his or her own work.
• Provide frequent reinforcements when a student is learning a new task.
• Provide intermittent reinforcement as a student becomes more competent at a task.
• Vary the schedule of reinforcements in terms of both interval and quantity.

Source: Keller, J. M. (1987). Development and use of the ARCS model of instructional design. Journal of Instructional Development, 10 , 2-10.

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a macro-theory of human motivation, emotion, and development that is concerned with the social conditions that facilitate or hinder human flourishing. While applicable to many domains, the theory has been commonly used to understand what moves students to act and persist in educational settings. SDT focuses on the factors that influence intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which primarily involves the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.

Basic Psychological Needs

SDT posits that human motivation is guided by the need to fulfill basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

• Autonomy refers to having a choice in one’s own individual behaviors and feeling that those behaviors stem from individual volition rather than from external pressure or control. In educational contexts, students feel autonomous when they are given options, within a structure, about how to perform or present their work.
• Competence refers to perceiving one’s own behaviors or actions as effective and efficient. Students feel competent when they are able to track their progress in developing skills or an understanding of course material. This is often fostered when students receive clear feedback regarding their progression in the class.
• Relatedness refers to feeling a sense of belonging, closeness, and support from others. In educational settings, relatedness is fostered when students feel connected, both intellectually and emotionally, to their peers and instructors in the class. This can often be accomplished through interactions that allow members of the class to get to know each other on a deeper, more personal level.

Continuum of Self-Determination

SDT also posits that motivation exists on a continuum. When an environment provides enough support for the satisfaction of the psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, an individual may experience self-determined forms of motivation: intrinsic motivation, integration, and identification. Self-determined motivation occurs when there is an internal perceived locus of causality (i.e., internal factors are the main driving force for the behavior). Integration and identification are also grouped as autonomous extrinsic motivation as the behavior is driven by internal and volitional choice.

Intrinsic motivation , which is the most self-determined type of motivation, occurs when individuals naturally and spontaneously perform behaviors as a result of genuine interest and enjoyment.

Integrated regulation is when individuals identify the importance of a behavior, integrate this behavior into their self-concept, and pursue activities that align with this self-concept.

Identified regulation is where people identify and recognize the value of a behavior, which then drives their action.

When an environment does not provide enough support for the satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, an individual may experience non-self-determined forms of motivation: introjection and external regulation. Introjection and external regulation are grouped as controlled extrinsic motivation because people enact these behaviors due to external or internal pressures.

Introjected regulation occurs when individuals are controlled by internalized consequences administered by the individual themselves, such as pride, shame, or guilt.

External regulation is when people’s behaviors are controlled exclusively by external factors, such as rewards or punishments.

Finally, at the bottom of the continuum is amotivation, which is lowest form of motivation.

Amotivation exists when there is a complete lack of intention to behave and there is no sense of achievement or purpose when the behavior is performed.

Below is a figure depicting the continuum of self-determination taken from Lonsdale, Hodge, and Rose (2009).

Although having intrinsically motivated students would be the ultimate goal, it may not be a practical one within educational settings. That’s because there are several tasks that are required of students to meet particular learning objectives that may not be inherently interesting or enjoyable. Instead, instructors can employ various strategies to satisfy students’ basic psychological needs, which should move their level of motivation along the continuum, and hopefully lead to more self-determined forms of motivation, thus yielding the greatest rewards in terms of student academic outcomes.

Below are suggestions for how instructors can positively impact students’ perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Strategies to Enhance Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

Autonomy strategies.

• Have students choose paper topics
• Have students choose the medium with which they will present their work
• Co-create rubrics with students (e.g., participation rubrics, assignment rubrics)
• Have students choose the topics you will cover in a particular unit
• Drop the lowest assessment or two (e.g., quizzes, exams, homework)
• Have students identify preferred assignment deadlines
• Gather mid-semester feedback and make changes based on student suggestions
• Provide meaningful rationales for learning activities
• Acknowledge students’ feelings about the learning process or learning activities throughout the course

Competence Strategies

• Set high but achievable learning objectives
• Communicate to students that you believe they can meet your high expectations
• Communicate clear expectations for each assignment (e.g., use rubrics)
• Include multiple low-stakes assessments
• Give students practice with feedback before assessments
• Provide lots of early feedback to students
• Have students provide peer feedback
• Scaffold assignments
• Praise student effort and hard work
• Provide a safe environment for students to fail and then learn from their mistakes

Relatedness Strategies

• Share personal anecdotes
• Get to know students via small talk before/after class and during breaks
• Require students to come to office hours (individually or in small groups)
• Have students complete a survey where they share information about themselves
• Use students’ names (perhaps with the help of name tents)
• Have students incorporate personal interests into their assignments
• Share a meal with students or bring food to class
• Incorporate group activities during class, and allow students to work with a variety of peers
• Arrange formal study groups
• Convey warmth, caring, and respect to students
• Lonsdale, C., Hodge, K., & Rose, E. (2009). Athlete burnout in elite sport: A self-determination perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27, 785-795.
• Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 133-144.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness . New York: Guilford.

Below are some additional research-based strategies for motivating students to learn.

• Become a role model for student interest . Deliver your presentations with energy and enthusiasm. As a display of your motivation, your passion motivates your students. Make the course personal, showing why you are interested in the material.
• Get to know your students.  You will be able to better tailor your instruction to the students’ concerns and backgrounds, and your personal interest in them will inspire their personal loyalty to you. Display a strong interest in students’ learning and a faith in their abilities.
• Use examples freely.  Many students want to be shown why a concept or technique is useful before they want to study it further. Inform students about how your course prepares students for future opportunities.
• Teach by discovery. Students find it satisfying to reason through a problem and discover the underlying principle on their own.
• Cooperative learning activities are particularly effective as they also provide positive social pressure.
• Set realistic performance goals  and help students achieve them by encouraging them to set their own reasonable goals. Design assignments that are appropriately challenging in view of the experience and aptitude of the class.
• Place appropriate emphasis on testing and grading.  Tests should be a means of showing what students have mastered, not what they have not. Avoid grading on the curve and give everyone the opportunity to achieve the highest standard and grades.
• Be free with praise and constructive in criticism.  Negative comments should pertain to particular performances, not the performer. Offer nonjudgmental feedback on students’ work, stress opportunities to improve, look for ways to stimulate advancement, and avoid dividing students into sheep and goats.
• Give students as much control over their own education as possible.  Let students choose paper and project topics that interest them. Assess them in a variety of ways (tests, papers, projects, presentations, etc.) to give students more control over how they show their understanding to you. Give students options for how these assignments are weighted.
• Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• DeLong, M., & Winter, D. (2002).  Learning to teach and teaching to learn mathematics: Resources for professional development . Washington, D.C.: Mathematical Association of America.
• Nilson, L. (2016). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors  (4 th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.

Teaching Guides

Quick Links

• Services for Departments and Schools
• Examples of Online Instructional Modules

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Have you seen our latest free teacher workshop?

25 Surefire Student Engagement Strategies To Boost Learning

Transform your learners from passive to passionate!

Tired of seeing students’ glazed-over eyes? Is it getting harder to motivate your students to complete classroom tasks? Well, I’m here to help get that excited light back into your students’ eyes and get them eager for that next lesson. These 25 student engagement strategies—which work across all subjects—will transform your classroom from textbook-bored to animated and electrically pulsed. Read and discover how to turn passive learners into interested readers, history buffs, math whizzes, and science enthusiasts!

General Student Engagement Strategies

Math student engagement strategies, ela student engagement strategies, science student engagement strategies, history and social studies student engagement strategies.

These strategies work well for all subjects.

1. Bring in the experts

Livestreaming can shake up the atmosphere of the classroom. Imagine a renowned scientist explaining a concept or an expert chronicler bringing history to life, all in real-time.

No matter if it’s a guest lecturer across town or an expert from another school, live video adds a dynamic layer to learning. Students get exposed to fresh perspectives, ask questions in real time, and experience a modern twist on the traditional lesson.

Just add your guest to your preferred platform, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and get ready for a class full of engaged and curious students.

2. Collaboration makes the dream work

Students crave connection. Why have them work alone when they can do that at home? Use class time as an opportunity for constructive social interaction. This shift from solo to social learning is what truly engages students—the chance to learn alongside their peers, building knowledge and relationships together.

And there are tons of tools to support this. Google Docs, Padlet , Flip , and MindMeister are just a few that allow students to work on projects together, refining ideas through shared experiences and communication.

Learn more:  Fun Ways To Help Your Students Collaborate in the Classroom

3. Use game-based learning

Inject some serious fun into your classroom. Game-based learning platforms make wonderful student engagement strategies. Research has shown the effectiveness of how challenging subjects can become exciting with these interactive tools. They promote interests, up the level of knowledge retention, and personalize students’ individual needs. ADVERTISEMENT

Platforms like Baamboozle , Quizizz , and Gametize up student engagement. There is also  Prodigy Education , which offers a winning combination for both students and teachers.

FYI, you don’t always need technology to incorporate learning games into your lesson. There are many game ideas out there that can be prepared in minutes.

Learn more: Improv Games for Any Content Area (Except Possibly Math)

4. Provide open-ended projects

When it’s project time, ignite students’ passion by offering a menu of open-ended options. It allows students to participate in their own learning process by giving them choices as well as alternative ways to express what they know about the subject. This caters to diverse learning styles and lets students showcase their knowledge in unique ways.

Imagine students:

• Designing eye-catching websites
• Crafting engaging e-books
• Expressing themselves through original artwork
• Composing catchy tunes
• Building multimedia masterpieces

The best part? Students can use readily available software on classroom devices, allowing you to dedicate class time to project work while empowering students with control over how they use technology.

Learn more:  How I Make Open-Ended Assignments Really Work in My Middle School Classroom

5. Connect the lesson to real-life examples

Learning shouldn’t exist in a bubble! Students need connections between what they learn and the world around them. Real-life examples are powerful tools for making subjects clearer, more relatable, and easier to grasp.

A few examples to use in class could be: Use a picture showing how streets on a map represent parallel lines and transversals in geometry. Analyze metaphors and similes in song lyrics, poems, or advertisements in students’ daily encounters with the written word. Science is connected to life when you discuss the force of gravity using falling apples or jumping activities. Give them a taste of history when you discuss food rationing during World War II by having students create a weekly food plan based on limited resources.

6. Be the subject’s superfan

Let’s face it, we all learn better from those who are fired up. It’s contagious when someone talks excitedly about a topic they love. The same goes for teachers.

Your enthusiasm is a magic ingredient for student engagement. The more energy and passion you show, the more students will be drawn in and interested in the material.

Of course, authenticity matters—students can spot a fake smile a mile away. The key is to find ways to convey your genuine interest. If you like it, they may understand why the topic is not as bad as they thought it was. Students may even find that they like aspects of the topic too.

Learn more:  Ways To Incorporate Your Own Interests and Passions Into Your Lessons

These ideas make math more engaging, but they can often be used in other subjects as well.

7. Encourage student feedback

Have key feedback that helps you fine-tune your lessons. By prioritizing student input, you create a learning environment where students feel heard. You’ll also gain crucial information to keep your lessons fresh, engaging, and perfectly aligned with students’ needs. So ditch the guesswork, listen to your students, and watch your lessons transform!

You can make it techy too. Create engaging surveys and polls using tools like Socrative , Google Forms , SurveyMonkey , or Poll Everywhere in minutes. 

Plus, having students create their own feedback forms might be a good idea for incorporating students’ interest in the class. Having students ask their fellow classmates about their opinions can develop social skills and class bonding.

Learn more:  Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples for Immediate Feedback

8. Add daily starters

One of the best student engagement strategies to start a math class is daily starters, aka warmers.

These quick brain-teasing activities are perfect for:

• Kicking off the day: Get students energized and focused for learning.
• Shifting gears: Transition smoothly between activities or topics.
• Warming up brains: Prepare students for math challenges with a quick mental workout that wakes up their prior knowledge and prepares them for the material to come.

Learn more:  These 15-Minute Learning Games Are Perfect Class Warm-Ups or “May Dos”

9. Get students up and moving

Try getting students out of their seats with “4 Corners.” This can be used with two to four areas of the classroom. Have each corner labeled odds and evens, for example, then shout out a mental calculation and watch them run to the right solution. Once they get the idea of the game, ignite more excitement by adding an elimination to each subsequent round where the last student(s) to arrive at the answer have to sit down. The last student standing gets a prize. 

