Promoting Undergraduate Student Self-Regulation in Online Learning Environments

Undergraduate student enrollment in online courses has steadily increased over the years and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The need for instructors to utilize best practices in online instruction and course design is crucial. This article presents strategies for online instructors to promote student use of self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS) in online courses, which has been associated with positive academic achievement. Implementation guidelines, empirical evidence linked to improved SRLS, and potential drawbacks are discussed.

Introduction

Online undergraduate student enrollment is increasing in post-secondary institutions. From 2002 to 2010, the number of students taking at least one online course increased from 1.6 million students to over six million students (Allen & Seaman, 2011). This increase has several causes including student geographic constraints, family and employment obligations, and the promulgation of increased offerings by college administration. This pattern of growth is expected to continue into the future (Allen & Seaman, 2011). Online learning growth is not without its challenges. Attrition rates in online learning can be twice as high as a traditional classroom format (Levy, 2007). Lack of ability to selfregulate is a significant reason for dropout rates in online courses (Lee & Choi, 2011). This may be due in part to students not recognizing the effort and organization required to succeed in online courses. Limited self-regulatory skills may also be a contributing factor (Cho & Shen, 2013). This article focuses on how instructors can improve their courses and reduce attrition that has historically plagued these online environments. This article will outline the concept of a self-regulated learner, discuss why this is important in undergraduate online courses, and review strategies that instructors can use to improve the overall quality of their online classes at the collegiate level. We then focus on how to create a learning environment that promotes student use of self-regulated learning strategies.

What are Self-Regulated Learning Strategies?

The term self-regulation is the regulation of one’s thinking and actions (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011). For example, students may give extra thought to how they learn and the strategies they will need to succeed in college coursework. A self-regulated learner uses metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral processes to achieve a specific learning and performance goal (Zimmerman, 2008; Zimmerman, 2011). Examples of such processes include goal setting, metacognitive monitoring, help-seeking, and self-evaluation. A self-regulated learner engages in metacognitive processes when consciously thinking about and evaluating the regulatory cognitive processes they are using (McCormick, 2003). This includes evaluating the effectiveness of certain strategies to complete a learning task, monitoring progress, and adjusting strategies if and when necessary (Baker & Brown, 1984). Self-regulatory processes considered motivational enable a learner to initiate and sustain focused goal-directed activities while ignoring distractions or setbacks (Corno, 1994; Schunk, Meece, & Pintrich, 2014; Zimmerman, 2011). Self-regulatory behavioral processes include the physical actions beneficial towards the completion of a task at a desired level (Zimmerman, 2011). A student who is a self-regulated learner actively engages these processes using specific strategies called self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS) (Perry & Rahim, 2011; Zimmerman, 1990). Examples of SRLS include receiving tutoring, keeping a study log, and emailing the instructor. A person using these strategies is engaged in what Zimmerman & Schunk (2011) called self-regulated learning (SRL) (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011). All students are selfregulated learners to some degree, but not all students are necessarily strong self-regulated learners (Zimmerman, 1990). Additionally, not all self-regulated learners utilize the same strategies. One student may seek help from the instructor, whereas another student may seek help from a peer. The distinction between processes and strategies is subtle but important. Consider the process of help-seeking. Students can actively engage in this process through many strategies. For example, the student could ask for help from a fellow classmate, a roommate, or the instructor, with each appearing as a separate strategy in which the student engages in the helpseeking process. Not all strategies effectively contribute to processes in which self-regulated learners engage. It would not be a good idea for a student to elicit help in collegiate mathematics from their eight-year-old brother who has just memorized his multiplication tables. Stronger self-regulated learners would actively seek help from someone possessing greater proficiency in the topic.

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