AbstractThis study proposes an attention, Relevance, confidence, satisfaction (ARCS)-based research model that uses a set of ARCS-oriented certified digital general education information literacy (IL) materials for higher education initiated by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Taiwan, to determine the motivation for learning in a blended learning environment. The research model is tested using an online questionnaire survey of 292 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the results. The partial least squares (PLS) method is used to validate the measurement and hypotheses. Brief comments and in-depth interviews with students who had scored very highly and very poorly in terms of their overall academic performance provided qualitative data on students’ learning motivation. The findings support the validity of the four motivational elements in the ARCS model. The quantitative and qualitative research results demonstrate that the motivation for taking IL courses, whether as a requirement or out of interest, is not a key factor in learning motivation. The results reveal that the ARCS-based digital materials, ARCS-based motivational course design for learning, and the student-centred, inquiring learning environment are critical components for achieving effective online IL courses and favourable learning outcomes.