Getting Connected: Learning from External Early Childhood Education Students Perceptions of their Study Experiences

Flipping the digital switch: Affective responses of STEM undergraduates to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Considering education as a transaction between teachers and learners, Moore (1991 , 1993) and Moore and Kearsley (2012) [both cited by Wheeler (2002) ] theorized student feelings of isolation to be influenced by the transactional distance that is inherent to distance education environments. While transactional distance (TD) is conceptualized as a “psychological and communication space, not a physical space, to be crossed, a space of potential misunderstanding between the inputs of the instructor and those of the learner” ( Moore and Kearsley, 2012 ), some researchers ( Lennox et al, 2006 ; Willens, 2004 ) have posited that TD may also be influenced by large physical separations and, thus, may be greater for students who are geographically isolated from other actors in an online environment (e.g., rural or displaced students).…”

“…As an explanatory framework for how distance education works, TD manifests within online learning environments via dialogue (i.e., two-way communication) and structure. Dialogue represents communication between educators and students; structure represents how an online environment is designed to be flexible and supportive of the unique needs of remote learners ( Lennox et al, 2006 ). Close transactional distance (i.e., transactional presence) can be attained through accessible and always on two-way communication channels between instructors and students and has been found to be a significant predictor of student satisfaction and intentions to persist within online learning environments ( Shin, 2002 , 2003 ).…”

Challenges and Opportunities in the Introduction of a Tertiary Education Program in Regional South Australia: A Case Study

“…Flexibility and convenience relate mostly to life circumstances such as work and family commitments, external study can offer students the freedom to be able to choose when and where they study (Kramarae, 2001). Unfortunately students are not always satisfied with the amount of interaction with the instructor and with other students (Lennox, et al, 2006). The benefits of face-to-face contact with university staff are referred to repeatedly in many studies, as are the benefits of teacher education courses that incorporate content specific to rural and regional areas, such as information about teaching in multi-age/multistage classrooms and coping with geographic isolation (Kline, et al, 2013).…”

“…The fight to gain a Bachelor of Education in regional areas goes back to 1987, and in 2013 the University of South Australia answered the call for the program to be available by implementing it in Whyalla. Lennox, Davis and Heirdsfield (2006) state that despite universities offering flexible learning, adequate attention has not been given to hearing students' voices and learning from their perceptions of their experiences. There were many viewpoints about this matter that impacted the decision not to offer the program, most of them centred around cost at the time of implementing, staffing a new program, and if there would be an uptake to justify it.…”