Coping with Challenges of Online Learning by Promoting Self-Regulated Learners

Adopting Zimmerman's (1986, 1989, 1998, 2000) social cognitive model of self-regulated learning (SRL) as a theoretical framework, this presentation will discuss how students use SRL strategies in a learning community to complete tasks and cope with challenges in a Web-based course. Therefore, the goal of this research project was to transform the online class into a "community of survival" where students could learn self-regulatory skills by becoming models for their peers and by learning from both their peers and their instructor. This study provides the intended audiences, such as online educators and online designers, with a set of practical, empirically based guidelines to promote self-regulatory skills in online environments and recommends they consider their students' needs for self-regulation training as they strive to provide engaging and effective learning and instruction.