10. Make a game out of checking their own work

This activity boosts independence by having students check their own work. It encourages finding errors with your team and sharpens addition skills.

How to set it up:

• Students work on three or four problems with a central target number.
• Students add all solutions to match the target number. If it doesn’t match, they work in teams to find and fix the mistakes. 

Learn more: Add ’Em Up and Count It All Joy

11. Graphs can be fun too

Let’s look back at the appeal of real-life examples. Realistically, graphs and tables are common in everyday life. Not only is learning about them practical for students’ lives, learning how to turn data into elements of math empowers students too. 

One great interactive graphing tool is Nearpod’s Draw It . This online assessment makes learning and analyzing graphs interactive and engaging, boosting student understanding and confidence. 

Boost your students’ interest in ELA with these ideas that can often be adapted for other subjects.

12. Show them two articles on one topic

Turn students into critical thinkers by analyzing two contrasting news articles on the same issue. This strategy sparks critical thinking through students actively comparing and contrasting the articles, dissecting persuasive techniques, and forming their own opinions.

They’re not just reading, they’re constructing their own understanding of the topic by weighing evidence and identifying bias. This can also work in pointing out the sometimes distorted information found in search engine results.

13. Encourage creativity with tech

Have students actively create something new rather than just consuming information. Get them thinking of topics with colors and images that will grab attention. Several tech tools can help, like PosterMyWall , Canva , or Picmaker .

Learn more: Inspire Your Kids’ Creativity With These Online Art Resources

14. Take note-taking to another level

Tired of traditional note-taking? Use Bounce to transform any web page into an interactive whiteboard. Students can directly annotate, comment, and edit the content, fostering collaboration and critical thinking. It’s perfect for one-to-one device classrooms or group activities. Compare edits and see who can best “improve” the page. This engaging approach takes note-taking strategies to the next level!

15. Explore the creative outlet of blogging

Motivate students to use their voices by integrating writing with technology. Platforms like WordPress offer free templates and privacy settings to create student blogs. Let them showcase their talents with:

• Poems and short essays
• Historical figure diaries
• Fictional character perspectives

Students can engage in online conversation by commenting on one another’s thoughts and perspectives.

16. Encourage student-guided discussion

Student engagement strategies like discussion-question contests are very effective critical-thinking activities. Move learners beyond memorization by making thought-provoking discussion questions that require analysis, justification, and even personal connections that foster debate and a deeper understanding of the reading task. 

To make this more effective, provide question starters and examples for students to create their own questions based on reading sections. Then, sit back and experience their delightful minds working.

These strategies work especially well for science, but you can try them in other subjects too.

17. Establish learning stations

Transforming your classroom with this engaging strategy delivers diverse content and caters to different learning styles. Students can rotate and collaborate at each station. The stations could be a build-up to a larger-outcome project or steps to understanding a complex problem.

Whether it is manipulatives, engaging media, or commuting formulas, learning stations empower students to take ownership of their learning—a win for everyone!

Learn more:  How Teachers Can Plan & Use Virtual “Stations” Online

18. Spark their passion with demonstrations

Seeing is believing! Hands-on demonstrations are a powerful way to spark student engagement. Focus on finding simple, effective demonstrations that illustrate key concepts. Become a classroom rock star with minimal materials.

Example demos:

• Stored energy
• Disappearing ink
• Saltwater conductivity
• Hanging compass
• Vanishing Styrofoam cups

19. Bring them the magic of cinema

I’m not suggesting watching a whole film to keep students’ attention—you can shorten it to a quick viewing through movie clips. They can be powerful student engagement strategies.

Use well-chosen clips to spark curiosity and reinforce science concepts during downtime or throughout lessons. Target specific concepts with engaging clips that ignite student interest and keep them science-focused.

Learn more: Great Movies for the Science Classroom

20. Give them a choice

Spark student excitement by offering choices in research and assignments. Let them own their learning by selecting topics or approaches that pique their curiosity. This sense of autonomy fuels engagement, transforming tasks from obligations to exciting opportunities for exploration.

Learn more:  The Big List of Science Fair Project Ideas, Resources, and More

Revive your students’ interest in history and social studies with these strategies that are adaptable to any topic.

21. Work technology into the team

Students don’t have to use technology alone. The “T” in teamwork can be for tech. Here are a couple of suggestions for using technology in history class:

• Huddle up for videos :  Gather students around a single device for clips, allowing them to pause, discuss, and rewind collaboratively. This fosters interaction and refines understanding.
• Project-based learning with tech: Empower students as “producers” of historical knowledge. Students can research, analyze media like movies and images, and present a Google Slideshow. Choices in topic and approach fuel engagement, transforming students from passive consumers to active learners eager to share their findings.

22. Make timelines interactive

Use interactive projects and technology to help students synthesize their historical knowledge through engaging projects.

• Interactive timelines: Students create personalized timelines, highlighting key events and sparking deeper understanding.
• Social media through history: Imagine students crafting mock social media posts or blogs from historical figures’ perspectives, bringing the past to life.
• Student-made documentaries: Take projects a step further with collaborative documentaries. Students gather research, visuals, and narration to tell stories that resonate with them.

These projects transform students from passive learners to active participants, fostering creativity and a personal connection to history. The results can be surprising—their creations will often exceed your expectations!

Learn more:  Activities & Websites To Teach Kids About Historical Timelines

23. Track the influence of technology

Our students are growing in a heavily tech-influenced world. Shouldn’t they know where the meat of it comes from? And how does it evolve in our world?

Challenge students to explore the historical impact of technology. Investigating how inventions influenced events in politics, society, or other areas can spark a deeper appreciation for the tech we use today. This could lead to great philosophical discussions on moral judgments in advancing technology. You can expand the discussion by exploring views seen in the works of sci-fi writers such as Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, and Anthony Burgess.

24. Transform lessons into stories

The power of storytelling is a great addition to student engagement strategies. Capture student attention by transforming history lessons into captivating stories.

Ditch the textbook grind! Embrace storytelling with visuals, audio, and emotional connections. Have President Lincoln address the class with his concerns for the Civil War before he gives his Emancipation Proclamation speech. Students will be mesmerized by a monologue from a person threatened by McCarthyism trials. With a touch of drama and background, historical figures become real people students can relate to, fostering engagement and deeper understanding.

25. Go on virtual field trips 

Limited by location? Take students on virtual adventures at minimal cost! You can transport students anywhere with virtual field trips.

• Google Cardboard (under $15) unlocks amazing experiences: Explore famous buildings, natural wonders, and more with immersive apps.
• Connect learning objectives: Simulate conversations in a foreign language at a landmark or study an area’s geography.
• Preview real-world trips with Google Earth: “Fly over” destinations beforehand, sparking excitement and helping students plan their visit.
• Supplement previews with online resources: Websites often offer videos and images to enhance pre-trip learning.

Virtual field trips add a captivating layer to your lessons, engaging students and igniting curiosity.

Learn more:  Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

Did you find these student engagement strategies useful? Be sure to  subscribe to our newsletters for more informative articles.

Plus, if you like these student engagement strategies, check out our essential math strategies..

You Might Also Like

65 Spooky, Silly, and Adorable Halloween Crafts for Kids

From eerie to irresistible, celebrate the season with a little creativity. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Five ways to boost student motivation

A framework for creating motivationally supportive learning environments. 

• Personality
• Learning and Memory
• Teaching Psychology as a Subject
• Schools and Classrooms

One of the biggest challenges when teaching is trying to motivate students. In addition, covid -induced shifts to remote instruction (Fong, 2022) might have exacerbated students’ already declining motivations, even after beginning the “new normal.” Despite these dips in motivation, some educators may believe that students are solely responsible for motivating themselves. However, research has emphasized how educators can create motivationally-supportive environments (Robinson, 2023) to engage students while learning.

A dominant theory of academic motivation is situated expectancy-value theory (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). This theory describes a complex series of factors that motivate achievement-related choices. Learners’ motivation is shaped by three factors, captured by the following questions: Can I do this? Do I want to do this? And, what are the costs? In other words, motivation depends on whether students feel confident to engage in a task, find value in it, and perceive minimal costs during the learning process. Using this framework as a guide, we share five ways educators can boost student motivation in their classes.

Scaffold and build confidence

Construction workers use scaffolding to reach higher elevations in a safe and secure manner, and educators can employ similar methods to help learners grow in confidence (Fong & Krause, 2014). Students may lack confidence in learning because they may have not yet mastered certain academic skills and strategies. Because previous failure and the fear of it can hinder future learning opportunities, students need to experience success—even small successes—to uplift their confidence. Scaffolding involves designing tasks that start at the students’ skill level, and gradually increasing the difficulty of the task once the learner reaches the next level. A series of prior successes can have a cascading effect on learners’ confidence to keep making progress.

Discover and connect to future goals

Learners want to engage in class when the material is useful for their future goals (Hulleman et al., 2010). Discovering what students find the most useful or relevant in the class is essential for building connections between the course content and students’ short-term and long-term goals. Students might want to pursue careers in politics or forensics, for example, so an instructor might want to tailor particular examples from social psychology or research methods to make connections with these subfields, or even current events that pertain to these topics. Recognizing connections to real-world applications, future-oriented plans, and the course content makes learning relevant to students’ goals.

Emphasize personal importance

Students are motivated not only by how useful it may be for their future but also by how personally important the course material is to them (Fong & Kremer, 2020). Educators can emphasize aspects of the course material that have salient connections to students’ personal and social identities. For example, students from racially minoritized communities may find that content about the psychology of race and racism resonates with them. Or students who grew up in a family of counselors may readily identify with content about psychopathology. Whatever course material students find personally important can serve as a critical touchstone that anchors a motivationally-supportive curriculum.

Instill true curiosity

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but being curious is truly one of the most sustainable sources of motivation. When students are genuinely interested in what they are learning, the sky’s truly the limit. To fan curiosity into flame, educators may consider the situations that trigger students’ interest (Hidi & Renninger, 2006) and be mindful of what might catch their attention. These instances become the initial sparks that educators can use to build upon and allow students to cultivate their own enduring sense of interest. For instance, students might respond enthusiastically to an in-class experiment about cognitive perception. Students might enjoy doing in-class replications of experiments or find interest in perceptual processes. Now that students’ interests are triggered, providing additional activities or exposure and a chance for them to explore similar activities on their own can nurture personal interest.

Acknowledge and reduce cost perceptions

Lastly, educators can consider how to minimize students’ perceptions of cost, defined as the negative aspects of engaging in an academic task. When students face a challenge in an academic task, they might find it effortful or frustrating. One way to reduce effort and emotional costs (Rosenzweig et al., 2020) is to help students reinterpret cost perceptions in a more positive way, such as acknowledging that challenges are mostly temporary and common to other students. Also, if educators establish appropriate expectations for how much effort is required for a task, students may calibrate how effortful a task might be, rather than overestimating how much effort is needed.

Concluding thoughts

Student motivation is an extremely complex process and depends quite a bit on the learner’s goals, contexts, or tasks. A one-size fits all approach may not always work, but we hope these five strategies can be starting points for educators to think through when creating motivationally supportive learning environments.

About the authors

Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: A developmental, social cognitive, and sociocultural perspective on motivation.  Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61,  Article 101859.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101859

Fong, C. J. (2022). Academic motivation in a pandemic context: A conceptual review of prominent theories and an integrative model. Educational Psychology . Advance online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2026891

Fong, C. J., & Krause, J. M. (2014). Lost confidence and potential: A mixed methods study of underachieving college students’ sources of self-efficacy.  Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 17 (2), 249–268.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-013-9239-1

Fong, C. J., & Kremer, K. P. (2020). An expectancy-value approach to math underachievement: Examining high school achievement, college attendance, and STEM interest.  Gifted Child Quarterly, 64 (2), 67–84.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986219890599

Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The Four-Phase Model of Interest Development.  Educational Psychologist, 41 (2), 111–127.  https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_4

Hulleman, C. S., Godes, O., Hendricks, B. L., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2010). Enhancing interest and performance with a utility value intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102 (4), 880–895. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019506

Robinson, K. A. (2023). Motivational climate theory: Disentangling definitions and roles of classroom motivational support, climate, and microclimates.  Educational Psychologist, 58 (2), 92–110.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2023.2198011

Rosenzweig, E. Q., Wigfield, A., & Hulleman, C. S. (2020). More useful or not so bad? Examining the effects of utility value and cost reduction interventions in college physics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112 (1), 166–182. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000370

Recommended Reading

Contact education, you may also like.

