Metacognition is essential to successful learning and it is crucial for becoming an independent learner. It is often left out in a class where the teacher focuses on covering facts instead of discovering or conceptual learning. There are some essential strategies educators can use to foster metacognitions in their online courses.

1. A shift from passive participation to active participation: Traditionally, online learning was rather passive in the sense that students only consume information but there was little participation or interaction among the students as well as between the students and the teachers. Web 2.0 technology brought a significant change to this. Students now can be actively participating in different forms, such as online quizzes as pre or post assessments, forums, surveys, goals setting, and etc. These will allow students to share their thoughts with others, address any confusion, share to each other how best they learn and the strategies they use to accomplish the tasks. Tech tools to consider using for this are Google Forms, Quizlet, Brainscape,and  Form discussion.
2. Revisit important concepts previously taught: This is a practical strategy but it is even more practical for online learning as it keeps reinforcing the concepts taught. This can be a form of reading or video clips. These are very easy to embed into the course web page.
3. Open-ended tasks: Multiple-choice questions can be used to formatively assessing student’s learning and can easily be created in Google Form. However, the summative assessment should be open-ended to allow the students to address any conceptual shift that might have taken place. Tech tools to consider for this are Google Classroom, Google Doc, and Wiki.
4. Reflective learning journal: This can also be made interactive rather than just writing about own learning and thinking in isolation. Instead of that, people can post thought provoking questions for other students to reply from various perspectives. Tech tools to consider for this are social media, Google Classroom, Twitter, and Forum.

Web 2.0 technology bring online learning to a new level where it is feasible to incorporate metacogition to create a “real” learning experience for learners. However, the teachers need to recognize that conceptual learning is the ultimate goal.

Resources

https://elearningindustry.com/5-instructional-design-tips-to-enhance-metacognition-in-elearning

https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2016/08/elearning-use-good-cognitive-science/

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/metacognition/

http://www.scilearn.com/blog/teaching-metacognition-thinking-about-thinking

http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/metacognition-and-learning/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-4N7OxSMok

https://instructionaldesignfusions.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/metacognition/

http://www.lifescied.org/content/11/2/113.full