Verifying key theoretical concepts in a dynamic model of distance education

Abstract

Theory driven, data‐based, and empirical studies are needed to verify and solidify distance education's conceptual foundation. The project reported here had two main goals: 1) to empirically verify the concepts of transactional distance, structure, and dialogue, and 2) to develop a methodology for achieving the first goal. Drawing on three different fields—distance education, system dynamics, and discourse analysis—the project measured nine key variables in distance education. Results suggest that transactional distance varies by the rate of dialogue and structure, and demonstrate the value of system dynamics modeling for verifying theoretical concepts in distance education.