Welcome to successbydesignplanners!

• Request a Sample

Shopping Cart

Continue Shopping

Strategies for Getting Students to Complete Work

Updated July 16, 2024

You're not alone if you're looking for ways to motivate your students to do their homework. Getting students to do their homework regularly can be a source of frustration for teachers. We know students who consistently complete homework will achieve more academically, particularly in high school, and students who don't do their homework will falter. 

As a teacher, you want your students to benefit from good work habits — for success in the classroom and in life. After all, effective homework strategies teach responsibility and self-discipline while instilling confidence and motivation. The good news is you have plenty of options to make an impact.

We've put together this guide to help teachers make the most out of homework time and motivate their students. Here, we discuss some reasons students don't do their homework, what to do when students don't do their homework, how to create engaging assignments and the best approaches to take with your students in the classroom. We also offer tips for organizing your students and developing effective work habits.

Table of Contents

Reasons Why Students Don't Do Their Homework

How to motivate kids to do homework, organizing homework and tips for turning in homework, 8 ways to create engaging homework assignments, teach effective homework motivation strategies, reinforce effective homework habits, connecting with parents.

• Browse Our Student Planners

When a student leaves school for the day, you hope you have done enough to set them up for homework time, but many factors are beyond your control. If a student frequently fails to complete assignments, consider what may be going on at home. Understanding the root of the problem can help you get a better handle on the situation. 

You may want to connect with the student in a different way, reach out to the parents or offer additional support. Once you're able to identify why students don't do homework, you can begin implementing strategies to encourage and enable your pupils to complete their assignments in the future. Here are some common reasons why students may not complete homework.

Issues in School

Although you try your best to deliver quality instruction and create meaningful habits, students sometimes face other school issues that inhibit their learning abilities. Thankfully, many of these problems have easy fixes, even if it takes time to craft a working routine that benefits the student. Here are common problems student face in school that can affect their homework performance:

• Lack of understanding: Lack of understanding is one of the primary reasons students don't do their homework. When children don't receive enough instruction, they lack the basic skills they need to complete an assignment. It's essential that your homework instructions are as clear and specific as possible so that students can fully comprehend the task at hand.
• No feedback: Many students feel motivated by feedback, which is why they may not complete their homework when they don't receive any praise or constructive criticism. Try incorporating homework feedback into your lesson plan by writing comments on completed assignments or building time into the day to address homework patterns with the class.
• Being overwhelmed by the task: Hefty, time-consuming tasks can be mentally draining for students. If a student feels that an assignment will take a large portion of time and they don't know how to break it down, they may decide the work isn't worth the effort. Even if your student has a deep understanding of why studying is essential, they will have a hard time excelling if they feel out of control. For large tasks and projects, consider assigning one portion at a time. For example, you can easily break down a large research project. Have students craft source lists for the first few days and find valuable information. After this, ask them to create an outline. Then assign the paper due date. This way, the students have all the information they need to complete the assignment.
• No purposeful connection to studying: If your student consistently has trouble with motivation, it could be that he or she doesn't have a sense of purpose that connects schoolwork to a long-term vision for life. Having a good "Why" for getting work done is essential, even for adults. With the countless self-help books out there on this subject, it's surprising that we don't often see the need for our students to have a sense of purpose too. Fostering this sense of identity and connection to their studies will take time, and you may find your student has some fears to overcome. For example, most commonly in children with attention issues, the fear of failure follows them everywhere they go.

Problems at Home

Not every student has a supportive and welcoming home environment that enables them to do their best work. Although there may not be a surefire way to combat these issues, there are steps you can take to make homework completion more accessible and easier:

• Parents are unavailable: A reason students may not complete homework is their parents are unavailable to offer help with at-home assignments. You can provide extra assistance to these students in the classroom . Set them up with a tutor or encourage them to reach out if they have any questions.
• Lack of consistency: If a student's family moves around a lot, they may lack the consistency they need to sit down and work on their assignments at home. This is another instance where you can talk to the student and suggest a common workplace they can utilize to work on homework — like the library or an after-school study room — to give them a more stable place to focus.
• A troubled home life: When kids have a chaotic or troubling home life, they may feel unmotivated to do their homework. You can handle sensitive situations like these by forming a positive relationship with the student, listening to their problems and making them feel valued and encouraged in the classroom.
• Too much time watching TV or engaging in social media: Some students spend hours of their free time consuming social media and watching television, neglecting to do their homework. Unfortunately, you can't control how your students use their free time, but you can conduct parent conferences to discuss ways to help students focus at home.

Exterior Issues

Your students may have issues that span beyond school and home. Exterior challenges arise all the time, and although it can be difficult to pinpoint them, taking the extra steps to connect with your student will be worth it in the long run. Check out these exterior challenges to determine the best way to communicate with your students and help them overcome barriers:

• Extracurricular activities or after - school jobs: Students who participate in after - school activities or jobs often have difficulty completing homework on top of their busy schedules. Activities such as these are enriching and shouldn't disable students from doing their homework. To accommodate, consider assigning homework ahead of time rather than the day before it's due so that students have enough time to manage their workload throughout the week.
• No positive role models: Some students don't have access to positive role models who value education and encourage them to complete their homework. In these cases, you should try to work with the student, inspire them to succeed and teach them the importance of school.
• Loud, distracting or cramped work environment: Another reason why students don't do their homework is that they may not have a work environment that is conducive to concentration and learning. Try having a one-on-one with your student to discuss what they can do to eliminate distractions, like staying after school to complete their assignments or spending time in the library.
• Teenage pregnancies or parenting at a young age: If your student is pregnant or has recently given birth, they may be struggling to find time to do their homework. You can offer advice on how they can balance their homework and manage their time, or offer them resources for doing so.
• Drug or alcohol use: This is another sensitive subject that can be difficult to navigate. If your student shows signs of drug use, you can talk to them privately and offer resources, contact the school counselor or have a conversation with their parents.

Communicating information effectively can set students up for success at home. On the first day of school, take a confident, upbeat approach with your students regarding homework. What you say and do in the classroom can help get students on track during homework time.

Below are eight homework strategies for teachers you can use to help your students complete homework . For the greatest impact, put these strategies into practice early in the school year.

1. Explain the Purpose of Homework

Students need to understand why it’s important to do their homework. Homework is intended to be a positive experience that furthers learning, and your students should never view it as a punishment. Make it clear every assignment has a purpose, and mastery only occurs when students work independently, without the safety net of the classroom. Let students know you will always explain how a given assignment will fit into the big picture.

Emphasize how homework is a way to solidify the concepts students learn in the classroom, and the best way to accomplish this is through consistency and repetition. With this practice, students will feel confident in their skills and transition well into the next day’s lesson. When students do their homework well, more learning can take place in the classroom every day. 

2. Set Expectations on the First Day

Research shows students are more successful when teachers set high standards , so make your expectations clear. Explain students who complete their homework assignments will be successful in your class. For those who don't, it will be a tough road ahead.

Keep your tone positive and let students know what to expect regarding workload. Clarify how you will grade homework and the consequences of missed assignments. Spell everything out in a homework contract and have students sign it. Just make sure to explain it, too, so the information sinks in.

3. Give Homework Daily

Assign each evening's homework in manageable chunks. If you send students home with a weekly packet of information, they may become overwhelmed. Some students may procrastinate and leave the entire packet until the last minute, which defeats the purpose of daily practice. Over time, daily assignments become part of a student's routine and part of life, not a chore.

4. Provide Clear Instructions

Make sure to provide clear instructions and post homework in multiple locations, such as in your classroom and on your website. Ensure your students always have the ability to find further explanations or assistance. For younger students, you can provide instructions and handouts to parents, so they can assist if their child gets stuck when working at home.

5. Set Aside Classroom Time for Independent Learning

Teachers often make the mistake of creating an environment of dependency in the classroom. Some students may overly rely on teachers and peers for guidance and information. To truly master the day’s material, students need the opportunity to work independently through the learning process before they leave for the day. If this piece is missing, students may become frustrated when they sit down to do their homework.

6. Earn Respect

You need to gain a student’s respect before you can expect to influence their homework habits. To gain respect, be likable, build rapport with your students and always follow through. When students respect you, they will start to trust what you tell them, and through your influence, you can inspire a strong work ethic.

7. Take a Personal Interest in the Lives of Your Students

Get to know your students. Try relating to students by engaging them in conversations about topics that interest them. Once you've established a personal connection, they are more likely to listen to you, and it will mean more when you tell them to complete their homework.

Additionally, you'll be better equipped to handle student barriers if you understand and connect with your students. Your students may find it easier to speak with you to craft solutions if they believe you genuinely care about their well-being and accomplishments.

8. Foster a Growth Mindset

Students who foster a growth mindset can make immense strides in their education and lives. This kind of mindset involves accepting and seeking challenges for the sake of learning and growing. When people adopt this way of thinking, they view mistakes and failure as a natural part of the learning process rather than becoming upset or frustrated.

You can help foster this mindset in your students by explaining the importance of practice, learning and failures. Providing meaningful feedback can help this process, as students learn the difference between judgment and helpful tips that enable them to grow.

As students move into middle school, organization skills can become an issue. They have multiple teachers, multiple assignments to juggle, supplies galore and about eight or nine different classes they need to show up on time for each day. All this can be a bit overwhelming.

Organization skills are key to homework success. A student with crumpled-up papers in their backpack may get by temporarily, but, eventually, things are going to fall apart. To head off homework nightmares, help your students get organized from the start.

Use the following organizational strategies early in the school year.

• Set up a homework file:  Students need a simple, fail-safe system to stay organized. Advise students to keep all their homework in a central location, such as a pocket folder . Designate one place, and one place only, for all subjects. If students start filing information in separate notebooks, or corners of their lockers, assignments will get lost.
• Incorporate planning time:  Set aside time each week for students to plan their homework schedules. Have students use daily planners to map out after-school activities and schedule in blocks of time to complete homework. They can even schedule in downtime if they choose.
• Offer encouragement:  Organizing and planning homework can be tricky for many students. Offer encouragement and praise for any amount of progress. Your feedback goes a long way. 

Even though you may have exemplary communication skills and the best-laid plans for organization, you still need to keep homework interesting. Homework needs to have a purpose and be engaging. If students don’t see the point or understand the benefits, they will be less likely to complete assignments.

Here are eight ways to create engaging assignments that will aid in motivating students to do homework .

1. Create Quality Assignments

If you’re going to give an assignment, make it worthwhile. Give clear and concise instructions and offer relevant resources. Try to narrow down the focus of the task. If you try to reinforce too many concepts at once, students may miss the point or feel overwhelmed. Never give busywork. If you get a reputation for giving busywork, students will not engage consistently and may miss assignments that really matter.

2. Give Homework as a Review or Practice

Homework is an opportunity for students to review and practice what they learned that day. It is not a time for teachers to introduce new material. Independent work solidifies skills learned in the classroom and boosts confidence and motivation. When students realize they can achieve success on their own, they feel good about themselves. When they feel good about themselves, they want to learn more. With the right tools in place, students will be motivated to complete homework assignments on a regular basis. 

3. Make Students Think

Give students the opportunity to have an “a-ha moment” during homework time. Allow them to think independently and extract information from other resources outside of the classroom. Challenge students to think for themselves and explore new ideas. Thinking outside the box can be exciting and motivating for students.

4. Offer Choices

Give students options whenever possible. For example, have a few topics to choose from when you give a writing assignment. When students get to make decisions about homework, they become more invested and enjoy the process more. Meaningful choices can encourage students to capitalize on their strengths and become more engaged with learning material .

5. Keep Assignments Interesting

Mix things up. If your students recognize you have a formulaic approach to homework, it can begin to feel like a repetitive chore. You may not know whether your students are learning from the material or memorizing the basic steps to find the answers. Additionally, students will tire of similar subjects and formats, so aim for a varied approach. One great way to pique a student’s interest is to assign a long-term project. Encourage students to seek new and unique research and bring interesting conversations to the classroom.

