Reviews current literature related to self-directed learning, highlighting six competencies important for its successful implementation. Reviews critiques of self-directed learning and describes hurdles to implementation at community colleges related to quality control, teachers' roles, and institutional image. Provides suggestions for overcoming…

Examined whether students' motivational reaction toward self-study text could be influenced by the inclusion of additional instructional materials (nonprint media). Participants were 969 students enrolled in an independent study course. Results suggest that student motivation in print-based self-study courses can be improved by the inclusion of…

Assessed use of server statistics to evaluate utilization of web-based computer assisted instruction (CAI) in the undergraduate medical curriculum. No correlation was found between students' computer literacy at matriculation and subsequent levels of CAI use. Utilization of CAI developed for specific course objectives coincided closely with course…

Presents a study that addresses the importance of instructional metacognitive knowledge of university freshman through the use of a survey covering: (1) instruction in general; (2) instruction in two different environments; and (3) specific delivery systems and concrete interventions. Finds that instructional experiences affect the student's…

Teacher effectiveness research has tended to neglect the analysis of values in two senses: the general values associated with the processes of education, and the more specific values underlying effective teaching. The possibilities for re-conceptualising teacher effectiveness, by incorporating a values dimension, are illustrated through two…

This paper details an action research enquiry into the efforts undertaken at Brookes Business School to bring integration to the international business curriculum and develop student autonomy via a synoptic module for international credit entry students. After outlining the general aims for student learning in higher education and the difficulties…

This research describes course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended learning environments that combine face-to-face contact with Web-based learning. It identifies the online course features and the instructional design goals selected as most important by a sample of 67 adults and compares the group rankings with those of…

In this article, the author discusses how, despite of the advances in today's technology, the way children are educated now is remarkably similar to how they were educated decades ago. More than any other modern-day institution, schooling is nearly impervious to change. He notes that America's "old school design" is not working with high degree of…

In problem-based learning (PBL) students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own self-regulated learning process. The present study focuses on two self-regulated learning strategies, namely time planning and self-monitoring. Time planning involves time management, scheduling and planning one's study time. Self-monitoring involves…

Using a sample of 314 Australian university students the Readiness for Online Learning questionnaire was tested for its technical characteristics of reliability and factorability, with results indicating the instrument has promise both for research and for practice. The factor analysis identified a factor associated with self-management of…

This article reports on findings from a research project that investigated the experiences and perceptions of final-year social science undergraduates enrolled on a dissertation module in a post-1992 UK university. The dissertation was designed to provide students with the opportunity to function autonomously and determine the content and focus of…

In adult education, there can sometimes be a dilemma between notions of learner self-direction and learning that is important for public safety. The dilemma posed is one not well resolved by education theory. Although a few theorists have broadly recognised the tension, they tend to offer little in the way of guidance towards its resolution,…

This study represents an attempt to determine the nature and efficiency of the strategies used by prelingually deafened individuals for the recognition of written words with reference to an orthographic self-teaching concept (D. L. Share, 1995). A research paradigm asking the participants to make categorical judgments for real words and…

This study explores how an online integrated learning environment (ILE) to cater for individual learning differences is used by teachers in two primary schools in Hong Kong. The findings reveal a positive change in both perception and pedagogy of the participants. The results indicate that scaffolding activities led to an enhanced ability to…

This study compares the effects of forum discussion with metacognitive guidance versus forum discussion without metacognitive guidance (Forum) on solving real life mathematical tasks and self-regulated learning. Participants were 43 Grade 7 students (boys and girls) who practiced online problem-solving in two classes. The metacognitive guidance…