'Emotional Design' by Donald Norman

This book has some interesting points but the main one about there being 3 levels of reacting/interacting is most interesting, as it can be used in most areas of life.
 
The 3 levels are Visceral, Behavioural and Reflective.
 
Visceral is the animal/biological reaction that is fast and subconscious. This is designed to react positively to things that help survival (such as warmth), and negatively to danger. Appearance has a big effect on this. Films play on this level with action, horror, blood lust and the thrill of motion. Music can play on this through its initial effect. Design can play on this with novelties, prettiness and colour.
 
Behavioural is again partly subconscious, and relates more to the pleasure of use. Films would play on this through the viewer's connection with the character and them putting themselves in the character's position. In music this would include playing music and dancing. In design it includes the pleasure and effectiveness of use, if a novelty includes usefulness it is no longer just a novelty. The pleasure and usefulness of objects can increase if the user’s mental model of the object is correct so training users to use your product can increase engagement at this level.

Reflective is less immediate but more powerful and can overcome the Visceral effect. In film this would involve considering the complexity of events and characters. In music it would involve listening to the complexity and being impressed by a musician’s skill.  In design is relates to the image and meaning that an object carries (e.g. clothes with labels, but even much less shallow meaning). If a novelty has cleverness of design, then it would appeal to this level.

So I guess we can look at ways of making our teaching appeal to these three levels whenever possible.

At the Visceral level we can make attractive looking materials online, in lectures we can become great story tellers using shock and surprise. The space that we provide for learning can be clean, tidy, relaxing and attractive where possible. Research shows that relaxed people are more creative in their approach to problems, whereas when people become unsettled they have a very narrow vision, so if you want students to discuss creatively, then a relaxed, comfortable environment is very important.

At the behavioural level, we can encourage the students to see the usefulness of what is being studied. Keeping their challenges (both subject related and technical) at a high enough level to keep interest, but not so high that they become frustrated is important to keep engagement at this level.

Finally at the reflective level, the students need to see the development of their own learning. Assessments can play a part in this if we help the students work towards improving parts of their learning in each assessment. I guess developing student understanding of why the subject or a part of the subject is so important (and relevant to them), is engaging them at this level too.