One intervention, two benefits: A qualitative analysis of students' use of reflective prompting for self-regulated learning in an online course

Asynchronous online learning has grown in popularity due to its flexibility in providing higher education access to learners regardless of distance, transportation, and scheduling constraints. However, for successful online learning, students must adapt and intensify the self-regulated learning (SRL) skills they developed in face-to-face settings to the context of the online learning environment. SRL is the process by which students plan, complete learning activities, and evaluate their independent knowledge-building practice. Studies have associated higher education retention with SRL, suggesting the need for SRL-supportive features in online courses. However, current literature lacks universally applicable instructional design interventions to foster learners' SRL skills across disciplines. This study uses qualitative methods to investigate student perceptions of a reflective SRL intervention in an online biology course in a United States community college. The intervention included weekly self-reflection and post-exam goal-setting prompts followed by instructor feedback. Textual analysis of student reflections confirmed students' enactment of SRL during the intervention. Additionally, surveys and email interviews showed that students viewed the reflective intervention as a communication strategy and a means of receiving support from their instructor. This finding provided insight into the impact of the intervention on transactional distance. This study recommends reflective prompts as a beneficial practice in online courses and proposes further research to better understand the benefits of reflection on the learning process across educational disciplines. The easy-to-implement intervention is described for the consideration of other practitioners.