6. Align Assignments With Skill Levels

Although you likely can't individualize every assignment, you can tailor homework to homogeneous groups within your classroom. For example, at-risk or gifted students may have different assignments than the rest of the class. In high school, students in advanced placement or honors classes typically receive assignments that require more abstract thinking. 

7. Assign a Manageable Workload

Be sure to schedule the right amount of homework. You want homework time to be effective and productive, not exhausting and overwhelming. Many educators follow the 10-minutes-per-grade-level rule. A first-grader would do 10 minutes of homework a night, a second-grader would do 20 minutes and so on, maxing out at about two hours for high school students. Coordinate homework with the other teachers on your team to keep the total amount of time consistent each night.

8. Make the Connection Between the Material and Life

If the subject matter is relatable, students are more apt to complete homework assignments. Hands-on assignments that make sense in the real world can spark a student's interest and really sink in. Be entertaining or share information through a story, then send students home with a related assignment.

For example, let’s say you are working on persuasive arguments in your language arts class. You could set up a classroom trial where students are lawyers, judges, plaintiffs, defendants or part of a jury. After the lesson and some classroom discussion, you could have students write a few persuasive paragraphs from their perspective for homework. 

Good homework habits are key to getting the most out of an assignment and completing it on time, and it’s never too early to start. If you’re a kindergarten or first-grade teacher, consider sending age-appropriate homework home so students can begin to establish a routine. This can be as simple as having a parent read a few pages of a book to the student. 

Regardless of grade level, encourage students to practice good homework strategies. Teach these strategies to the group or individually for students who are struggling. 

Encourage students to:

• Take notes during the school day.
• Use an effective planner to keep track of assignments and due dates .
• Set up a quiet place at home to study.
• Assess assignment difficulty to determine how much time they will need to dedicate to completing it.
• Gather and organize homework supplies such as pencils, erasers, calculators, paper, etc.
• Use school resources during study halls and independent learning times.
• Pick a time to do homework that works with the family schedule.
• Start “homework hour” at the same time every day.
• Practice time management strategies and learn to stay on routine.
• Turn off cell phones, television or any other distractions during homework time.
• Download education apps that can help them focus or set timers during homework time. 
• Prepare for a test or long-term assignments in chunks, instead of cramming.
• Determine personal rewards for achieving their learning goals.
• Work with other students who have similar questions or challenges.
• Identify and understand their learning style. 
• Find a quiet, well-lit location to do homework.

Being a great teacher means reinforcing effective homework habits is a critical part of the process. When students complete their homework, be sure to acknowledge it, or the pattern probably won’t continue. And, if students don’t complete assignments, make sure you have consequences in place. 

Here are seven things you can do to reinforce good homework habits:

• Always check homework: Only assign homework you plan to review and score. Hold students accountable by checking their homework in front of them each day. Taking time to get this system in place during the first month of the school year can really pay off. Once students realize you are the type of teacher who always checks homework, they'll be more likely to complete it. On the other hand, if you’re too casual about homework, students won’t think it’s important and probably won't complete it consistently. Make sure to grade for effort, as this encourages students of all ability levels.
• Provide prompt feedback: The sooner a student receives feedback, the more it will resonate. Who can remember the details of an assignment from a week ago? Immediate feedback has a greater impact on student performance than long turnaround times. If a student knows they did well on an assignment, they will feel confident and motivated to move on. If they didn’t do well, you can evaluate why and remediate the situation. But, if too much time goes by, things can start to slip.
• Praise students for both performance and effort: Everybody responds well to praise, so find something positive to say about a student’s performance or effort. Make sure your praise is genuine because students know when it’s not.
• Use a points system with incentives: Assign points to completed assignments and take away points for missed assignments. Offer age-appropriate incentives for students with the highest number of points. You can also modify this system to incentivize the class as a group. Keep in mind, points systems with incentives are best suited for elementary and middle school students.
• Allow make-up work with point deductions: To reinforce the importance of each assignment, give students the opportunity to make up missed work. Enforce consequences for missed assignments, or you will continue to see a pattern. Since every point counts toward a final grade, make sure students understand partial credit is better than no credit at all.
• Give students a visual to manage missed assignments: When a student does not turn in homework repeatedly, print out a list of everything that goes into their grade. Highlight each missing assignment and the points associated with it. Some kids may not realize how many assignments they've missed, or how much this impacts their overall grade. Sometimes a visual can help drive the message home.
• Offer help when needed: Some students have limited resources, and need to know they can ask you for help or guidance. You can set up help sessions before or after school, during lunch or even over the phone. Also, check with your school district to see what they offer. Some schools have peer tutoring programs, homework hotlines and study centers. You can also set up a study-buddy system in your classroom.

Parents need to understand homework policies and expectations. At the beginning of the school year, let parents know they can contact you anytime to discuss homework or anything else. Make them feel like they are part of the team, and that they can make a difference. A good time to do this is at a parent back-to-school night. If parents don’t show up, you can send them an email or give them a call the next day. Let them know when you are available and the best way to reach you. 

If a student is struggling with homework during the school year, reach out to their parents. Although some parents are more responsive than others, it’s a good first step. Some parents may just be unaware of the situation and need to begin reinforcing the importance of completing assignments at home.

When you put all the right pieces in place, you can motivate and inspire students to learn and enjoy the homework process . Encouraging your students to do their homework routinely promotes a love of learning and boosts their confidence . Students typically want to succeed, and giving them the proper tools to do their best work will positively affect them for many years to come.

Check out Our Student Planners

At Success By Design, Inc., we help students plan and organize their homework and other activities. We know that, as a teacher, you want to give your students every opportunity to succeed academically and for the rest of their lives.  Check out our student planners  to get students on the right track at the beginning of the next school year and view our online special for reduced price assignment notebooks . It will be here before you know it.

← Previous Post Next Post →

• Tags: Elementary School High School Middle School Parent Resources Teaching Resources
• May 09, 2018
• Administrator Resources
• Character Building
• Elementary School
• High School
• Middle School
• Parent Resources
• Student Planners
• Teaching Resources

ALL STUDENT PLANNERS

All custom covers, customize your planner, our products.

• Planners with a Purpose
• STEM Planners
• Additional Items
• Customer Referrals
• Order Information
• Customizing Your Planner
• Terms of Service
• Shipping Policy
• Business Documents

Keep in Touch

• 3741 Linden Ave, S.E. Wyoming, MI 49548
• Phone: 844-263-0872
• Email: [email protected]

September 23, 2022

How to encourage students to do their homework.

Homework is one of those things you do because it needs to be done. But what happens when students struggle to complete assignments? Researchers have discovered that children who have difficulty completing homework tasks often lack executive function skills. Executive function refers to a set of abilities that allow people to plan, organize, prioritize, problem solve, and pay attention.

The good news is that there are ways to teach students the skills necessary to complete homework effectively. In this article, we explore the various factors that keep students from completing their homework, and how these factors can be dealt with.

What can you do if a student refuses to do work?

Most teachers have been in a situation where students refuse to do the work they are assigned. Whether it is because they don't understand the assignment or because they feel like they can’t do it, there are several things that teachers can do to help them learn to overcome obstacles.

For example, you can ask the student to explain the reasoning behind his or her refusing to do the work. If he or she is struggling because of personal reasons, you can allow the student to hand in the work later, or even assign an extra credit for the completed assignment. You can also provide additional instructions if needed.

How to get homework done quickly

What are the reasons why students don't do their homework?

There are different reasons why a student might not complete his homework but this problem is generally attributed to two primary factors:

Lack of understanding: Sometimes students don’t understand their homework assignments so they ignore them instead of reviewing what they learned in class.

Lack of motivation: Some students may not want to do the work because they are bored with the subject matter. Others may believe that they are incapable of completing the task. They may also dislike the way you teach the material. Whatever the reason, it is important to remember that every person learns differently so it’s important to find ways to motivate each student.

Tips to encourage students to do their homework

Getting kids to do their homework, after going through an entire school day, can be complicated. However, there are things that you can do to encourage students to complete their homework and elevate their learning experience .

Use a digital student planner

It can be difficult to get student learning practices right. However, there are things you can do to help your students optimize time management. A digital student planner makes it easier for today's Internet-savvy students to stay on top of their work.

With so much homework being assigned every day, it’s easy for students to get overwhelmed. Thankfully, with a planner, they can easily see what they have to do, by day and by week, and therefore dedicate time to each homework assignment. This helps improve grade levels and prevents late assignments.

Why are planners helpful for students?

Create a clear homework policy

With a clear homework policy, you communicate expectations consistently. This helps students understand what they must do to meet these expectations. You might say something like "I expect my students to turn in homework on Monday" or "I expect my students' homework to resolve math practice questions every night".

Break down tasks

One thing that works really well is breaking down large assignments into smaller ones . Instead of tackling a huge project all at once, try breaking it up into smaller pieces. For example, say you want to write a paper for English class. Instead of writing the whole thing at once, start by writing a rough draft of the introductory paragraph. Once you've finished that, move on to the body paragraphs. When you finish those, go back and add the conclusion.

Talk through problems

Students are often frustrated when they hit a roadblock while completing assignments so it’s important to find a way to help them overcome those challenges. The best way to do this is to simply talk to them about the issues they are facing and provide help when needed.

Provide adequate support

If you want your students to succeed, make sure that they have access to sufficient resources. For example, provide ample time for students to complete their homework. If you've got limited time, consider providing additional materials, such as worksheets or study guides. You can also leverage online tools to help them keep track of their progress. You might even want to consider integrating team-based learning into your homework policy to allow students to collaborate on project ideas. This will also encourage the development of listening skills and social skills .

The best digital student planner

A planner can help students manage their time better and develop good study habits. Studyo developed a digital student planner that allows students to easily stay on top of the work they have to do. Whether it is a quick math paper, or a long-term project, they will know exactly what they need to do and by what date.

Our planner automatically syncs to Google Classroom. This means that assignments are instantly uploaded to it and  ensures that students don’t miss assignments. Our student planner is personalized to your school and allows students to track their progress.

Book a demo

21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation

While guidance from a teacher is important, allowing students to have choice and control is a useful strategy to improve student motivation.

A List Of Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation

by TeachThought Staff

The best lessons, books, and materials in the world won’t get students excited about learning and willing to work hard if they’re not motivated.

Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is a key factor in students’ success at all stages of their education, and teachers can play a pivotal role in providing and encouraging that motivation in their students. Of course, that’s easier said than done, as all students are motivated differently and it takes time and a lot of effort to learn to get a classroom full of kids enthusiastic about learning, working hard, and pushing themselves to excel.

Even the most well-intentioned and educated teachers sometimes find it difficult to keep kids on track. Whether you’re a new teacher or an experienced one, try using these methods to improve student motivation and encourage them to live up to their true potential.

1. Give students a sense of control

While guidance from a teacher is important to keeping kids on task and motivated, allowing students to have some choice and control over what happens in the classroom is one of the best ways to keep them engaged. For example, allowing students to choose the type of assignment they do or which problems to work on can give them a sense of control that may just motivate them to do more.

2. Be clear about learning objectives

It can be very frustrating for students to complete an assignment or even to behave in class if the objectives aren’t clearly defined. Students want and need to know what is expected of them in order to stay motivated to work. At the beginning of the year, lay out clear objectives, rules, and expectations so that there is no confusion and students have goals to work towards.

3. Create a threat-free environment

While students need to understand that there are consequences to their actions, positive reinforcements are far more motivating for students than threats. When teachers create a safe, supportive environment for students, affirming their belief in a student’s abilities rather than laying out the consequences of not doing things, students are much more likely to get and stay motivated to do their work.

Students will fulfill the expectations that the adults around them communicate, so focus on can , not can’t .

See also 60 Non-Threatening Formative Assessment Techniques

4. Change your scenery

A classroom is a great place for learning, but sitting at a desk daily can make school seem a bit dull for some students. To renew interest in the subject matter or just in learning in general , give your students a chance to get out of the classroom. Take field trips, bring in speakers, or even just head to the library for some research. The brain loves novelty and a new setting can be just what some students need to stay motivated to learn.

5. Offer varied experiences.

Not all students will respond to lessons in the same way. For some, hands-on experiences may be the best. Others may love to read books quietly or work in groups. To keep all students motivated, mix up your lessons so that students with different preferences will each get time focused on the things they like best. Doing so will help students stay engaged and pay attention.

