Course Duration: Approximately 600 hours of self-paced studies.

This broadly based certificate looks at key areas concerning the delivery of education to adults.

• Develop your skills in the sharing of knowledge through the development of your understanding of elements such as psychology, motivation and how teaching is delivered.

Consider motivation.

The big question is why? Why do people follow a certain course of action? Why would you consider an ACS course? What are your career goals? What are your aims in life?

And so ...WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO STUDY MOTIVATION?
Smith (1994) said that the answer is survival. Motivated employees are needed in our modern workplaces. They help organisations survive. Motivated staff are more productive. So to be effective, managers need to understand what motivates employees within their roles. Of all the roles of a manager, motivating staff is probably the most complex, as what motivates people is constantly
changing.

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?
Motivation is very simply, a process or mechanism that causes us to act or think in a certain way. It is a general term for any part of the hypothetical psychological process that involves experiencing needs and drives, and the behaviour that leads to the goal that satisfies them. It has three parts to it:

1. The environment that surrounds us
2. The way we perceive that environment
3. The action or attitude that occurs as a result of that perception.

Or, the inner forces that drive individuals to accomplish personal and organisational goals.

The Environment
Our environment consists of both living and non-living things: people, plants, animals; air, water and solids. It may also consist of less tangible things, such as the opinions of people you meet, their moods, feelings and the things they communicate to you. Even the media (TV, radio, newspapers etc) is part of the environment.

Perceptions
What we perceive in our environment and how we perceive it will be affected by many factors, such as our mood, out attitude, our needs and concerns, our interests, our values, and our experience. We make a mistake when we assume that others perceive things and situations in the same way that we do, or when we assume that there is one correct perception. More accurate perceptions can only be gained by considering multiple perspectives, and alternative points of
view.

Actions and Attitudes
Because perceptions vary, actions and attitudes will also inevitably vary. Our attitudes and actions are largely learned, but they are also profoundly affected by our perceptions. Either way, these influences can cause us act and think in similar ways to other, or to think and act differently form each other.

Understanding Motivation
Throughout the course of history there have been many attempts to provide a comprehensive answer to the question - What really motivates people? In other words, what is there in the nature of human beings which makes them behave in certain ways. The true answer continues to elude us and the debate about the motivation of people in their work behaviour still continues. In this lesson,
different approaches to the question of motivation will be shown, but the main conclusion is that there is no perfect way to design or organise work. Instead, management must be diagnostic and flexible, accommodating events and their subjective interpretation by the participants in any given situation. In this way, a course of action can be decided which is appropriate to the situation.

Before we delve into the differing factors which motivate individuals, it is necessary to define the word WORK. This is defined in a standard dictionary as a mental or physical action carried out with serious object in view. It is necessary in psychology to find a more thorough understanding than this.

It was asked of a cynic "Why do people work"? He replied "For somewhere to sleep and three meals a day." If you consider this statement, is it indeed true? Further thought tells us that there are many more complex reasons for working, and that an individual may have several reasons for working. Some of the reasons why a person works are listed below:

• To live in security.
  
• Save money
  
• Obtain the leisure time to do what one wishes, whether these wishes are altruistic or egoistic
  
• Satisfy ambition or interest
  
• Satisfy the gregarious instinct
  
• Express individuality
  
• Escape from certain physical or mental conditions
  
• Be active and participate in communal action.

Many people spend time working in order that they may have time and money for "playing" activities. Many people happily put a great deal of effort into playing. They will do this almost to the point of exhaustion, and though there is no financial reward given for the great effort, they obtain immense satisfaction from the results. The reason is that not only is the period of playing a time of mental relaxation, but playing becomes an intense interest which excludes all other things. This gives the individual a feeling of perfect self expression.

It is evident that for some people it is difficult to differentiate between work and play. To many craftsmen, their work is so real to them and of such absorbing interest that it actually becomes a great pleasure to perform. This, however, is the exception and in general it can be stated that work requires some effort, for which payment is received. This is contrasted with play, which is effort for its
own pleasure, without pay. This can be demonstrated by the following - a professional actor works, but an amateur actor plays. A professional sportsman works and an amateur sportsman plays. The skilled craftsman works at his job, but if he does the same type of work for himself, in his leisure time, it then becomes play.

To the industrial psychologist, this differentiation is a necessity. It is his contention that if incentives can be discovered which can induce the individual to enthuse about his job to the same degree as he does over his play, then there will be better results in many ways, namely: better timekeeping, higher productivity, greater interest in the work, less boredom hence less fatigue and all this will help
the employer/employee relationship to be based on a stronger basis.

So ... think of your goals.  Think of where you want to be and how you want to achieve it.

Study with ACS to extend your knowledge, develop vital skills and further your career.