Improving Student Motivation Using Technology Within The STEM Disciplines

Getting students motivated within STEM subjects and beyond is essential to ensure that they perform well in their studies and become employable. This paper reports on a study working with students at Coventry University College (CUC). The students were required to consider the technology that appealed to them, and how the use of that would improve their motivation to become successful learners.
209 students responded to the survey, 97 of whom were studying STEM subjects. This group of 97 included 78 students taking Science and Engineering and 19 studying Information Technology (IT). Within STEM, IT students were found to be much more accepting of technology than Science and Engineering students.
89% of students were found to own laptops and 80% owned smartphones, suggesting that delivery of materials using those technologies would be motivating. However, students themselves considered that they would become more motivated when using tablet computers for study. There were devices which only 25% of students said they owned and not reflective of the no frills style of education offered at CUC. Students also reported that they did not feel that the use of social media technology within education would improve their motivation. They wanted to keep their social and academic aspects of life separate.
The paper concludes with recommendations provided by students to improve motivation, including increasing the uptake of materials delivered through the mediums of video and audio mediums. The need to apply these research findings to students on a local level is also noted, due to the unique features of the CUC programme of educational delivery.