6. Use positive competition

Competition in the classroom isn’t always a bad thing, and in some cases can motivate students to try harder and work to excel. Work to foster a friendly spirit of competition in your classroom, perhaps through group games related to the material or other opportunities for students to ‘show off’ their knowledge or skills.

7. Offer rewards

Everyone likes getting rewards, and offering your students the chance to earn them is an excellent source of motivation. Things like pizza parties, watching movies, or even something as simple as a sticker on a paper can make students work harder and really aim to achieve. Consider the personalities and needs of your students to determine appropriate rewards for your class.

8. Give students responsibility

Assigning students classroom jobs is a great way to build a community and to give students a sense of motivation. Most students will see classroom jobs as a privilege rather than a burden and will work hard to ensure that they, and other students, are meeting expectations. Allowing students to take turns leading activities or helping out can also be useful so that each feels important and valued.

9. Allow students to work together

While not all students will jump at the chance to work in groups, many will find it fun to try to solve problems, do experiments, and work on projects with other students. Social interaction can get them excited about things in the classroom and students can motivate one another to reach a goal. Teachers need to ensure that groups are balanced and fair, however, so that some students aren’t doing more work than others.

10. Give praise when earned

There may be no other form of motivation that works quite as well as encouragement. Even as adults we crave recognition and praise, and students at any age are no exception. Teachers can give students a bounty of motivation by rewarding success publicly, giving praise for a job well done, and sharing exemplary work.

11. Encourage self-reflection

Most kids want to succeed, they just need help figuring out what they need to do in order to get there. One way to motivate your students is to get them to take a hard look at themselves and determine their own strengths and weaknesses. Students are often more motivated by creating these kinds of critiques of themselves than by having a teacher do it for them, as it makes them feel in charge of creating their own objectives and goals. See Metacognitive Prompts For Students To Reflect On Their Learning .

12. Model enthusiasm for learning!

One of the best ways to motivate your students is to share your enthusiasm. They’ll be much more excited about teaching when you’re excited about teaching. It’s that simple.

13. Know your students

Getting to know your students is about more than just memorizing their names. Students need to know that their teacher has a genuine interest in them and cares about them and their success. When students feel appreciated it creates a safe learning environment and motivates them to work harder, as they want to get praise and good feedback from someone they feel knows and respects them as individuals.

14. Harness student interests

Knowing your students also has some other benefits, namely that it allows you to relate classroom material to things students are interested in or have experienced. Teachers can use these interests to make things more interesting and relatable, keeping students motivated for longer.

15. Help students find intrinsic motivation

It can be great to help students get motivated, but at the end of the day, they need to be able to generate their own motivation. Helping students find their reasons for doing classwork and working hard, whether because they find material interesting, want to go to college, or just love to learn, is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them to improve student motivation.

16. Manage student anxiety

Some students find the prospect of not doing well so anxiety-inducing that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For these students, teachers may find that they are most motivated by learning that struggling with a subject isn’t the end of the world. Offer support no matter what the end result is and ensure that students don’t feel so overwhelmed by expectations that they just give up.

17. Make goals high but attainable

If you’re not pushing your students to do more than the bare minimum, most won’t seek to push themselves on their own. Students like to be challenged and will work to achieve high expectations so long as they believe those goals to be within their reach, so don’t be afraid to push students to get more out of them.

18. Give learning feedback and offer chances to improve

Students who struggle with classwork can sometimes feel frustrated and get down on themselves, draining motivation. In these situations, teachers must provide effective learning feedback to help students to learn exactly where they went wrong and how they can improve next time. Figuring out a method to get where students want to be can also help them to stay motivated to work hard.

19. Track progress

It can be hard for students to see just how far they’ve come, especially with difficult subjects. Tracking can come in handy in the classroom, not only for teachers but also for students. Teachers can use this to improve student motivation, allowing them to see visually just how much they are learning and improving as the year goes on.

20. Make things fun

Not all classwork needs to be a game or a good time, but students who see school as a place where they can have fun will be more motivated to pay attention and do the work that’s required of them than those who regard it as a chore. Adding fun activities into your school day can help students who struggle to stay engaged and make the classroom a much more friendly place for all students.

21. Provide opportunities for success

Students, even the best ones, can become frustrated and demotivated when they feel like they’re struggling or not getting the recognition that other students are. Make sure that all students get a chance to play to their strengths and feel included and valued. It can make a world of difference and improve student motivation.

TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers.

How to Build Intrinsic Motivation in Students: 29 Tools

Being intrinsically motivated – rather than driven by fear of punishment or external reward – and doing something because it is fascinating, enjoyable, and piques our curiosity boosts our performance (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

How can educational environments reliably foster intrinsic motivation when, typically, they promote learning and development through either carrot or stick?

This article explores intrinsic motivation in the classroom and highlights the environment needed to motivate students to do their best work.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Education Exercises for free . These ready-made tools are perfect for enhancing your teaching approach, making it easier to engage students in meaningful, student-centered learning.

This Article Contains:

Intrinsic motivation & learning 101, 4 real-life examples of intrinsic motivation in education, improving intrinsic motivation in the classroom: 3 useful tips, 14 strategies for teachers, relevant tools for students, a look at reinforcement learning, 3 questionnaires for measuring motivation in students, positivepsychology.com’s relevant resources, a take-home message.

“Human beings can be proactive and engaged or, alternatively, passive and alienated, largely as a function of the social conditions in which they develop and function.”

Ryan & Deci, 2000

Richard Ryan and Edward Deci’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) highlights the need for the right  social and contextual conditions to enhance “intrinsic motivation, self-regulation, and wellbeing.” In their absence, our development can be slowed or even halted.

For such conditions to exist, social and environmental factors must satisfy our basic human and innate psychological needs: competence , autonomy , and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2017). When these needs are met, humans are at their most inspired, energized, and committed to growth across domains as diverse as health, relationships, the workplace, religion, sports, and education (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

However, while children are innately driven to learn and develop, schools can fail to “capitalize on students’ intrinsic motivation and instead emphasize extrinsic motivation” (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Fostering autonomy, rather than emphasizing control, increases student engagement and performance, providing an enhanced experience.

The quality of teacher motivation is one contributory environmental factor. Educational institutions must support their staff to ensure they meet teachers’ basic psychological needs, resulting in feelings of autonomy, competence, and connectedness to the environment (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

The SDT urges education to aim high, beyond academic achievement (grades, class position, and awards), by encouraging students to flourish intellectually and personally on their development journey to their adult identity and role.

The following research highlights four such areas of study:

Relatedness and intrinsic motivation in education

A study of Turkish students found that the psychological need for relatedness was influenced by individuals’ perception of how they related to their fellow students and teachers (Xiang, Ağbuğa, Liu, & McBride, 2017).

The findings support the idea that multiple factors affect intrinsic motivation. To offer the best education environment , we need to consider the social aspect of relationships with other students and their teachers and how it can be further enhanced.

Leadership in higher education

The degree of intrinsic motivation combined with leadership effectiveness is crucial in successful education where growth and innovation are paramount.

A study of higher education engineering campuses found that positive (transformational) leadership and motivation were key drivers for innovation during deeply cognitive tasks (Al-Mansoori & Koç, 2019).

Importance of intrinsic motivation for entering higher education

There are strong links between students’ self-perception of psychological wellbeing (including their degree of intrinsic motivation) and successfully starting higher education to become teachers (González Olivares, Navarro, Sánchez-Verdejo, & Muelas, 2020).

In line with other findings, the research suggests a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and persistence in educational activities.

Positive effects of outdoor activity on intrinsic motivation

Factors and experiences outside the classroom can enhance intrinsic motivation.

A pilot study engaging students in outdoor adventure activities as part of the science curriculum reported a host of benefits. Positive changes in students included increased engagement, enjoyment, physical activity levels, and intrinsic motivation (Mackenzie, Son, & Eitel, 2018).

The findings support the value of physical activity and challenging outdoor environments in satisfying the needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Download 3 Free Positive Education Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip educators with tools to foster student well-being and boost academic performance.

Download 3 Free Positive Education Exercises Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

• Email Address *
• Your Expertise * Your expertise Therapy Coaching Education Counseling Business Healthcare Other
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curricula and material in schools can sometimes fail to be “meaningful or relevant to the student’s daily lives or purposes” (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Schools are often under pressure to deliver results based on very narrow cognitive measures, at a cost to students’ more holistic psychological needs. Grades, tests, and highly restricted behavior (even in relatively young children) may not be best suited to creating environments that meet children’s psychological needs.

Schools are more than learning factories ; they are opportunities for child and adolescent development. They must not “discourage, demotivate, or kill the confidence of the students they serve or leave them feeling alienated, reactive, excluded from society, or more antisocial” (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

External factors such as rewards, punishment, and an overly controlling environment can damage intrinsic motivation and the desire to learn (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

So, how do you intrinsically motivate in the classroom?

Schools should promote environments that satisfy the psychological needs of their students.

Autonomy-supportive environments

Research confirms the positive impact of supporting students’ autonomy and self-regulation . Activities such as listening to and considering the student’s viewpoint, giving them control and choice regarding how they approach the task, and providing supportive feedback are all positive aspects of learning (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Creating such open and growth-based environments increases intrinsic motivation, perceptions of competence, and feelings of self-worth.

Novel environments

A 2012 study introduced gardening into the school curriculum and found that it led to a significant decrease in disruptive behavior at school and reduced absenteeism (Skinner, Chi, & The Learning-Gardens Educational Assessment Group, 2012).

Meaningful activity in one area carries positive feelings to others. A novel environment may offer additional benefits, including feelings of self-confidence and self-worth, to those performing less well in traditional subjects.

Supportive volunteers

Other studies have reported success in bringing in volunteers, typically older adults, to offer supportive, child-centered play sessions (Pink, 2018).

Children paired with one-on-one volunteers showed increased positive attitudes and enthusiasm, as rated by themselves and their teachers.

Even small amounts of positive interaction promote relatedness and autonomy, improving overall intrinsic motivation. Volunteers could be older children within the school or members of local supportive sports teams.

Any factor or social context leading to more support for relatedness, autonomy, or competence is likely to result in better learning and associated behaviors in the class.

In an environment where interaction is easy and there is mutual respect, students remain engaged and teachers are more responsive to their needs.

Teachers must find appropriate ways to meet the three basic psychological needs of their students. Most importantly, the classroom should become an autonomy-supportive environment.

According to the SDT and the research that backs it up, teachers should begin by understanding and relating to student perspectives to understand and support their needs. The teacher should not expect students to see things from their perspective nor punish them when they don’t.

Once students’ needs are identified, the teacher can provide each student with opportunities to gain a degree of control over their learning, encouraging them to take the initiative and seek relevant information. Students benefit from being given choices and taking responsibility for their learning (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Autonomy-supportive teachers believe we develop education from within, whereas “controlling teachers act under the belief in education as formation from without” (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

When teachers offer more choice, understand students’ perspectives, and consider their interests, students perceive more autonomy and greater value in the subject (Patall, Dent, Oyer, & Wynn, 2013). Teachers who offer more support for autonomy also typically provide an environment that satisfies the needs of competence and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

What strategies promote autonomous rather than controlled motivation?

Teachers benefit their students by meeting their basic psychological needs and creating an environment that fosters autonomy while avoiding factors that encourage control.

Promoting autonomous motivation

Strategies that promote autonomous motivation include (modified from Reeve and Jang, 2006):

• Listening to students
• Making time for students to work independently
• Providing students with an opportunity to talk
• Acknowledging improvement and mastery
• Encouraging students’ effort
• Offering hints when students are stuck in order to enable progress
• Responding to students’ comments and questions
• Acknowledging the experiences and perspectives of students

Avoiding controlled  motivation

Strategies that seek to control motivation include (modified from Reeve and Jang, 2006):

• Monopolizing learning materials
• Providing too little time for students to work and solve problems independently
• Giving answers without sufficient time for students to formulate them
• Being demanding and controlling
• Using controlling words such as “must,” “should,” and “have to”
• Using questions to direct, control, and limit the flow of conversation

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

In environments that fail to foster autonomy, students can still regain a sense of control and bolster their intrinsic motivation through their own actions.

Take control

Even work set for completion in a specific way (and with a particular deadline) allows for some degree of autonomy.

