A Motivational Thermostat Framework for Enhanced E-Learning Systems

Motivation has never been so important since the learning environment is evolving into a self-centered, distant learning. In this paper, we introduce a motivational thermostat framework, developed based on theoretically grounded pedagogy and motivation tactics from multiple dimensions. Its mechanism maintains learner's motivational state in between "lose-of-motivation" and "over-motivated", leading to persistent, lowered attrition rate and more efficient learning. Adaptive Learning Motivational System (ALMOST) is implemented based on the framework. Its effectiveness is evaluated by web-based experiments. The results show that proposed system showed decreased attrition rate and increased learner performance.