Study of Web-based Autonomous Learning in College EnglishAbstract With the introduction of the theory of autonomy into language learning, research on how to create learning environments for autonomous learning has proliferated. The advent of web-based instruction in the 1990s has been seen as an alternative to this. Although many researchers have suggested the importance of autonomy in language learning, a few studies have systematically investigated students autonomy in language learning in the web-based learning environment. This paper introduces an experimental study on a hybrid of web-based autonomous learning and conventional classroom instruction from February 2009 till now. The statistical result seems to suggest that the introduction of web-based autonomous learning into College English course makes a real difference. Analysis and discussion have been done based on four questionnaires and the subjects performances of four tests. The results show that most students hold a positive attitude towards the new mode. The survey into students web resource consumption habits reveals that there is a consistent tendency between students frequently-used resources and students choice of helpful resources. While no consistency is found between students frequently-used resources and the resources they consider being interesting. It is also revealed that the students in experimental group tend to employ learning strategies more frequently. We also find that web-based autonomous learning can bring very significant efficacy to promote students performance in the initial phase. Consequently, we can tentatively draw the conclusion the new mode has some advantages over the conventional one in College English teaching and learning. It is feasible if the technological barriers are removed and conditions permit. Web-based autonomous learning may play an important role in the future College English teaching and even in the ELT field. Key words: learner autonomy, autonomous learning, strategy I. Introduction Over the past thirty years language teachers have witnessed dramatic changes in the ways that languages are taught. The focus of instruction has broadened from the teaching of discrete grammatical structures to the fostering of communicative ability. With the development of cognitive psychology, research in teaching methodology has shifted its focus from the teacher to the learner. Creative self-expression has come to be valued over recitation of memorized dialogues. Negotiation of meaning has come to take precedence over structural drill practice. Comprehension has taken on new importance, and providing comprehensible input has become a common pedagogical imperative. Culture has received renewed interest and emphasis. It is in the context of these multifarious changes that one of the most significant areas of innovation in language educationcomputer-assisted language learning (CALL)has come of age. From the beginning of the Internet in 1969, members of the educational community have been a driving force in the development and use of networked communication resources (Robin, 1997). Thanks to the popularity of PC, especially to the rapid expanding Internet, the number of language teachers using CALL is on the rise. Computer technology is being widely used in classrooms as a means of supporting instruction (Meskill, 2005).As one form of CALL and its further development, WALLweb-assisted language learninginvolves the use of computers connected to one another in either local or global networks. It represents a new and different side of CALL. “The Internet is an embarrassment of riches that is next to worthless without an educator to facilitate learning and integration in classroomswhat tends to be in shorter supply are specific learning activities that make use of this wealth.”(March, 2001) To date, there has been relatively little published research that explores the relationship between the use of computer networks and language learning. “Despite an often instinctive skepticism, many teachers have a general awareness that the Internet offers a rich source of potential learning resources, that multimedia tools and design can make interesting, impressive, and interactive tools of learning.” (Cameron, 2005) The simple question to which everyone wants an answer is: Does the use of web- assisted language teaching lead to better language learning? We must therefore look to particular practices of use in particular contexts in order to begin to answer the question.As mentioned above, research in teaching methodology has shifted its focus from the teacher to the learner. With the renewed focus on the learner, language teachers come to realize that learners personality, individual features, goals and cultural context should not be ignored. Accordingly, every learner should be given the chance to set his own pace, plan his own learning. In other words, he is allowed to decide