Using the ARCS Model of Motivation to Design 9-12 CS Curriculum

This ongoing project provides an overview on the use of the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction (ARCS) model of motivation to design an Internet-of-Things themed curriculum for CS students in grades 9-12. The ARCS framework is used as a conceptual framework to unpack high school students' motivational influences in engineering/computer science project-based learning via a series of focus groups. Using the insights obtained from First and Second cycle coding based qualitative analysis, IoT-based CS curricular modules that align with Grades 9-12 Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards were developed. The curricular design centered around creating learner-focused scaffolding in project-based learning environments, improving the relevance of the classroom content with the real-world context that students have experiences in or are knowledgeable of, and stimulating intrinsic motivation in addition to extrinsic rewards.