TY - JOUR
T1 - Transactional Distance and Student Ratings in Online College Courses
AU - Benton, Stephen L.
AU - Li, Dan
AU - Gross, Amy
AU - Pallett, William H.
AU - Webster, Russell J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Developed from a grant awarded in 1975 from the Kellogg Foundation, the IDEA SRS may be the oldest and most widely researched student ratings instrument. The IDEA Center is a nonprofit organization that has as part of its mission supporting the improvement of learning and teaching through the use of its diagnostic student ratings instrument.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Student ratings were compared in courses offered either exclusively online (n = 13,416) or face-to-face (n = 5,272). Data from 105 institutions were accessed from archived files of the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction system. If a course was taught online, the instructor was less likely to lecture and more likely to use discussion, especially in hard disciplines. A course was less likely to have been taught online if the instructor was rated high in establishing rapport and if the course was within hard and pure disciplines. A high rating on structuring classroom experiences and expecting students to share in responsibility for learning increased the odds the course was offered online. However, high ratings on stimulating student interest and student effort in the course made it less likely. Results are discussed with respect to transactional distance elements of dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy.
AB - Student ratings were compared in courses offered either exclusively online (n = 13,416) or face-to-face (n = 5,272). Data from 105 institutions were accessed from archived files of the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction system. If a course was taught online, the instructor was less likely to lecture and more likely to use discussion, especially in hard disciplines. A course was less likely to have been taught online if the instructor was rated high in establishing rapport and if the course was within hard and pure disciplines. A high rating on structuring classroom experiences and expecting students to share in responsibility for learning increased the odds the course was offered online. However, high ratings on stimulating student interest and student effort in the course made it less likely. Results are discussed with respect to transactional distance elements of dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy.
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U2 - 10.1080/08923647.2013.838458
DO - 10.1080/08923647.2013.838458
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84889254425
SN - 0892-3647
VL - 27
SP - 207
EP - 217
JO - American Journal of Distance Education
JF - American Journal of Distance Education
IS - 4
ER -