Curiosity: Activating internal student motivation when teaching online

Appealing to students’ curiosity is a highly effective way of boosting their motivation to learn. Here Jose Vazquez explains why this is and how it can be put into practice when teaching online, filmed as part of REMOTE, the connected faculty summit. The virtual event showcased best practice, techniques and tools for online teaching in higher education. If you’re in a rush, browse the timeline below for the key topics covered and where in the video to find them.  

00:02 Simple physics demonstration to show why it is important that students “care” about what they are learning 

05:17 Curiosity as a motivator of learning 

06:14 Why focus on curiosity as a way to keep students interested 

07:56 What is curiosity? 

11:13 Five strategies for using the “information gap” theory to trigger students’ curiosity 

17:08 Why teachers should embrace online teaching and adaptive learning techniques as effective tools to pique student curiosity 

This video was produced by REMOTE, the connected faculty summit, hosted by Arizona State University.