This study examines motivational factors based on college students' and faculties' perceptions of motivation using a three-phase mixed-methods research design. The purpose of this research is to determine which factors are most impactful to students' perceptions and actions, so that these data can be used to inform programmatic decisions and course design in the university's education department. The quantitative data collection, which comprised Phases One and Two, utilized the College Student version of the MUSIC® Inventory, as well as the Professor version of the MUSIC® Inventory. Both are designed to determine the factors that impact student motivation (Jones, 2020). The results of the study suggest that the Care factor is the most impactful to student motivation, as its mean was consistently the highest rated across all data collections. When faculty and student survey responses were compared using a paired sample t-test, the Usefulness factor was rated statistically different. In Phase Three, a purposive and representative sample of 12 participants with equal representation from faculty and students utilized interviews to gain insight into their diverse perspectives of motivation and care. Care was a cross-cutting theme in both student and faculty interviews. Five themes emerged from the qualitative interviews: Caring for the Individual, Caring for the Professional, Conflicting Perceptions of Motivational Factors, Candidates' Transference of Caring Actions, and COVID Implications are Both Positive and Negative. Students identified actions from faculty that model the feeling of being "cared for" (Noddings, 2010, 2013), as well as the need for more meaningful connections to their field. Results from the interviews aligned to the survey results, as the Caring factor remained the most impactful to motivation, and there were varying perceptions of the Usefulness factor. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]