Work in progress: Identifying adequate level of instruction without hindering deeper learning in distance learning

At what point do instruction, online guidance, tutorials, and lecture notes lead students toward their learning goals too much? Many educators, especially those who teach at a distance, often have questions as to how much information is enough. In designing learning activities, are we directing students to just the information they need to earn a grade or complete an assignment, sabotaging their motivation to learn more deeply and develop better critical thinking skills about a subject? This paper will investigate these concerns both through review of current literature of instructional design, distance learning, direct instruction, and constructivist teaching strategies, as well as through research conducted in an undergraduate Organizational Leadership and Supervision (OLS) online course taught at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana, United States.