Abstract
The recent pandemic has necessitated a mix of in-person and remote instructional formats at most universities. This paper presents a case study on the influence of the remote synchronous instruction on students' situational motivation. Data for the new study was collected in the spring semester of 2021 from one section of a junior level engineering course taught by the author using synchronous instruction at a the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Sixteen times throughout the semester the students completed "Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS)" surveys at the end of the class period. SIMS is a validated, self-report scale that measures situational Amotivation, External Regulation, Identified Regulation, and Intrinsic Motivation. Students were also asked at the end of each survey to describe the one aspect of the classroom activities that most influenced their attitudes and to indicate whether they attended the class remotely or in-person. All students enrolled in the class participated in the surveys and received instruction on situational motivation and learning theories. Survey results were only included in the study for those students who consented. Twenty-five students chose to participate in the study, providing over 300 survey responses. Survey results indicate that remote instruction tended to reduce the students' intrinsic motivation and increase their amotivation. Themes from student comments were used to identify influences which include: difficulties getting classmates to engage in discussions in remote formats, difficulties staying alert and attentive in remote formats, frustrations with learning new software for remote instruction, and the fun of engaging with physical devices in the in-person format. While in general remote instruction lowered students' self-determination, one remoted session from the study was particularly motivating. Attributes from various remote sessions are compared to identify successful strategies to motivate students during online synchronous classes.