Encourage the student to find their own way to plan and deliver the work by asking themselves:

• How should I approach the work? (e.g., reading other sample questions, reviewing the textbook, joining a study group)
• What steps will I take? (e.g., writing a rough draft first, making a list of bullet points, reviewing the first draft with another student)
• How do I consider the feedback I have received for previous assignments?

Changing the perception from it is being done to me to I am in control leads to increased feelings of autonomy and therefore intrinsic motivation.

Use imagination

Athletes have known for a long time the positive value of visualization (Kremer, Moran, & Kearney, 2019). But it is equally valuable in other areas of life, including education.

Students can benefit from spending time “seeing” and “feeling” how things could be.

Ask the student to spend time some quiet time when they cannot be distracted positively imagining:

• How things could be
• Where they would like to see themselves
• Who they would like to be

Visualize success:

• Acing tests
• Doing the job they have always wanted
• Being content, confident, and successful in what they choose to do

Goal setting is a useful tool for motivating someone to achieve something valuable or important (Clough & Strycharczyk, 2015).

• Focusing attention on goal-directed behaviors
• Setting challenging goals that are energizing
• Encouraging commitment (individual and as part of a group)
• Engaging cognitive strategies to cope with and overcome difficulties

Ensure the goals are clear, realistic, and achievable; this SMART goal template can help.

Break larger goals down into manageable chunks of work.

In his book Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control , Stuart Russell (2020) describes one such approach called reinforcement learning that involves learning from direct experience and feedback.

“Much as a baby learns to stand up from the positive reward of being upright and the negative reward of falling over” (Russell, 2020).

While even artificial motivation can generate highly complex behavior, it lacks the nuance of persistent intrinsic motivation, which has evolved over millions of years and is linked to the satisfaction of a set of needs.

We recommend reading Positive Reinforcement in Psychology for more insight into the possibilities of reinforcement learning.

Several questionnaires are available for testing intrinsic motivation and related concepts.

The following three measures are all taken from studies measuring student age groups, as other instruments are more appropriate for adults.

Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI)

There are multiple versions of the IMI ranging from 22 items to 45 items, available at the Center for SDT . The 25-item version takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and has been used to measure students’ subjective score of motivation (González Olivares et al., 2020).

Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale (RPWS)

González Olivares et al. (2020) also used the RPWS measure to study psychological wellbeing. This 64-item questionnaire takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

While not a direct score of intrinsic motivation, there are strong links between wellbeing and an individual’s satisfaction of psychological needs (González Olivares et al., 2020).

Short Flow State Scale (SFSS)

Mackenzie et al. (2018) used the IMI and the SFSS to understand the impact of outdoor activity on students’ intrinsic motivation.

While the 10-item SFSS measures flow , the measures are compatible with the psychological need for competence as part of the SDT and considered insightful in understanding intrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Top 17 Exercises for Positive Education

Use these 17 Positive Education Exercises [PDF] to enhance student engagement, resilience, and wellbeing while also equipping students with valuable life skills.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

We have several tools available to help students understand their motivation and recognize when it is in line with their goals in life or causing unhelpful behavior.

• Building on the SMART Goals Worksheet already discussed, this Setting SMART+R Goals framework incorporates rewards into the goal-setting SMART model.
• The Costs and Benefits of Unhelpful Behavior worksheet simplifies the Cost-Benefit Analysis process for younger students to help resolve a conflict between short-term and long-term outcomes of activities.
• The Self-Directed Speech Worksheet can be used to capture the behavior individuals wish to change and create a set of sentences for their inner voice when things become difficult.
• Use the Inside and Outside Worksheet with children to better understand their feelings when dealing with an emotion.

If you want to integrate the evidence-based principles of positive psychology into the classroom, consider this collection of 17 validated positive education exercises . Use them to enhance student engagement, resilience and wellbeing while also equipping students with valuable life skills.

Our students’ future can be much brighter if we change our approach to positive education and how students are motivated . Clearly, intrinsic motivation boosts performance in schools. Children are born ready to engage and develop; their enthusiasm only dampens in response to inadequate social conditions.

Self-Development Theory highlights the need for environments that enhance intrinsic motivation and wellbeing in education. Learning environments must foster autonomy rather than control, increasing student engagement and benefiting performance.

Teacher engagement is crucial, as is their degree of intrinsic motivation. They must receive the support to satisfy their own basic psychological needs to gain the mindset necessary to help their students.

Ultimately, the goal of SDT is to encourage students to flourish personally and intellectually and provide a firm foundation and sense of identity for entering adulthood.

Activities that help students share their viewpoint and gain control over their task, along with supportive feedback, lead to the satisfaction of relatedness, competence, and autonomy.

Otherwise, if thwarted, development and growth may be delayed or even halted.

As an educator or a professional working with teaching staff, challenge the degree to which children’s basic psychological needs are satisfied. Where failings are apparent, identify how schools can provide more autonomy to students to shape their educational journey positively.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Education Exercises for free .

• Al-Mansoori, R. S., & Koç, M. (2019). Transformational leadership, systems, and intrinsic motivation impacts on innovation in higher education institutes: Faculty perspectives in engineering colleges. Sustainability , 11 (15), 4072.
• Clough, P., & Strycharczyk, D. (2015). Developing mental toughness: Coaching strategies to improve performance, resilience and wellbeing . Kogan Page.
• González Olivares, Á. L., Navarro, Ó., Sánchez-Verdejo, F. J., & Muelas, Á. (2020). Psychological well-being and intrinsic motivation: Relationship in students who begin university studies at the School of Education in Ciudad Real. Frontiers in Psychology , 11 .
• Kremer, J., Moran, A. P., & Kearney, C. J. (2019). Pure sport: Practical sport psychology . Routledge.
• Mackenzie, S. H., Son, J. S., & Eitel, K. (2018). Using outdoor adventure to enhance intrinsic motivation and engagement in science and physical activity: An exploratory study. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism , 21 , 76–86.
• Patall, E. A., Dent, A. L., Oyer, M., & Wynn, S. R. (2013). Student autonomy and course value: The unique and cumulative roles of various teacher practices. Motivation and Emotion , 37 (1), 14–32.
• Pink, D. H. (2018). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us . Canongate Books.
• Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2006). What teachers say and do to support students’ autonomy during a learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology , 98 (1), 209–218.
• Russell, S. (2020). Human compatible: AI and the problem of control . Penguin Books.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist , 55 (1), 68–78.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness . Guilford Press.
• Skinner, E. A., Chi, U., & The Learning-Gardens Educational Assessment Group. (2012). Intrinsic motivation and engagement as “active ingredients” in garden-based education: Examining models and measures derived from self-determination theory. The Journal of Environmental Education , 43 (1), 16–36.
• Xiang, P., Ağbuğa, B., Liu, J., & McBride, R. E. (2017). Relatedness need satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and engagement in secondary school physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education , 36 (3), 340–352.

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

This has been a very good article for me.

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Ensuring Student Success: 7 Tools to Help Students Excel

Ensuring student success requires a multi-faceted approach, incorporating tools like personalized learning plans, effective time management strategies, and emotional support systems. By leveraging technology and [...]

EMDR Training & 6 Best Certification Programs

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has gained significant recognition for its effectiveness in treating trauma-related conditions and other mental health issues (Oren & [...]

Learning Disabilities: 9 Types, Symptoms & Tests

Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Sylvester Stalone, Thomas Edison, and Keanu Reeves. What do all of these individuals have in common? They have all been diagnosed [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (52)
• Coaching & Application (39)
• Compassion (23)
• Counseling (40)
• Emotional Intelligence (21)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (18)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (16)
• Mindfulness (40)
• Motivation & Goals (41)
• Optimism & Mindset (29)
• Positive CBT (28)
• Positive Communication (23)
• Positive Education (36)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (16)
• Positive Parenting (14)
• Positive Psychology (21)
• Positive Workplace (35)
• Productivity (16)
• Relationships (46)
• Resilience & Coping (38)
• Self Awareness (20)
• Self Esteem (37)
• Strengths & Virtues (29)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (33)
• Theory & Books (42)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (54)

• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

3 Positive Psychology Tools (PDF)

column | Teaching and Learning

How to motivate students to actually do homework and reading, by bonni stachowiak (columnist)     jan 7, 2022.

Bondar Illia / Shutterstock

This article is part of the collection: Toward Better Teaching: Office Hours With Bonni Stachowiak.

The following is the latest installment of the Toward Better Teaching advice column . You can pose a question for a future column here .

Reader Question:

Dear Bonni, What ideas do you have for student accountability? How do we get students to do pre-class work without giving a grade to everything? —Looking for change

Dave, my husband, was in the driveway a few days ago, about to head somewhere with our two kids. I had just finished my elliptical workout and he asked, “Are you glad you did it?” I was glad, but it didn’t start that way. The moves came prior to the motivation.

For 429 days straight, I have exercised for at least thirty minutes, a routine that gets reinforced by the sense of accomplishment and my overall better health. I was indeed happy to have taken that next step toward continuing my commitment. But I don’t rely on a feeling to get me moving most days. Instead, I lean on the power of habits to draw me into action, even when the way I’m feeling doesn’t necessarily prompt me. Often, students experience the same mindset around out of class preparation and we wind up needing to help them establish good habits beyond what they may naturally exhibit on their own.

James Clear describes the four components of our established patterns in “ Atomic Habits: An Easy, Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones .” Cues are the triggers that we humans associate with some type of a reward. Cravings are the drives that motivate us to act. Responses are the behaviors or thoughts we in turn produce, assuming that there isn’t too much friction preventing them—and ample reasons to produce them. Rewards are what we get when we take the intended action or think the desired thought.

Building up a habit like the one I have done for exercise involves both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for most people. It actually requires some unlearning, and some changes in approach, to create an environment that better encourages students to complete assigned activities. Instructors first need to consider how we use grades in our teaching—and then explore what kinds of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations exist and persist for our students.

Much of our students’ educational experiences have taught them to search out the rewards for a transactional gauge of their actions in the form of points or grades. In Susan Blum’s “ Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (And What to Do, Instead) ,” we discover that when it comes to concerns about grade inflation:

“The trouble isn’t that too many students are getting As but that too many students have been led to believe the primary purpose of schooling is to get As,” she writes.

Part of the reason why students don’t complete the pre-work for classes is because they have been conditioned to focus on extrinsic rewards in their education. All too often, collecting as many points as possible becomes the game, perfectly designed to squeeze out any intrinsic motivations that might have otherwise surfaced along the way.

So how do you get students to complete the tasks that will help them better engage in a class session? Here are some approaches that have worked well for me specific to the context you inquired about.

Two common concerns that I’ve come across are that:

• Grading takes up too much time for instructors, and that
• Instructors wish students did the work before class without needing to be awarded points for their effort.

First of all, there are approaches that can help reduce grading time while still giving useful feedback to students. For instance, instructors can strategically assign tasks that can be auto-graded, or spot-checked. When vocabulary is an important aspect of a class I’m teaching, I will sometimes assign an auto-graded quiz that presents ten questions from a large bank of terms and allow for the quiz to be repeated by students until they earn their desired score. In other assignments, students are instructed to record a screencast of themselves playing a matching game that reinforces the vocabulary.

Michelle Miller encourages us in “ Minds Online: Teaching Effectively With Technology ” to not feel like instructors have to evaluate each and every thing that a student submits to one of our classes. In my case, I tend to watch every screencast video that is submitted, or otherwise how would I ever learn the names of each student’s pet? But I do watch the videos at double speed, and I’m able to get through them relatively quickly. And I sometimes delegate some portion of the work to a teaching assistant.

The most common homework given to students in most classes is reading. To incentivize that, I typically assign reading exercises and quizzes. First, I ask students to submit analog or digital notes related to what they read. A common format I use is a 5-3-1 structure: where they identify five main points that stood out to them, three ways they might apply what they read and one question they have as a discussion prompt for others who read the same passages. Second, I frequently have fewer than ten auto-graded questions to test for understanding of the assigned reading. Finally, I have around five reflection and application questions as part of the reading quiz.

As for the complaint that students should want to do reading or other pre-work purely from intrinsic motivation, I have this advice. In the book “ Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ,” Daniel Pink notes that: “Goals that people set for themselves and that are devoted to attaining mastery are usually healthy. But goals imposed by others—sales targets, quarterly returns, standardized test scores, and so on—can sometimes have dangerous side effects.” It’s worth reflecting on ways we can let students be more self-directed to foster intrinsic motivation in their studies.

