Online Developmental Reading and Transactional Distance

Several recent studies have shown that in college, both academically under-prepared students and online students face challenges in persistence and completion when compared to their college-ready peers enrolled in face-to-face classes. Common to both distance education and remedial education is the critical relationship between meaningful connections and student success. Students who feel disconnected are less likely to persist, and social distance in online environments increases the likelihood that some of these students will withdraw from classes. Dr. Minor’s research explored using group conference calls as a means of reducing transactional distance in online reading classes. She found that through the conference call conversation, instructors were able to: 1) use knowledge of transactional distance theory to identify course elements that created an increased sense of distance among students, 2) recognize areas in which they held mistaken beliefs about their students’ online experiences, and 3) identify changes they could make to their courses to reduce transactional distance. Afterward, students reported feeling a greater sense of connection to their instructors.