The Complexity of Remote Teaching in Emergency Situations: Initial Basic Principles to Avoiding Technological Boundaries

Considering the challenges of sustainable education in emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this study provides basic principles for future ERT implementation based on the experience of higher education in Indonesia. Seven local expert distance educators reviewed the ERT principles, participating in the early stages to check the relevance, content validity, and readability of the five principles proposed in the context of Indonesian education. After an extensive expert review, the ERT principles were evaluated using quantitative data through an online survey (82 students and 45 faculty members). In addition, open-ended questionnaire responses, experiences, and challenges encountered by 21 respondents (College Dean, Associate Dean of Academics, and faculty quality assurance of seven universities/colleges in three provinces in Indonesia) in ERT were used and analyzed. This study suggests that ERT should be designed based on the principles of simplicity, accessibility, affordability, flexibility, and empathy in all learning activities in unfavorable situations. This study complements previous work and can thus be used for generalized principles for teaching activities in similar emergencies, especially in developing countries.

Perspectives of Canadian Distance Educators on the Move to Online Learning

Our qualitative study explored transition in seven Canadian universities—early providers of distance education that transitioned to online learning between 2002 and 2017. We interviewed 16 individuals who were involved in the design, planning, or implementation of online learning. Participants reported their universities experienced significant impacts on organizational structure and roles. Many saw an increased focus on learning and teaching. Access, revenue generation, and technology were identified as drivers of online learning; traditional learning and teaching practices were shifting; challenges experienced included resistance to change and lack of dedicated resources; and effective, visionary leadership was seen to be critically important. We propose that the roots of today’s challenges and opportunities in online learning may be found in the experiences of distance educators who were early adopters.

Virtual Collaboration in Distance Learning Environments

This case study compares technology tools and communication practices of two virtual groups to understand how these vary between academia and the workplace. A group of professionals working virtually is compared to a group of distance learning graduate students, and conclusions are drawn regarding how to better prepare students like these for the future of virtual work. Task-based conversations within the groups are examined. Results may help distance educators understand what tools students should have access to depending on the tasks required in an assignment. It may also help determine what kinds of transferable technology skills our students need prior to entering the workforce. Findings include suggestions for educators regarding how to approach group work in online educational environments, such as making considerations for multiple technologies that serve various purposes and support collective collaboration. A technology matrix is provided for determining which collaboration technology tools to use along with guidelines for making such decisions.

Rewriting a History of Open Universities

This article reports eight distance teachers’ stories about teaching at two open universities over the past two decades with a focus on their perceptions and feelings about the changes in their teaching practice. This qualitative study employed a methodological approach called the autoethnographic interview, aiming to document more realistic histories of the open universities and to imagine a better future for those universities. As a result, the paper presents autobiographical narratives of distance teachers that dissent from the general historical accounts of open universities. These narratives are categorized into three interrelated themes: a) openness: excessive openness and a lost sense of mission; b) technological innovation: moving online and long-lasting resistance, and c) teaching: transactional interactions and feelings of loneliness. The paper then presents a discussion of useful implications for open universities, which can serve as a starting point for more meaningful discussions among distance educators in a time of change.

Analysing the Importance-Competence Gap of Distance Educators With the Increased Utilisation of Online Learning Strategies in a Developing World Context

The competence of distance educators has a significant impact on learners’ success. The paradigm shift for universities to become distance and electronic learning environments justifies the urgency to address competency gaps in distance educators’ competencies efficiently. From a strategic human resource development perspective, the systems theory is used to explain the idea of maximising outputs with the minimum inputs (Biddle, 1986). In this study, distance educators at Unisa reflected on their experienced competency gaps. Where previous studies mainly focus on the size of the gaps, the aim of this article is to highlight the competency gaps likely to have the biggest impact. For this study, we used stratified non-probability sampling, and selected 407 academics who were, at the time of the study, permanently employed at a mega ODL university in South Africa. These academics represented a wide range of colleges, campuses, ages, and genders. The results of this study have implications for capacity building of academic staff in developing world contexts and other contexts where resources are scarce.

Transactional Distance Dialogic Interactions and Student Satisfaction in a Multi-Institutional Blended Learning Environment

This study explored the impact of transactional distance dialogic interactions on student satisfaction in an international blended learning master’s degree program. The program examined was collaboratively delivered by three European universities to a cohort of students residing on several different continents. Students reported experiencing transactional distance for learnerlearner and learner-teacher dialogic interaction elements and dissatisfaction in the online components of the program but reported a sense of community and satisfaction for the inperson elements of the program. Transactional distance for the dimension of learner-content dialogic interaction was highest for elements of the program that were impacted by its multiinstitutional nature, but students reported general satisfaction for the program overall. This study has practical implications for distance educators, administrators, instructional designers, and policy makers concerned with student satisfaction in blended courses and programs, and it contributes to the literature on student satisfaction and multi-institutional programs.

Is Digital Age “A Tsunami” for Distance Education?

A popular question between academics is quite discussing about “is digital age really a “TSUNAMI” for distance education field and distance educators? Up to now distance education by usage of high and digital technology has been taken in every level of education and learning environments, it creates almost limitless platform of opportunities better than face to face learning at any level of learning environment specially a digital one. Mostly, the result of the discussion on digital age is regarded a kind of “Tsunami” that changed the phase of education, especially distance education and effected learning environment in the 21st century. This paper looks into the impact and the types of evidence that are generated across initiatives, organizations and individuals in order to make a summative analysis and it has recommendations from point of functional roles of scaffolding and meta-communication perspective within digital learning environment aspect.