Strategies to Support Self-Directed Learning in Online College Courses: Webinar Recap

Online student on computer

July 27, 2026 | By Keith Heumiller

Online and hybrid courses can expand access to higher education, but they also require students to manage their time, motivation, and study strategies with less face-to-face contact.

In a July 16 webinar, researchers and partners from the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative explored how colleges can provide more deliberate support for those demands with a new Self-Directed Learning (SDL) Instructional Model.

Developed in collaboration with researchers and college educators across the U.S., the model offers instructors a practical, easy-to-implement approach for supporting the development of essential student learning skills, including planning, reflection, help-seeking, and growth mindset.

A Self-Directed Learning Instructional Model

The model includes three strategies – self-directed learning videos, reflective prompts, and student-peer interaction and networking (SPIN) – which can be used individually or in conjunction to reinforce key motivational, metacognitive, and applied learning processes. The strategies were designed, tested, and refined through five years of research, including pilot studies in real-world settings, which found that they deliver “real value” to instructors, said Collaborative researcher Amy E. Brown.

“There’s high student participation and actionable insights that instructors were able to use to adjust their courses in real time,” said Brown, research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.

“So they were able to use student responses to inform their understanding of what students could understand or were having challenges with, and then that informed their teaching moving forward in the term.”

The model also includes a Course Implementation Guide and Campus Resource Guide, which offer ready-to-use text and materials, pacing guides, slide decks, and other resources designed to help instructors, developers, course designers, and campus leaders implement the strategies in existing online courses.

“The main shift isn’t necessarily adding another assignment,” said Collaborative researcher and SRI Senior Education Researcher Hannah Cheever, “but reframing some of the assignments that you may already do.”

Insights from Faculty and Students

The webinar also included a panel discussion with Odessa College Associate Math Professor Nikki Handley and student Cheyenne Natividad, who used the instructional strategies during the Collaborative’s pilot study.

Handley, who teaches developmental mathematics in an eight-week format, said she incorporated the strategies by replacing or revising existing course components.

“It was extremely easy to implement,” she said. “All the resources were there. It was literally a copy and paste.”

Handley said she has continued using the strategies in subsequent semesters, including activities such as introductory prompts, assessment reflections, and asking students to share advice with future classes.

Natividad, who had returned to college after years away from the classroom, said the activities helped her find her footing in an online environment.

“I had [previously] taken a class, an online course where I was just a hot mess in there. I wasn’t planning accordingly. I was kind of just all over the place,” she said.

“So having these resources to help me in these strategies, it helped me so much to set my goals and actually reach them… It really does help you manage your time better and you can actually plan your tasks accordingly and make sure that you’re getting your things done.”

The webinar concluded with a question-and-answer period, during which the presenters shared additional materials, publications, and other resources available for instructors and campus leaders interested in implementing or learning more about the instructional model. Cheever also previewed some upcoming Collaborative efforts, including publication of a research agenda designed to guide continued investigation and innovation in postsecondary education.

Resources for Faculty and Campus Leaders

To access the resources featured in the webinar:

Interested in learning more?

For more information, contact us at PostsecCollab@sri.com, follow us on Twitter at @PostsecCollab, and sign up for our newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/Postsecnewsletter

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