What is the best way to teach students to think for themselves instead of immediately running to me for the answers?

As course creators, we need to teach our students how to interact with us when it comes to asking questions and looking for support. When my team or I see a question that’s not specific to our course content and is something a student could easily find on their own, we gently encourage them to take that initiative.

For example, we might say something like, “That’s a great question and one that you may be able to find a quick answer to with a quick online search.” The next time they have a similar question, they’ll likely pause and check for themselves first, which is a great habit to develop.

It’s also important to set expectations early on. When students join Digital Course Academy, I let them know how often I’m in the Facebook group and that I may not be able to respond to every question personally. I also emphasize that the DCA community is a collaborative one. It’s a space where students can support each other, and we encourage that kind of peer-to-peer learning. Not every answer needs to come from me or my team.

This is exactly why I created the DCA Q&A Vault, so students can search for the answers they need, get unstuck, and keep moving forward on their own. We want to empower our students to build resourcefulness along with their knowledge.