On the Trail of Self-Directed Online Learners

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com

Y

14

Electronic Learning; Independent Study; MOOCs; Educational Research; Online Courses; Open Educational Resources; Barriers; Open Education; Student Attitudes; Student Motivation; Student Educational Objectives; Culturally Relevant Education; Individualized Instruction; Teacher Motivation; Instructional Design; Teacher Attitudes; Educational Practices; Faculty Development; Career Development

2096-5311
2632-1742

Purpose: We describe a series of more than a dozen studies on self-directed online learning spanning over a decade. Design/Approach/Methods: We incorporated surveys, interviews, focus groups, and content analyses into these research studies, which initially targeted the goals, motivations, and challenges of learners using open educational resources and OpenCourseWare and then focused on learning from massive open online courses (MOOCs). This research accelerated after creating a database of over 3,000 MOOC instructors, through which we explored cultural sensitivity and personalization practices in MOOCs as well as instructional design considerations and challenges, MOOC instructor professional development and career development, instructor motivation and engagement, and student and instructor perceptions of self-directed learning. Findings: This study reveals that self-directed online learners (SDOLs) seek learning environments offering freedom, choice, control, and a sense of autonomy and that both learners and instructors have intrinsic motivation for engaging in open online learning environments. Originality/Value: Based on this research with both MOOC instructors and MOOC learners, we offer instructional design guidelines to address SDOLs' needs and assist in efforts to foster a new generation of SDOLs.

As Provided

2024

EJ1426123