Academically Motivated: Best Practices to Help Faculty Encourage Students to Succeed

Many students worldwide are reporting that they are struggling with keeping their grades up, they lack a sense of motivation while attending synchronous sessions and ultimately feeling burned out. The pandemic has disrupted the "normal" view of education as we know it. As educators, we must adapt quickly and focus on what is essential, which is enhancing the students' synchronous experience while keeping them motivated to complete course work. It is essential to help motivate students to reach their highest potential. Before this can be done, faculty must have the drive and determination to be the best role models to enhance academic performance. This presentation will pose as an interactive session, including polls, questions, and design thinking strategies. Attendees will first hear various scenarios and brainstorm with other attendees on how they can motivate the specified student during this difficult time. During a final activity, the attendees will be able to see how each one of their ideas can come together to enhance motivation within the remote or Hyflex setting. Upon conclusion of this presentation, attendees should be able to: Identify how faculty may engage students in the online learning environment. Teach students with empathetic rigor. Discuss what motivates faculty and students to foster academic excellence.