February 6, 2020 at 3pm Eastern Time US – Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning for the Future of Higher Education– Dr. Farhad Saba (Professor Emeritus, San Diego State University) & Dr. Rick Shearer (Penn State University). Zoom info follows the description of the session.
Higher education has a foot in its conventional past and one in a new original future. The theory of transactional distance places the practice of higher education in this original and unconventional future and offers faculty, administrators, students and other stakeholders a fresh framework for planning the future of colleges and universities. This presentation offers a general overview of the theory and a detailed look at the planning process.
Dr. Saba is professor Emeritus of Educational Technology at San Diego State University (1984-present), where he taught courses on distance education. He has been involved in the field of distance education since 1973, first as the Managing Director of Educational Radio and Television of Iran (1973-1978), and then as the Director of the Telecommunications Division at the University of Connecticut (1979-1984).
Dr. Fred Saba
Dr. Saba has authored more than 100 articles and chapters in books. He has the distinct honor to be the first winner of the Charles A. Wedemeyer award given to scholars who have made significant contributions to research and theory building in the field of distance education. Dr. Saba has presented in professional conferences in many countries including Afghanistan, The People’s Republic of China, Great Britain, France, Malaysia, Mexico, Sweden, Switzerland (The United Nations), and Turkey. He is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Distance Education, the International Review of Distance and Open Learning, MERLOT’s Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Asia Pacific Education Review, and the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education.
His consulting work has included many corporations and public institutions: Apple Computer Inc., Digital Equipment Corporation (merged with Hewlett Packard through Compaq), Nortel, US Department of Education, Office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut, Office of the Chancellor of the California State University system, the World Bank, San Diego County Office of Education, Harvard Business School Publishing, Brigham Young University and the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Saba earned his PhD in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation from Syracuse University, and an MA, and BA in Broadcast Communication Arts from San Francisco State University.
Dr. Rick L. Shearer
Director of Research – World Campus
The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Shearer has been involved in the field of distance education for over 30 years. In his administrative and instructional design roles he has developed distance education courses for computer-based instruction, educational television, traditional print correspondence courses, two-way interactive video, and the internet. Dr. Shearer has worked for both private and public institutions of higher education and has consulted on distance education projects with community colleges, international institutions, and public school systems. His research interests include systems dynamic modeling of distance education processes, learner control in distance education, dialogue/interaction analysis, and current policy issues surrounding accreditation and copyright law. Dr. Shearer has published several articles, books, and book chapters on the field of distance education and presented at numerous conferences. His latest book with Dr. Saba explores the systems nature of higher education around the theoretical construct of transactional distance, and his 2010 book looks at the theoretical aspects of Transactional Distance and Dialogue in relation to the theory of transactional distance. His recent chapter in the fourth edition of the Handbook of Distance Education reviews the theory of transactional distance and the CoI model and how they impact instructional design and practice in distance education.
In his current role Dr. Shearer is responsible for overseeing the R&D unit for Penn State’s World Campus. In his position he works with a number of GA Fellows and other staff who are exploring a number of key theoretical and pragmatic areas related to distance education. Dr. Shearer also serves as an affiliate faculty member with the Department of Adult Education and teaches Instructional Design for Distance Education.
Prior to joining Penn State Dr. Shearer was the Director of Research and Instructional Systems at National University.
Dr. Shearer currently serves on the editorial board for the New Zealand Journal of Open and Distance Learning and is on the advisory board for the Advisory Board for UW-Madison’s Distance Education Professional Development (DEPD).
Dr. Saba and Dr. Shearer have co-authored a recent book 
entitled “Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning: Planning for the Future of Higher Education” – which can be found here.