When I spoke with James Lang for the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, he shared the way his thinking has evolved regarding motivation. He stressed that the research shows that:

“We need to have those intrinsic motivators, and a lot of school-based motivation is extrinsic in the form of grades and degrees and all that other stuff. We do need to pull up those intrinsic motivators in any way that you can. I have to say though, over the past few years, as I’ve continued to look at that research and think more and more about this question, I’ve come to believe that actually we need both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in order to be successful.”

Lang continued to describe how in endeavors such as exercise, ideally we would be intrinsically motivated, but people often aren’t. Instead, they use social connections and external reminders of their achievements to bridge the gap between the actions (actually going for the run) and the rewards (recognizing how great it feels after we exercise). In this way, the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations can spur each other on.

Another overall recommendation on how to get students to not require as much external motivation is to consider the alternatives to traditional grades. In addition to Susan Blum’s ‘Ungrading,’ I recommend:

Grading for Growth : This collection of posts via the Substack newsletter engine by Robert Talbert and David Clark explores the challenges with the ways we tend to approach grades in higher education and how to use alternative grading practices that focus on growth.

Ungrading Twitter Thread : Curated by Jesse Stommel, this thread has the links to much of Jesse’s writing and speaking on the topic. Instead of adopting “best practices,” he implores us to adopt what he called “necessary practices.”

How have I been able to keep up a 429-day streak of exercise? Partially, it is because I want to live longer and be able to be more present for those I love. The intrinsic factors motivating me are strong over the long haul and they build upon one another. However, when it comes to the daily discipline to keep going, it does help when I get these buzzes on my wrist via an Apple Watch, telling me that I can still achieve my fitness goals for the day. When I look at the app that reports out my streaks, yet taunts me with what is left to accomplish today to keep the momentum going, I wind up doing the thing I don’t feel like doing in the moment for the bigger picture rewards.

Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the long-running podcast, Teaching in Higher Ed . She is also dean of teaching and learning at Vanguard University of Southern California.

Toward Better Teaching: Office Hours With Bonni Stachowiak

Teaching While Facing Gender Biases

By bonni stachowiak.

How to Use Podcasts in Teaching

How Do You Make Zoom Breakout Rooms Less Boring?

In Teaching, How Much ‘Curation’ Is Too Much?

More from edsurge.

English Language Learning

Teaching bilingual learners in rural schools, by lane wendell fischer.

The 4 Dimensions of Educator Wellness [Infographic]

How Schools Are Holding Edtech Products to a Higher Standard

By abbie misha.

Artificial Intelligence

Should educators put disclosures on teaching materials when they use ai, by jeffrey r. young.

Journalism that ignites your curiosity about education.

EdSurge is an editorially independent project of and

• Product Index
• Write for us
• Advertising

FOLLOW EDSURGE

© 2024 All Rights Reserved

The Edvocate

• Lynch Educational Consulting
• Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
• Write For Us
• The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
• The Edvocate Podcast
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Assistive Technology
• Best PreK-12 Schools in America
• Child Development
• Classroom Management
• Early Childhood
• EdTech & Innovation
• Education Leadership
• First Year Teachers
• Gifted and Talented Education
• Special Education
• Parental Involvement
• Policy & Reform
• Best Colleges and Universities
• Best College and University Programs
• HBCU’s
• Higher Education EdTech
• Higher Education
• International Education
• The Awards Process
• Finalists and Winners of The 2023 Tech Edvocate Awards
• Award Seals
• GPA Calculator for College
• GPA Calculator for High School
• Cumulative GPA Calculator
• Grade Calculator
• Weighted Grade Calculator
• Final Grade Calculator
• The Tech Edvocate
• AI Powered Personal Tutor

Teaching Students About Naturalism

Teaching students about heartwood, true leadership is in short supply on modern college campuses, university of richmond expands richmond’s promise to virginia, china reshaping higher education with focus on quantum, deep tech workforce, anti-dei law shuts university of alabama black student union office, queer resource center, leadership models in higher education: insights from 2 arab university leaders, ai upskilling: future-proofing careers and bridging the skills gap, opinion | the roots of stem excellence, opinion: how innovative higher education models can benefit students, 21 strategies to help students who have trouble completing assignments independently.

Are you looking for strategies to help students who have trouble completing assignments independently? If so, keep reading.

1. Create classroom rules: • Remain on-task. • Complete assignments quietly. • Request assistance when needed. • Remain in your seat. • Finish tasks. • Meet task expectations. Examine rules often. Praise students for following the rules.

2. Establish time limits for finishing tasks .

3. Praise the learner for performing tasks independently.

4. Get the learner to prioritize tasks by importance (e.g., task A must be done today, task B can be done today, and task C can wait until tomorrow).

5. Organize their surroundings to enable task conclusion (i.e., make sure the learner’s tasks are on their capacity and ability level , be sure that instructions are clear, and keep frequent interactions with the learner to enable success).

6. Urge parents to set aside and enforce a consistent period at home for the learner to finish homework . All family members should work on tasks (e.g., correspondence, balancing accounts, reading, etc.) during this time.

7. Give the learner structure for all academic learning activities (e.g., specific instructions, routine (schedule) format for tasks, time limits, etc.).

8. Praise the learner for beginning, working on, and finishing tasks .

9. Make sure that directions, explanations, and instructions are delivered on the learner’s capacity and ability level .

10. Assess the appropriateness of giving the learner tasks that require copying if the learner’s capacity and ability level make it impossible for him/ her to finish the task.

11. Let the learner have additional time to finish tasks when working independently.

12. Give the learner a selection of tasks and require them to select a minimum number of tasks to perform independently (e.g., present the learner with 10 academic tasks from which 6 must be finished that day).

13. Explain your expectations to the learner for the successful conclusion of tasks .

14. Give a written list of instructions for a long-term task.

15. Plan leisure activities at the end of the day. Make participation in these learning activities dependent upon the conclusion of tasks .

16. Connect with the learner’s parents to disseminate information about their child’s progress. The parents may reinforce the learner at home for finishing tasks independently.

17. Assess the degree of task difficulty concerning the learner’s capacity and ability to perform the task.

18. Be firm, fair, and consistent, expecting the learner to finish tasks. Do not let the learner fail to finish designated tasks one time and expect tasks to be finished the next time.

19. Praise those students in the classroom who finish tasks independently.

20. Urge the learner to follow a less desirable task with a more desirable task . Make the conclusion of the first appropriate to perform the second.

21. Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend .

21 Hacks for Encouraging Students to Complete ...

Dysnomia apps, tools, and resources that we ....

Matthew Lynch

Related articles more from author.

21 Strategies to Help Students Who Have Trouble Finishing Homework Tasks

24 Genius Tricks to Teach Kids to Not Interrupt Classmates During Learning Experiences

12th Grade Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

23 Strategies to Help Students Who Do Not Use Word Endings Correctly While Spelling

20 Strategies to Help Students Who Do Not Pay Attention to Sounds in Their Environment

21 Strategies to Help Students Who Have Trouble Finishing Classroom Tasks

ChatGPT for Teachers

Trauma-informed practices in schools, teacher well-being, cultivating diversity, equity, & inclusion, integrating technology in the classroom, social-emotional development, covid-19 resources, invest in resilience: summer toolkit, civics & resilience, all toolkits, degree programs, trauma-informed professional development, teacher licensure & certification, how to become - career information, classroom management, instructional design, lifestyle & self-care, online higher ed teaching, current events, 5 student incentive ideas for academic achievement.

One of the biggest challenges educators face is student motivation. This issue affects all levels of education: Kindergarten teachers are pressed to invent incentives to get their students excited about school, while colleges work to raise graduation rates through financial aid bonuses and by limiting unnecessary credits.

Below are five ideas that can be applied in almost any setting.

Consider intrinsic motivation

It’s easy to fixate on the rewards of finishing school work: good grades, teacher and parental pride, and eventually a bright future. However, because of a difference in home life or personality, many students are not driven by extrinsic motivation. An adaptable educator may redirect to intrinsic motivation. Students naturally work hard in their areas of interests, so it helps to tie subjects to a fun topic, or relate problem areas to subjects a student excels in.

Think small

Teachers and parents are often tempted to over reward. For young children, something as simple as a sticker or change in seating may be enough motivation. Some elementary schools have had success with tickets handed out randomly for exceptional behavior. Though they can be traded in for prizes at the end of the year, in many cases the tickets themselves become coveted possessions.

Offer options

One way to encourage productivity is to allow students to choose how to complete their assignments. Without changing the length requirements or topic, give multiple options: create a website, give an oral presentation, or write a paper. Students still learn the information, plus they grow in independence, self-confidence and creativity.

Start with loss

Recent findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that loss is a better incentive than gain. Children may not miss what they never had. One tool that utilizes this information is a board in which students lose tokens for each incident of bad behavior or failure to complete an assignment.  For older students, removing privileges may be more compelling. Of course, to avoid constantly being in the role of punisher , it’s important to initially include privileges that may later be eliminated, such as free seating or listening to an iPod during work times. By having faith in students early, teachers encourage them to rise to expectations.

Act quickly

The study also emphasizes the damage done by even a brief delay in reward distribution. In fact, according to the scholars, “all motivating power of the incentives vanishes when rewards are handed out with a delay.” Students doing well must be both praised and rewarded immediately. Because this has the potential to consume an enormous chunk of classroom time, educators should focus on certain areas or levels of achievement to reward.

One of the best ways to encourage academic achievement is to create an environment in which achievement is valued. Though individual rewards are valuable, a goal that the whole class must reach together promotes internal support and positive peer pressure. Possible group rewards for stretches of good behavior or high class averages (depending on the grade level) include:

• an open book final
• a field trip
• class outside
• a movie or party day

By choosing activities with relevance or educational value (like a cultural party or trip to a museum), teachers can promote the idea that learning is ultimately its own reward.

You may also like to read

• Strategies for Mentoring Student Teachers
• Reading Curriculum Ideas for Fifth Grade Teachers
• 4 Scenarios Student Teachers Should Expect to Encounter
• Teachers: How to Strengthen High School Student Engagement
• How Teachers Use Student Data to Improve Instruction
• Teachers Can Measure and Reward Student Engagement With the Stackup Browser Extension

Categorized as: Tips for Teachers and Classroom Resources

Tagged as: Assessment Tools ,  Engaging Activities ,  Leadership and Administration

• Online & Campus Doctorate (EdD) in Organizati...
• COVID-19 Teacher Toolkit: Resilience Through ...
• Online & Campus Master's in Higher Education ...

• Instructors
• Institutions
• Teaching Strategies
• Higher Ed Trends
• Academic Leadership
• Affordability
• Product Updates

How to Engage Students Online and Keep Them on Track

You may feel disconnected from your students in an online environment, but you don’t have to be. Engage students in your online course with these six tips to keep your students on track.

1) Engage Students with Short, Frequent Assignments

Each week schedule a few short assignments to regularly engage students in course topics and ensure they’re practicing throughout the week.

2) Reward Progress & Practice

Motivate your students by highlighting their progress, instead of imposing penalties. Review your course and consider the following.

• Award Partial Credit for Question Attempts: Within your assignment settings you can award credit for students attempting questions, even if they get them wrong . As a result, your students will attempt every question, even if they’re more difficult.
• Assign Personal Study Plan for Extra Credit: The Personal Study Plan (PSP) is a great resource to encourage independent student learning, when available. The PSP can be assigned for a grade, or an extra credit assignment to reward students who study .

3) Encourage Students to Complete Assignments on Time

There are several ways you can encourage your students to stay on track and submit assignments on time.

• Encourage students to enable email reminders : WebAssign allows students to customize their notification settings to email them about upcoming due dates, announcements and course changes.
• Reward early completion of assignments: Prevent students from procrastinating by awarding bonus points to students who submit their assignment early.
• Automatic extensions are approved if the request meets the criteria you’ve determined within your settings.
• Manual extensions are sent to you individually for approval. Reduce the number of questions and requests from students by clearly communicating your policy.
• Reward students who never use extensions : At the end of the semester, you can view all granted extensions to identify and award extra credit to students who completed 100% of their work on time.

4) Review Class Insights to Identify Areas for Student Support

Make sure your class is mastering the topics by reviewing Class Insights regularly.  Consider giving your class extra assignments, video lessons or practice opportunities on topics that WebAssign has flagged as areas of concern. In addition, you can direct specific students to topics in the Personal Study Plan if available, for individual support.

