At a time when technology is often seen as a cause of isolation between students, self-directed learning strategies can help faculty build a stronger sense of community in online courses.
This research brief reports findings from a pilot study of the Collaborative’s SDL Instructional Model, which found that faculty and students perceived the model as valuable and distinct from typical practice in online courses.
This Learning Agenda – expected in August 2026 – identifies critical knowledge gaps and prioritizes questions for investigation under four thematic areas.
Despite the increasing popularity of online learning, remote and hybrid courses pose challenges for students. To help address these challenges, the Collaborative has developed an Instructional Model with simple strategies that target belonging, metacognition, and other self-directed learning (SDL) skills students need to succeed in online courses.