Supporting Self-Directed Learning in Online Courses: Findings from a Pilot Study | Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative

Susan Bickerstaff, Carl Lewandowski, and Ela Joshi
July 2026

The Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative created the Self-Directed Learning (SDL) Instructional Model to help students in online courses develop effective learning habits. The Instructional Model consists of three strategies – involving collaborative activities, videos, and short-answer prompts – that can be implemented in a course in any content area to promote students’ sense of belonging, self-efficacy, planning, reflection, and help-seeking.

This research brief reports findings from a pilot study of the SDL Instructional Model conducted with 24 faculty in four community colleges and one university. Study activities included interviews with faculty, students, and administrators; surveys of faculty and students; and analysis of course outcomes. The study found that faculty and students perceived the Instructional Model as valuable and distinct from typical practice in online courses.

Faculty reported that the model was relatively easy to implement, although designing collaborative activities appropriate for an online course was challenging for many. The study did not detect statistically significant effects on students’ self-reported skills or mindsets or in their end-of-course grades. Null effects may be the result of low survey response rates and the small sample size; they may also suggest opportunities to refine the design and implementation of the Instructional Model. Other studies of the model’s strategies point to their promise to improve skills and academic outcomes.

Study findings suggest that institutions can promote adoption of the SDL Instructional Model and support faculty to realize its full potential by offering professional development and peer learning opportunities and by embedding the strategies into course shells in an institution’s learning management system (LMS).

Read the paper: Supporting Self-Directed Learning in Online Courses: Findings from a Pilot Study

Categories: Instructional Strategies Publications Self-directed Learning Supporting Faculty