New Technologies

I have noticed a evolution of how people respond to technology.  Several years ago, it seemed that there was major apprehension going from a non-technology driven way of doing things to one based technology.  For example:  Going from a paper and pencil attendance to recording attendance on a computer.  Today, though the majority of my co-workers have successfully adapted to a computer driven society, it seems the apprehension now comes when there is a change in software of technology.

We recently changed out school grading program to one that was comprehensive.  There was a great deal of reluctance and "push-back" in regards to changing software packages.  Any differences in the software from the previous software was perceived as a inconvenience and struggle.  Even with the training provided by our IT department, there was still a significant amount of complaining, especially, if there was any glitch in the software thus causing inconveniences. 

In looking at Keller's ARCS design, I can see several relative examples in the scenario that I discussed above.  In breaking down each aspect of ARCS I found the following:

A - Attention
Our school system did as much possible create an environment of attention to training and prepping teachers for the transition to the new software program.  There were multiple trainings and re-trainings as well as providing one on one assistance if needed.  There was also a good deal of "selling" the software of what it could do that the previous software was unable to while at the same time, stressing how it made their job easier.

R - Relevance
We sought to match the motives of the teachers with the motives of the administration by being able to track student progress and have an easier access to student information such as contacts, scores, and academic performance.

C - Confidence
Through repetitious training, our IT staff sought to instill a level of confidence in using the new software.  As teachers began to engage in and utilize the software a higher level of confidence was developed. 

S - Satisfaction
As teachers began to use the software more and more, they began to realize the benefits of the new software thus, finally beginning to develop a degree of satisfaction with the program and its capabilities.