Using digital prompts to support physics students’ self-regulated learning

Research indicates that students learn effectively when they actively engage in planning, monitoring, and reflecting on their learning—a process known as self-regulated learning (SRL). This mixed-methods study examined the impact of a semester-long SRL intervention in an undergraduate physics course. In the first year, the instructor taught the course under standard conditions. The following year, after brief training sessions, the same instructor added digital prompts targeting various aspects of SRL to their course assignments. Results showed that students in this intervention group performed better on the final exam after controlling for preexisting self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and GPA. However, SRL outcomes did not increase in the intervention condition. Analysis of the prompts revealed that the instructor disproportionally focused on content- and management-related prompts and underutilized motivation, metacognition, and cognitive strategy prompts. Interview with the faculty indicated that the intervention was straightforward to implement, contributed to humanizing the course, and that additional training would have been desirable to help design prompts. Provided appropriate training and support structures are available, these findings show that integrating SRL strategies through digital prompts can be a practical and effective approach for supporting instructors in fostering students’ SRL.