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📷 Photo Story: I took this photo in October 2024 at Cijin, Kaohsiung. This art installation is officially called "Sea Pearls" (海珍珠), though it resembles a pair of giant conch shells. I read that if you stood between the sculptures, you can hear the amplified echo of the waves [1]. I chose this image because listening is a key part of engagement. The design of the Tide Pool is not static but requires constant shaping through attentive engagement with students and clients.
Even with the right expectations in place, the learning journey needs to be deliberately design to keep students engaged and motivated. In this chapter, I discuss how I shape the journey using Keller’s ARCS [1] framework.
Designing The Learning Journey
In the Tide Pool, this means intentionally embedding the four motivational elements of Keller’s ARCS model: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction . This approach offers a clear framework to sustain student motivation in real-world conditions and help them deliver real value to our clients.
Attention: Sparking Curiosity
The first step in this motivational design is capturing Attention.
Abstract business theories can be dry, so I aim to spark curiosity immediately. Rather than lecture, I start with questions tied to a real business scenario. For example, when introducing the "Business Model" concept, I show short clips from Shark Tank. One memorable pitch features Cancer Aid [3], an app that personalises cancer information. After the video, I ask students to shout out their guesses about Cancer Aid’s business model, collecting rapid-fire, unstructured ideas. I immediately categorise their responses on-screen into the nine components of the Business Model Canvas [4]. This real-time, interactive approach keeps them focused long enough for the core framework to stick.
Beyond Shark Tank, I also use Starter Story [5] case studies with firsthand founder accounts to teach strategies like blue ocean and the 4 actions framework. These relatable, current examples immediately pique student interest.
Relevance: Bridging Theory and Practice
Next, I focus on establishing Relevance.
While engaging videos and curated cases are excellent for explaining abstract concepts, they don't fully prepare students for the intricacies of their client projects. To bridge this gap, I use past student projects to highlight common pitfalls and showcase best practices. This helps students connect the concepts taught in class with how they could be applied to their projects. For example, I might share how a past team planned its research and invite students to critique its strengths and weaknesses. Or I might show a past solution and ask how they would test or validate it. This makes learning more relevant and sparks curiosity as they weigh their own choices against those of earlier teams, boosting motivation.
Students then brainstorm and submit their answers using tools like ClassPoint or Mural Board, making their responses immediately visible to the entire class. This facilitates structured peer-to-peer learning, allowing me to debrief their responses, make annotations, and clarify the "so-what" of their answers, which are then distributed for retention.
Confidence: Scaffolding Application
The third element is building Confidence.
Even after students grasp the theoretical concepts, they will still require guidance to apply them effectively to their projects. To reduce uncertainty, I provide a clear structure that scaffolds their learning. This isn’t a “cookie-cutter” solution; instead, it gives them the freedom to experiment creatively within clear boundaries.
The structure has two components:
- Weekly Pre-Defined Templates: Each week, teams receive templates aligned with class activities and project work. These templates link what they learn in class to the specific tasks they need to complete. Over time, the completed templates create a structured repository that helps teams track progress and serves as a valuable reference if they lose focus or need to review earlier decisions.
- Timely and Consistent Feedback: I review the weekly homework for all teams and provide written comments before the next class. This consistent feedback is crucial, allowing teams to address doubts and concerns promptly and integrate improvements effectively.
Satisfaction: Sustaining Motivation
Finally, I focus on ensuring Satisfaction.
This Capstone module is seen as one of the toughest for business students. To keep them motivated when challenges arise, timely support is essential. I prioritise team consultations, dedicating three of thirteen sessions to these meetings. Each group gets 30–45 minutes to share progress and ask questions, and most engage with me well beyond these sessions. I also stay accessible via Telegram, providing quick responses for their time-sensitive projects. Students value this dedicated coaching and support. I believe they feel motivated because I genuinely invest in their projects and care about their outcomes as much as they do.
This approach shows that designing the learning journey isn’t a one-time plan but an ongoing practice. It keeps the Tide Pool dynamic, requiring me to continually adapt the structure and methods to sustain student engagement.
In this way, the design itself becomes a form of continued engagement where I shaping the environment with students, not just for them.