Support and Promotion of Self-Regulated Learning through the Educational Material at the Hellenic Open University.

Abstract

In distance education both the physical separation between learner and instructor, and the use of technology create an educational environment that is characterized by learning autonomy and the learner’s active involvement. Because of these, selfregulated learning constitutes an inseparable concept of distance education. This study explores the support and promotion of self-regulated learning in the educational environment of the Hellenic Open University. In particular, this paper examines how the educational material, as it is described in its institutional level of function, supports specific self-regulating strategies of learning in the curriculum provided by the Hellenic Open University. For this purpose, the study is based on literature review of distance education and self-regulated learning. Thus, the cognitive strategies of elobaration and organization, the metacognitive strategies of goal-setting, self-monitoring and self-evaluation, the resourse management strategies of seeking help, seeking information and time management, as well as, the motivation are all included in the self-regulated aspects that are examined. The results of the study indicate that the self-regulated learning is considerably supported and promoted by the printed educational material at the Hellenic Open Univesrity due to its interactive pedagogigal structure. However, it is pointed out that it is possible to maximize the support provided through the improvement of the present structures’ function.