Measurement of Learning Strategies – Creating a Self-rating Tool for Students of the Virtual University

Virtual learning environments require a student to be able to selfregulate and manage learning. Students need support in developing this ability to be self-directed learners and take charge of their own learning. The high dropout rate in distance education (Kember 1989; Sweet 1986) underscores the need for such student support. In order to help students to develop their self-regulation and metacognitive learning skills, we have developed self-rating tools for virtual university students in the IQ FORM project. This article will describe the development and validation of instruments to assess strategic skills in learning, as well as early research into how students use tutorial guidance provide to help them develop learning skills and whether this actually results in their using qualitatively more efficient learning strategies.