Join us at the AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS), where we will discuss an ongoing empirical study of self-directed learning support in online courses at community colleges and broad-access universities, including teaching strategies to improve self-efficacy and belonging, reflection, and help-seeking.
Bringing SDL Theories Into Postsecondary Online Learning Contexts
April 3-5, 2025
Self-directed learning (SDL) refers to 3 mutually reinforcing cognitive and behavioral processes (motivation, metacognition, applied learning) that are shown to improve postsecondary outcomes. But faculty report uncertainty about how to foster them in content area courses, especially online.
Presenters will share research underpinning the framework and describe an ongoing empirical study of SDL support in online courses at community colleges and broad-access universities, including teaching strategies to improve self-efficacy and belonging (motivation), reflection (metacognition), and help-seeking (applied learning).
Participants will explore how to implement teaching practices in online/hybrid courses aligned with an evidence-based, self-directed learning framework and will engage in interactive activities to identify opportunities to bolster SDL support across course types.
Presenters
- Amy Brown, Research Associate, Community College Research Center
- Ellen Wasserman, Research Associate, Community College Research Center
- Meghan McIntyre, Senior Professor of Mathematics, Wake Technical Community College
Learn more on the Conference program website.
Related Resources
- Prompt Strategy Overview
- Student-Peer Interaction and Networking (SPIN) Strategy Overview
- Video Strategy Overview
Categories: Event
Tags: Instructional Strategies Online Learning Professional Learning Self-directed Learning