Technology Matters – The Impact of Transactional Distance on Satisfaction in Online Distance Learning

Abstract

Transactional distance (TD), the perception of psychological distance between the student and his peers, his instructor/teacher, and the learning content, has long been a prominent construct in research on distance education. Today, distance education primarily takes place over the internet, with technology mediating engagement and communication. Because transactional distance in online distance learning will always rely on technologically-mediated communication or interaction, we argue that in order to get the full picture, this aspect of technological mediation needs to be considered. For this purpose, we introduce a new scale for measuring transactional distance between students and the learning technology (TDSTECH), comprised of two interrelated dimensions. Reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity suggest a suitable scale. Preliminary inferential analyses are conducted with multiple linear regression and mediation analysis. Regression models show that TDSTECH is the single most important predictor of satisfaction in this population. This may have important implications for practitioners trying design and facilitate satisfying online distance learning experiences. Also, mediator analysis reveals that TDSTECH mediates the relationship between TD student-teacher and satisfaction, but not for TD student-content. Surprisingly, TD student-student shows no significant relationship with satisfaction. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.

Context Matters: Student Experiences of Interaction in Open Distance Learning

“…In explaining their positive experiences of online learning, students expressed appreciation for the fact that they could do their work on their own devices, "from anywhere, at any time", and a student also referred to "the flexibility of online learning". These student statements correlate with a study by Weidlich and Bastiaens (2018) indicating that convenience and flexibility regarding the time and location of learning are often put forward as major advantages of online learning. A few students further highlighted other advantages of interaction with the system, such as the fact that the computer did automatic correction of spelling, which is a plus for non-native speakers of English, and the time they were saving because "I can do everything online".…”

“…Many students come from school environments where these skills were not taught or prioritized and it might, therefore, be a daunting task to get them to the point where they can competently use technology for success in their courses. Hillman, Willis and Gunawardena (1994) note that student success in ODL is related to their ICT proficiency and the ability to find and post the right information, while both Dzakiria et al (2005) and Weidlich and Bastiaens (2018) caution that using the electronic medium can inadvertently exclude students who lack the necessary skills. A further challenge is that internet costs can be quite high, especially in a country such as South Africa, which is well known for its exorbitant internet costs (Oyedemi, 2015).…”

Digital readiness and its effects on higher education students’ socio-emotional perceptions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Social relations and interactions are especially important for the experience of learning satisfaction in online learning environments (Richardson et al, 2017). Students' relationship with teachers and learning content is highly relevant for learning; so, too, are the relationships between students and their peers (Weidlich & Bastiaens, 2018;Zhao et al, 2005). In an online learning setting, students need to feel that they are engaging in human-to-human interaction and have the opportunity to develop personal relationships (see Lowenthal & Snelson, 2017 for an analysis of different understandings of social presence in the online learning environment).…”

Flipping Online Analytics Classes: Achieving Parity with Their Face‐To‐Face Counterparts

“…A drawback in the current research is that instrument to measure relative proximity consists of 62 questions (31 questions for actual and 31 questions for ideal). Recent research has proposed more parsimonious instruments (Paul et al., 2015; Weidlich & Bastiaens, 2018). It would be helpful to determine if one of these instruments could be used without a loss of richness or insight to reduce the burden on study participants.…”