Are your students too dependent?

When I get a question that has clearly stated answers in the syllabus or lesson or wherever, my response goes something like this -- Please check the (syllabus or lesson or dropbox or course info or assignment checklist or whatever) for information about this. There is detailed information and if you need further clarification after reviewing that, please let me know.
 
Getting lost or clueless or confused is all part of being a new online student. I have no problem answering questions but I won't copy from the course to answer the question. I direct students where to find the information for themselves. This teaches them how to navigate not only my course, but future online courses as well.
 
Students will rise to the level of your expectations. And if they learn I will answer questions they should be able to find for themselves, they'll continue to ask those questions. My goal is to promote self-directed learning, which is essential in online classes. So if the answer to a question is clearly stated and easy to find, they need to figure it out by themselves.
 
Professors who handhold are doing their students a grave disservice by promoting dependence on the course prof to "help" all the time. Simply put, I do not believe in handholding for college students. I believe in teaching self-directed learning skills to all students who are in my classes.

What kinds of handholding behaviors have you seen going on in online classes? How can we teach students to be more self-directed in their learning?