Psychological barriers and learner-centered design of AI-supported online learning

Online learning is widely used in higher education, adult education, and professional training, yet many learners struggle to remain engaged, obtain useful feedback, and sustain their participation.Drawing on applied educational psychology, this paper examines how the conditions of online study can create difficulties with selfregulation, attention, social connection, confidence, and the perceived value of learning.It develops a learner-centered conceptual framework that links these difficulties to five areas of AI-supported design: adaptive guidance, assistance with resuming interrupted learning, support for interaction and collaboration, formative feedback, and learning pathways responsive to learners' circumstances.Each area is considered in relation to the psychological process it may support and the risks it may introduce.Particular attention is given to learners' control over their learning, teachers' educational judgment, and the responsible use of learner data.The framework offers a basis for designing and subsequently evaluating AI-supported online learning around learners' experiences and needs.