Transactional distance has four main components. These components when used together in a systems view of the theory will determine the level of transactional distance. My husband and I are both pursuing degrees in an online setting. I graduated from World Campus with a Master’s degree in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education and now am completing a graduate certificate in Distance Education. My husband is completing his Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technologies through Excelsior College.
Looking back on my online learning experiences at World Campus; I can say that courses are designed to offer autonomy and promote social presence. This seems to be accomplished through the variety of assignments we encounter. The use of discussions, journals, group projects, and debates all provide the individual learners with an opportunity to be reflective and independent while also providing the platform for support. Optional readings and video/audio presentations allow for differentiation so students can dig deeper into a particular topic. I felt more connected to my classmates and instructors through World Campus than I did to classmates or instructors that I encountered in face to face graduate work. I found there to be a very limited feelings of transactional distance in my online courses because of the intentional design of our courses.
My husband is completing his degree through Excelsior College and it is a very different experience. His courses are very prescriptive in their discussions. Posts must meet a word count criteria, students must reply to at least three other students, replies are due at particular times (ex. first reply by Tuesday; third reply by Saturday), and primary sources and citations are required. I have found that this lack of leaner autonomy and control has not allowed my husband to have rich dialogue in his courses. Everyone seems too focused on meeting the requirements then partaking in conversational dialogue to further their understanding. This format focuses on the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy; however, the set up misses the opportunity to reach higher level thinking skills.
Balance between the components of dialogue, structure and autonomy seem to be the overarching theme that can provide a learner with a positive or negative experience. If things are too structured and there is no social presence, leaners feel alienated and alone. If structure is high and learner control is low; learners feel that they are being fed information for information’s sake. It is when all three components, and at differing levels, where learners seem to find the highest level of satisfaction because there is a very limited amount if transactional distance.
According to our reading of Chapter 1: Conceptual Framework, TTD is an objectively measurable construct. In support of representing interactions in an objective manner, Robyler & Wienke (2003) developed a rubric to assess purposeful interpersonal interaction. This rubric, with its five elements, is beneficial to instructors and instructional designers in ensuring courses meet the constructs of strong interactions. Below is an example of the rubric known as RAIQDC.
References
Mehall, S. (2020). Purposeful interpersonal interaction in online learning: What is it and how is it measured? Online Learning, 24(1), 182-204. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i1.2002
Saba, F., & Shearer, R.L. (2017). Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning: Planning for the Future of Higher Education (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.4324/9780203731819
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