Transactional distance is an important factor that influences learning. Moore (1993) defined it as a psychological and communication space of potential misunderstanding between learners and instructors. Technology-mediated learning environments have redefined the scope of transactional distance to include learners’ relationships with other elements, such as the technology and other learners. Synchronous hybrid learning environments further extend learning interactions from a single plane (in either the online or face-to-face environment) to two planes (across the online and face-to-face environments), which presents transactional distance with new challenges. This paper explores the transactional distance of online and face-to-face students in different models of synchronous hybrid learning environments, aiming to examine: (a) whether there is any difference in transactional distance between online and face-to-face students, (b) how students’ transactional distance changes over time, and (c) whether there is a relationship between the model of synchronous hybrid learning environments and students’ transactional distance.

1. So Near Yet So Far Away:
Transactional Distance in Synchronous
Hybrid Learning Environments
Cui Cheng
Sandra Sawaya

2. What is Transactional Distance (TD)?
● A psychological and communication space between the instructor
and the learners (Moore, 1993)
● The scope of transactional distance has been redefined with the
development of technology.

3. ● It is not necessarily true that learning cannot take place
when people are physically apart.
● It is the psychological distance (as opposed to the physical
distance) in a learner’s learning situation that determines the
learning outcome - Transactional Distance Theory (Moore, 1993)
Why is TD Important?
● Learning does not necessarily take place when people are
gathered in the same place.

4. Synchronous Hybrid Learning Environment
● Two diverse groups of students: full time students & full time practitioners
● Shift from one plane of interaction to two planes of interaction
Challenges

5. Dimensions of TD in Synchronous Hybrid
Learning Environment

6. Focus of the Study
● Factors influencing transactional distance in
synchronous hybrid learning environment
(interview)
● Differences in transactional distance between
online and face-to-face students (surveys)
● Change in students’ transactional distance over
time (surveys)

7. Focus of the Study
● Factors influencing transactional distance in
synchronous hybrid learning environment
(interview)
● Differences in transactional distance between
online and face-to-face students (surveys)
● Change in students’ transactional distance over
time (surveys)

8. ● “So the only people that I ever communicated with outside of class were the
people in my small group. And I really only got to know R and J (the face-to-face
students) because they were in my small group”---an online student talking
about small group
Factors Influencing TD
Collaborative Small Groups
● “And when, when we were in smaller groups, we felt more comfortable talking
with online students because there was one online student in each group. And
since there was only one online student, it was easy to interact with them”--- a
face-to-face student talking about small group
Small groups seemed to contribute to a shorter transactional distance
between the online and face-to-face students.

9. ● “I feel like the, once we got some of the newer technology, my interactions with
the face to face students were much more effective and I really felt like, okay, I
can actually see them and talk to them and know who’s talking and that sort of
thing”.—an online student talking about Kubi and Double
Factors Influencing TD
Use of special technologies
● “So it (Kubi) kind of made her seem a little bit more like a person and so I think it
changed the way that I thought about her as another student in the class. You
know, so it kind of made me more aware but it also made me like notice her
more because she was sitting right there at the table with us, like she was
another student rather than like a computer on a table that’s, you know, against
the wall.”—a face-to-face student talking about Kubi and Double
The use of special technologies such as the Kubi and Double seemed to contribute
to a shorter transactional distance between the online and face-to-face students.

10. ● “Well, it was clear that the instructor went out of his way to think, he was thinking about
them, and greeting them and, you know, on the last day of the class, he brought pizza and
he promised them that if next time they’re in town, he owes them pizza. And so I thought
that was a very nice gesture. Yeah, once in a while, he’d turn to them and say, well, what
do you guys think?”— a face to face student talking about instructor’s facilitation
Factors Influencing TD
Instructor’s Facilitation
● “She (the instructor) made a point of asking us at the beginning what sort of standards we
wanted for discussion and we kinda said it’s nice if you pause for a minute or give us sort of
a window into joining the conversation cuz otherwise, we always feel like we’re
interrupting and she was really thoughtful about doing that. So I think she made a point of
looking at the camera, wherever we were, to make sure we were all there. She would do
quick check-ins. So she sorta leveled the playing field a little bit more than I’ve had
experience with in the past, so I don’t think there was a big difference between her
interaction with us and those people who are face to face.”—an online student talking
about instructor’s facilitation
The instructor can play a role in shortening the transactional distance
between the online students and face-to-face individuals.

11. Factors Influencing TD
Fellow Students’ Mindfulness
● “Because I think that, like when you talk to somebody online, you know that
there’s a little bit of lag between, you know, when they say something and when
you say something. So I think at least when I do interact with online students, or
if I do like an online interview or something like that, like I always wait a little bit
longer to make sure that they have a chance to talk.”—a face-to-face student
talking about fellow students’ mindfulness
The students can also play an active role in shortening the transactional
distance between the online students and face-to-face individuals.
● So there’s those little glitches as well as I think it’s not natural yet for people who
are face to face to kind of know how to include people who are online so it’s all
still very contrived. People are trying. Contrived meaning like they’re putting
forth the effort but it’s not really seamless yet.—an online student talking about
fellow students’ mindfulness

12. Other Factors Influencing TD
•Group size
•Technology set up
•Back channel
•Interactions outside of class
•Non-verbal communication
•Course content
•Technology training

13. Focus of the Study
● Factors influencing transactional distance in
synchronous hybrid learning environment
(interview)
● Differences in transactional distance between
online and face-to-face students (surveys)
● Change in students’ transactional distance over
time (surveys)

14. Survey Items
•Interaction between the face-to-face and online students is high.
•Interaction between the instructor and online students is high.
•I feel valued by the face-to-face students.
•I feel valued by the instructor.
•The technology set-up as a whole helped in exchanging ideas with the
face-to-face students.
•The learning environment is designed in such as way that it promotes
interaction between online students and face-to-face students.

15. Learner-Instructor Transactional Distance
Transactional
Distance
Time
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree

16. Learner-Learner Transactional Distance
Transactional
Distance
Time
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree

17. Learner-Technology Transactional Distance
Transactional
Distance
Time
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree

18. Learner-Learning Environment
Transactional Distance
Transactional
Distance
Time
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree

19. Overall Transactional Distance
Time
Strongly disagree
Strongly agree
Transactional
Distance

20. Discussion
● Limitations
–Small scale
● Significance
–Identify factors influencing transactional distance
–Inform practical design
● Future research
–Larger scale
–Situations where most students use robots

21. Questions?

22. John Bell
johnbell@msu.edu
William Cain
cainwil1@msu.edu
Jon Good
goodjona@msu.edu
Sandra Sawaya
sawayasa@msu.edu
Amy Peterson
peter898@msu.edu
Brian Arnold
arnol100@msu.edu
Cui Cheng
chengcui@msu.edu