What do these quotations have in common?

They evoke fundamental qualities of human motivation and persistence: the desires for adventure, for explorations into the unknown, for expanding our boundaries of knowledge, feeling and understanding, and for having the persistence and courage to conquer personal and world obstacles that might otherwise impede these quests.

Goal of the ARCS Website

The goal of this website is to become a gathering place for people who are trying to gain a better understanding of these human qualities, or, in other words, of the essence of human motivation and volition. At present, this prototype version of the website is primarily a source of information about one particular motivational theory and process for systematic motivational design (the ARCS Model), about people engaged in inquiry about motivation and how to influence it, and about areas of motivational research that are closely related to the ARCS model. In time, I expect to expand this site to include more interactive elements to assist in the growth and dissemination of knowledge and experience among researchers, designers, and teachers who are interested in this fundamental component of the human condition.

Peruse the pages of this website to learn about the concept of motivational design, the theoretical foundation of the ARCS model, the systematic motivational design process, examples of ARCS-related research areas, and a few of the places and people associated with ARCS-related studies and practices.

Research ideas: You can get ideas for research from the many references in this website, but especially from the studies listed on Research Themes subpage under the "ARCS Inquiry" page. These dissertations can searve as models for doctoral students and other people who are trying to establish a research theme in their work. These studies of motivation and instructional design include technological innovations such as animated pedagogical agents, psychological variables such as ability beliefs, instructional methods such as online learning, and instructional design strategies such as motivational objects to supplement learning objects.