5) Don’t Let Students Jump Ahead

Pace your course the way you normally teach by adjusting WebAssign’s scheduling and assignment settings to keep students focused. We recommend you:

• Pay Attention to the Assignment Available Date : Within your assignment scheduler , you can set the date each assignment is available to students. Pace your assignments by limiting the number available each week to ensure students don’t jump ahead.
• Utilize Conditional Release : Conditional release is a great tool when you want to make sure students fully understand a topic before moving forward. With conditional release, you can set a specific score students need to achieve before moving forward. You can even grant access to the following assignment after a specific date.

6) Schedule Progress Checks

Incorporate specific assignments and student-teacher meetings to ensure you check in with students and communicate how they’re doing.

• Schedule short, frequent quizzes : By scheduling short quizzes frequently , students are continually evaluated on their knowledge and can identify topics that need work.
• Require at least one instructor-student meeting: You can hold virtual office hours and require students to attend at least one session, and coordinate a time to meet using a private message in WebAssign . Prior to these meetings, ask students to review their Class Insights and be prepared to discuss trouble topics. On your end, you can view performance by student and give them a few additional areas to work on.

Looking for More Tips?

Keep in mind the following resources that are available to you.

• WebAssign Help for step-by-step how to’s and tutorials
• Facebook.com/WebAssign
• Twitter.com/WebAssign

Related articles

14 Proven Tips For Completing Assignments

Completing assignments can be a daunting task, but there are a few things that you can do to make the process a whole lot easier. 

Are you finding it difficult to complete your assignments on time? If you’re looking for some tips to help you get organized and stay on track, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’ll share some helpful strategies that will make completing your assignments a breeze.

Why are assignments important?

Though often met with groans and complaints, academic assignments are actually beneficial in a number of ways. For one, they force students to engage with the material on a deeper level, encouraging them to really think about what they’re learning and stay on track with their studies.

In addition, academic assignments help students to develop important research, writing and study skills that will be useful in college and beyond.

Academic assignments also give students the opportunity to receive feedback from their instructors on their work.

Notably, despite its benefits, too many assignments can do more harm than good.

Too much assignments can interfere with free time and involvement in extra-curricular activities. Assignment completion may be increasingly frustrating and stressful when there are challenges with the home environment. O’Rourke-Ferrara, 1998

Why is completing assignments on time important?

Completing assignments on time demonstrates to your instructor that you are capable of meeting deadlines. This is important in both academic and professional settings.

According to research, completing assignments improves independence, self-discipline, and time management skills. In addition, it has been linked with better grades and academic success. planchard et al., 2015

Tips for completing assignments

So how can you make sure that you complete your assignments on time? Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Read the assignment instructions carefully

2. identify why the assignment is necessary.

It gives purpose to your efforts, and this in turn can help provide focus and direction, leading to better results through hard work and dedication.

Research shows that the main motivating factors for homework completion were: (1) Reinforcement: desire to learn or master the material (2) Credit (3) Extra-credit planchard et al., 2015

3. Start early to complete assignments on time

Assignments can take longer than you think, so start working on them as soon as they’re assigned. This will help you avoid last-minute stress and ensure that you have enough time to complete the assignment to the best of your ability.

4. Set goals for assignment completion

Once you’ve met that goal, you can set a new goal for the next day. Breaking the assignment down into smaller tasks can help to make it feel less overwhelming, and it can also help you to track your progress. 

5 . Create a schedule to finish assignments

Research shows that the most common demotivating factors for homework completion were: (1) Other commitments (2) Difficulty understanding (3) Too difficult or too long planchard et al., 2015

6. Identify the resources required for the assignment

7. track your reference s when researching.

As you’re doing research for your assignment, be sure to track the references that you’re using. This will save you time when you’re writing your paper and will ensure that you give credit to the sources that you’ve used.

8. Set aside uninterrupted time for assignments

9. ask for help if you get stuck, 10. take breaks when completing assignments.

Working on an assignment for long periods of time can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. To avoid this, take breaks throughout the day or week. during your break, do something that you enjoy or that will help you relax.

11. Celebrate your progress

12. proofread your assignments, 13. submit your assignments on time.

Make sure to submit your assignment on time. If you’re having trouble with this, talk to your professor or a tutor. They may be able to offer extension or help you get back on track.

14. Relax after completing each assignment

Final words on proven tips for completing assignments.

Drop a comment below and let me know. Best of luck in all your future assignments.

Planchard, Matthew S. et al. “Homework, Motivation, and Academic Achievement in a College Genetics Course.”  Bioscene: The Journal Of College Biology Teaching  41 (2015): 11-18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086528.pdf

Similar Posts

67 powerful quotes on communication to keep you inspired, 22 common email mistakes + tips to avoid them, 22 key tips to easily improve writing skills, 55 common writing terms, meanings & examples to learn right now, 20 golden rules to improve email etiquette, rushana greenidge-horace.

Rushana is a dynamic, knowledgeable professional with almost a decade of experience in the healthcare industry. She remains committed to promoting holistic health and wellness.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

• Our Mission

Teaching Students to Manage Their Digital Assignments

Predictable routines can teach students how to use organizational tools and help them develop their executive function skills.

You just wrapped up an invigorating conversation with your 10th-grade students. They contributed brilliant ideas, and you’re looking forward to reading the written reflections you assigned for homework. But when you log into Google Classroom the next day to grade their work, you find that nearly half of your students didn’t submit the assignment. Only two-thirds of them even opened the document.

Sound familiar? 

So many students who are engaged in real-world learning activities struggle to complete assignments in the digital world. Digital work is often out of sight and out of mind the moment they leave our classrooms. It can cause teachers and parents to wonder if being organized is even possible in our tech-focused society. 

1-to-1 Devices are Permanent Fixtures in Today’s Classroom 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic pushed most schools into a virtual teaching model, students spent much of their instructional time on a device. A 2019 study out of Arlington Public Schools found that middle school students spent 47 percent of their time and high school students spent 68 percent of their time on a device. Findings from the study suggest that devices are frequently used for “reference and research, presentations and projects, and feedback and assessment.” 

By the return to in-person learning, 90 percent of students had access to a one-to-one device for school, and it’s evident that technology in the classroom (and workplace) is here to stay.  

Teaching Digital Organization Skills is Key

Although they have access to a myriad of digital organization tools ( myHomework , Evernote , Google Keep , and Coggle , to name a few), students may still struggle to organize their assignments and complete them from start to submission. We often assume that students can transfer organizational skills from the real world to the digital world, and we often ask them to quickly and seamlessly transition from hard-copy work (reading a chapter in a novel, completing a science experiment) to digital work, such as writing a reflection in Google Docs and submitting it to a learning management system (LMS). 

Digital files are perceivable to the human brain, but they aren’t tangible in the same way that binders, notebooks, and folders are. And while an LMS may aid students’ access to information, it doesn’t do the heavy lifting of organizing information and prioritizing tasks. These actions are highly demanding cognitive skills that students can be taught and practice in the digital world—even if students have already perfected them in the analog world. 

Teachers can prioritize strategic, direct instruction of organizational and other executive functioning skills for a tech-focused world. 

Streamline Your Classroom Resources 

The first step in helping students organize digital work is to organize your classroom resources on the back end. In coordination with your department, grade level, or district, choose one LMS and three to four instructional resources, and stick with them for the entire year. For example, you could select Google Classroom as your LMS and use PearDeck, Google Calendar, and EdPuzzle as instructional resources. 

Though it’s tempting to adopt new and exciting technology as it evolves, a revolving door of programs is difficult for students to juggle and can lead to app fatigue. 

Teachers can further streamline their classroom resources by color-coding folders and files in their chosen LMS, posting log-in directions in easily accessible locations, and offering a landing page in their LMS that holds all of the links to digital resources. 

Create Predictable Routines Around Digital Work 

Next, it’s important for teachers to create clear and predictable routines around organizing digital assignments.   

One routine that I’ve developed in my classroom is a living table of contents document. I create and print out a blank table of contents for each unit, and students house them in their binders. I then project the table of contents at the start of each class with the day’s newest assignments, and students fill in these new items on their hard copies when they settle in. Each assignment is numbered, and assignments located online that won’t appear in their binders are labeled with an “S” (for us, that stands for Schoology) to note that the assignment is in our LMS.

Another predictable routine is entering homework assignments into Google Calendar or agenda books together at the end of every class. Prompting students to write down their homework may seem elementary, but even older students appreciate the predictability and consistency of this routine because it reduces anxiety (rushing to write it down before the teacher moves on) and frees up brain space for critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.

If you’re not sure that your current routine is clear and predictable, consider whether or not students could replicate your system in your absence. If students can’t get through the routine on their own, your routine may need to be articulated more clearly (such as being posted somewhere in the classroom), or it may need to be implemented more consistently.

Model a Variety of Organizational Strategies 

Similar to the process of how academic skills are acquired, teachers can model organizational skills for students. Consider creating opportunities to demonstrate strategies such as how and where to save documents, how to sync information across devices, how to share calendar events with peers and parents, and how to plan for long-term projects. 

You can also help students get more comfortable with organizational strategies by sharing “think-alouds” for task initiation, task prioritization, and time management. Consider using common language for reminding and prompting. For example, at the start of every new assignment, you could say something like, “Now that I’m ready to start, I’m going to open up Schoology, Google, and a Word document and close out of other tabs.”

Because executive functioning skills are not innate, providing language for them allows students to identify them, replicate them, and use tools to do them more quickly. Prioritizing these skills can improve student outcomes and prepare students for an increasingly tech-focused world.

How Can Instructors Encourage Students to Complete Course Evaluations and Provide Informative Responses?

Instructors can influence response rates – perhaps more so than any other factor. When actively promoted and discussed with students, response rates are generally higher than those in courses with little to no Instructor attention paid to them. 

Tips for encouraging students to both complete course evaluations and provide constructive feedback: ( adapted from Univ. of Oregon Office of the Registrar - Course Evaluations (link is external) (link is external) )

• For students who complete the survey outside of class, it can be helpful to hold their metaphorical hand: Taking a few minutes of class time to show students how to find and use the Course Evaluations system may increase response rates. While there are instructions to finding and completing the course evaluations in the system emails they receive, do not assume all students can navigate this easily. A quick, visual tutorial in-class can make a difference.
• While this strategy is commonplace, many instructors have found the greatest impact when coupled with items 4 and/or 5 below. *NOTE:  it is not currently possible to tie the release of grades with completion of evaluations.
• Monitor the response rate throughout the survey window, and immediately after the in-class allotted time for survey completion. Use the real-time response rate to further prompt students to complete their surveys, and provide additional encouragement via the tip immediately below.
• Explain how the University uses their feedback in merit and promotion.
• Let students know that you will use their feedback to make changes in the course. *Utilize the option to add personalized questions to your online evaluation form for any given course (responses to these personalized questions do not get reported, and are available to the instructor only).
• Give students some examples of useful feedback you have received in the past, and how the course/pedagogy has benefited in response. 
• Make it an assignment on your syllabus : Listing the Course Evaluation in the same category as the other course assignments, even if no points are at stake, may help raise response rates. 
• Incentives for students: In order to encourage a broad and representative response, instructors may choose to offer students incentives for completing course evaluations. Examples of incentives may include:
• Offering an incentive of extra points to all students if a set response rate is achieved
• Using the honor system and giving an incentive to students who affirm that they have completed the evaluation
• If needed for the incentive, faculty may choose to request a screenshot from students showing that the evaluation has been completed. Upon completing an evaluation, students are shown a list of all their evaluations, along with the status for each. This may be used as evidence that a particular student has completed an evaluation.
• A ll possible steps to maintain anonymity of completed evaluations should be taken, particularly in courses with lower enrollments, and given that a screenshot will provide potentially identifiable information in terms of the other classes in which the student is enrolled.

The tips provided on this page have been generated by the Center for Teaching and Learning, and Educational Technology Services, in consultation with the Academic Senate's Committee on Teaching (last updated, spring 2018). 

What do you do as a UC Berkeley instructor to encourage students to complete end of term course evaluations? We’d like to hear and share those examples on this page! Email  [email protected] (link sends e-mail) (link sends e-mail) with the subject line “Course Evaluations” and your example.