Feb. 2, 2026 | By Keith Heumiller

At a recent conference for instructional leaders and designers from across the United States, Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative researchers shared a set of new materials designed to improve the online learning experience for college students.

Presenting at the 2025 Instructional Design Professionals Conference, Hannah Cheever (SRI) and Ellen Wasserman (Community College Research Center) explored the complexities of online and hybrid courses and the need for new approaches and supports.

“Online courses put greater demands on students’ self-directed learning capacities because they often have to learn more independently,” said Cheever. “It’s often more difficult for students to develop a sense of belonging and community in online courses, especially in asynchronous courses.”

In a presentation titled “Embedding Instructional Strategies to Support Self-Directed Learning in Online Course Design,” Cheever and Wasserman unveiled a set of research-based strategies designed to address those challenges head-on.

The Need for Self-Directed Learning in Online Courses

No matter how well designed, online courses come with inherent challenges.

These challenges are particularly acute in online STEM courses, where students face both environmental and psychosocial barriers. STEM learning environments, Cheever said, can be content heavy, isolating, and shaped by an “individual sink-or-swim culture.”

To support students in overcoming these challenges, the Collaborative developed a comprehensive self-directed learning (SDL) framework illustrating how motivational mindsets, metacognitive processes, and applied learning strategies interact to support student growth and achievement.

Strategies to Support Self-Directed Learning

Wasserman presented three evidence-based strategies designed by the Collaborative that can be integrated across any online and hybrid course:

• Student-Peer Interaction and Networking (SPIN): An introductory questionnaire and collaborative activities to foster belonging and promote help-seeking.
• SDL Videos: Three short videos to encourage students to reflect on their sense of belonging, time management, and confidence in their ability to grow academically.
• SDL Prompts: A series of questions designed to promote task-planning, progress monitoring, and help-seeking.

“These strategies help students cultivate habits that are strongly related to success,” Wasserman explained. “Things like building social connections, planning time for coursework, reflecting on progress, and knowing how to seek help.”

SPIN: Building Belonging and Social Support

The SPIN strategy begins with an introductory questionnaire intended to connect students in online courses. It prompts students to share information about themselves, such as their preferred study times, hobbies, and motivations. Faculty can then summarize common themes or use the information to form peer groups.

Later in the term, faculty assign two online collaborative activities. To support these activities, students receive guidance on ways to collaborate effectively, such as articulating expectations, evaluating group processes, and building constructive teamwork habits.

Cheever and Wasserman also encouraged faculty to incentivize participation, group students to maximize learning and support, and provide ongoing support, as needed.

“SPIN is really designed to help students build a network of support, even in asynchronous classes,” Cheever said.

SDL Videos: Supporting Motivation, Growth Mindset, and Time Management

The SDL video strategy consists of three short videos that introduce students to foundational learning skills and prompt student self-reflection.

In the videos, students share their experiences to emphasize the value of collaborating with other students, planning study time, and seeing initial challenges as opportunities to grow and get smarter.

As Cheever explained, these videos “raise students’ awareness about proactively developing a sense of belonging” and help students build systems for managing their workload effectively in online courses.

SDL Prompts: Reinforcing Reflection, Planning, and Help-Seeking

SDL prompts include three types of activities that faculty can embed throughout a course to invite students to prepare to study and regularly check their learning progress.

Offered at varying points throughout an academic term, the prompts guide students to plan tasks, reflect on their learning processes, identify challenges, and seek out resources. These short writing activities are particularly effective in promoting metacognition, said Wasserman.

“Students use these reflections to adjust their strategies, recognize when they need help, and make informed changes to how they study,” she said.

Impacts on Teaching and Learning

The strategies — which together form the Collaborative’s Self-Directed Learning Instructional Model — were developed through research, piloting, and iterative design with input from faculty and staff across nine partner colleges and universities.

In interviews, students have reported that the strategies led to positive changes in their approach to online courses, while faculty found them easy to integrate.

Implementation Tools for Faculty and Institutions

To facilitate adoption, the Collaborative has developed two comprehensive guides:

• A Course Implementation Guide, which offers step-by-step guidance, pacing recommendations, ready-to-use text, activity examples, and LMS integration tips.
• A Campus Resource Guide, which supports leaders and instructional designers with institutional planning, faculty development workshops, and ongoing support structures.

The Collaborative is continuing to engage with partner colleges and students across the country and refining tools and resources designed to improve online STEM courses. Learn more about the Collaborative’s research and upcoming presentations on our website.

Watch the full presentation on YouTube, download the presentation materials, and learn more about how students engage with the instructional strategies in this recent Collaborative blog.

Keep up with our latest news, findings, and resources by subscribing to the Collaborative newsletter.

Tags: Instructional Strategies Online Learning Postsecondary Learning Self-directed Learning