Intrinsic motivation is a motivation that comes from within, as opposed to rewards or punishments. In his book on the science of intrinsic motivation, author Daniel Pink describes three factors that boost it: autonomy, mastery and purpose. Here, we'll offer some ways to increase these in your classes.

Autonomy is control over our lives and the tasks we do - specifically, when, how and what we work on. Google's 20% time, Wikipedia, and TikTok are all great examples of how autonomy can be motivating. Here's how to apply it to teaching:

When - Online learning is great for time flexibility, and provides lots of opportunities for students to choose when they'll work. They can often submit an assignment, listen to a lecture, or participate in a discussion on their own weekly schedule. How could we maintain some of this time-autonomy post-pandemic?
How - We can give students options about how they do their work. For example, we could let them choose formats in assignments - in responding to a reading, students could record an audio comment, a short video, write a response, or even curate a series of images or memes,
What - Can students choose what they are working on? For example, can they follow their interests and choose from a weekly list of readings? Is there room to research and report back on a chosen topic? Pick a topic for a final project?

Mastery - Mastery is all about "the urge to get better and better at something that matters." In our classes, this might look like students getting feedback and improving before final projects/papers/exams:

Drafts, peer reviews, conferences and practice quizzes all help students practice, understand strengths and weaknesses, and improve their work.
Consider giving students a chance to set their own goals, and participate in self-assessment of their progress in these areas.

Purpose - Pink describes this as, "the yearning to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves." Here are some ideas to infuse purpose into our classes:

Create activities where students can connect their lived experiences to in-class learning. This could be in individual reflections, class discussions, or as part of research topics.
Connect assessments to the real world, and students' real-world passions. For example, could students write about a topic that's impacting them in our university, city or state? Could they create a product for an authentic audience (like a letter to the editor)? Could they use what they've learned to participate in a poster presentation, simulation or debate? Could they teach what they've learned to younger students? This authentic application of their knowledge can motivate students to push themselves.

Staying motivated is one way that we keep going when times get tough. Hopefully you've gotten some ideas about how to keep engaging and motivating students in this difficult year. How are you helping students stay motivated?

Further reading: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink.