Creating Learning Environments to Support Student Motivation Post-Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid shifts in students’ lives profoundly affected their well-being, mental health, and academic motivation. Research shows that students were most worried about staying motivated to do their academic work during the pandemic. Grounded by meta-analytic research in educational psychology, this talk will unpack ways to think about student motivation, particularly for those experiencing difficult transitions. It will emphasize evidence-based strategies for a post-pandemic reality that maximizes motivation by helping students build confidence, find value in learning, seek help, and feel like they belong.

It's important to note that these strategies could be applied in classrooms as well as in lab, mentoring, and advising work with undergraduate and graduate students.

All are welcome to attend!

This event is hosted by the MIT Teaching + Learning Lab

About the Speaker

Dr. Carlton J. Fong is an assistant professor in the Graduate Program in Developmental Education and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University. As a scholar-practitioner at the intersection of educational psychology and higher education, Dr. Fong uses a sociocultural lens to study motivational factors influencing postsecondary student engagement, achievement, and persistence. He is also an expert in meta-analysis and research synthesis and is currently the chair of the Motivation in Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). In 2021, he was recognized as an Association for Psychological Science Rising Star and an AERA Deeper Learning Fellow.