Chapter Summaries

Introduction

This chapter describes the objective of the book, and explains its contents.

“Given the challenges facing higher education today, we aim to offer the reader a theoretical foundation in the form of the theory of transactional distance and a practical method in system dynamics to systemically and systematically envision and implement a desirable plan for the future of the institution in which they serve.”

 

Chapter One: Conceptual Framework

This chapter establishes the theory of transactional distance as the foundation for the book and describes the methods of analysis that have been used for writing the book. It also explains that how the readers can use the same methods in planning the future of their institution of higher education.

“Theory of transactional distance offers a fundamentally different form of postmodern education as compared to today’s system of higher education; a system that primarily was established, organized and matured to its current form during the modern era.”

 

Chapter Two: Scholarship About the Theory of Transactional Distance

This chapter provides a comprehensive review of selected studies about:

• • Studies on the primary constructs of the theory of transactional
  • Studies on the perception of and satisfaction with transactional distance
  • Studies on critical analysis of the theory of transactional distance

 

Chapter Three: Instructional Design, A Transactional Distance Perspective

 “In this chapter, we will expand on instructional design factors in the language of system dynamics and put forward the proposition that the instructional design models that have been presented as dichotomous choices in the literature represent a range of possibilities between two ends of a spectrum. That is, models such as learner-centered design vs, instructor-centered design, constructivist vs behaviorist, or individualized, vs collaborative learning are not mutually exclusive. Each of these bifurcated factors either enhances learner autonomy or structure as determined by the instructor through learner-instructor interaction during an instructional/learning period.”

  

Chapter Four: Adaptive Learning Systems

“In this chapter we will focus on the available technologies and their underlying conceptual frameworks for implementation of the TTD. We will concentrate on the adaptive learning systems that provide the instructor and learner a range of possibilities at each moment in the process of teaching and learning in real time, and not an either/or solution. Adaptive leering systems are the best tools we have today to provide the range of possibilities to learners and instructors in the wide spectrum between maximum autonomy/minimum structure, and maximum structure/minimum autonomy by implementing one or more instructional design models to create learning strategies that are optimized for each individual learner.”   

 

Chapter Five: The Theory of Transactional Distance, The Broader Context

“In this chapter we will demonstrate how implementation of the pedagogy of the TTD in individualizing and personalizing learning impacts organizational factors that are present in an institution of higher education. The pedagogy of the TTD is rooted in the idea of individualized communication between the instructor and the learner, as well as the autonomy that each learner brings to the learning situation, and the structure that the instructor or the instructional organization (e.g. a university) requires in each moment in time. Because of its focus on the individual learner, the theory shifts the orientation of the educational enterprise from providing standardized mass education to large groups of students to attending to the learning needs of each learner.”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter Six: Hardware Systems

“We contend that one reason that despite billons of dollars of investment in information technology the cost of education to society has not decreased nor the quality of instruction for individual students has dramatically improved is because information technology selection and deployment has not been in direct relation to the implementation of the key concepts of the TTD to enable faculty to regulate the rate of instructor control and students to adjust the rate of learner control.”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter Seven: Software Systems

For this level of systems analysis we set forward three categories here. Admittedly, this is not a comprehensive classification but it is adequate for our analytical purpose.

• • Applications that facilitate dialogue and structure in distance education
  • Applications that directly contribute to the behavioral, cognitive, and affective development of learners
  • Digital instructional materials than enhance instructor and learner control

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter Eight: Telecommunications Systems

“Provision of access to educational services is the most important implication of telecommunication systems in implementing the TTD. Educators and students need to have access to at least 10 Mbps of download speed to maintain academic interactions that would lead to desired rate of dialogue by learners; as well as social, teaching and cognitive presence by educators.”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter Nine: Instructional Systems

“The concept of transactional distance is a serious challenge to the lecture-based classroom instructional model. A presupposition of the theory of transactional distance is that in an instructional session each individual learner has a direct input in setting learning objectives, deciding on learning activities and determining when s/he has met the instructional objectives. This dynamic model of instructor-learner communication is fundamentally different than the static model of classroom instruction in which the learner is a passive observer who rarely has an opportunity to have an input in what is interesting for him/her to learn, how s/he wants to learn it, and how s/he knows when s/he has mastered the learning objectives.

The dynamic model of teaching and learning has a direct influence on management and governance of universities. Because it is fundamentally different than the prevalent static model of teaching and learning, it has the potential to change the structure of the universities in the years to come.”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter 10: Curricular Systems

“Certain policies and procedures that regulate offering courses, however, will prevent individual learners and institutions in which they study to benefit from academic and economic advantages of that the TTD offers. A major policy constraining advantages of flexible educational practices is that students receive credit based on the duration of their presence (seat time) in a face-to-face or an on line instructional session. Because institutions receive funding for students based on attendance and not how well learners learn there is no incentive in making courses flexible to improve learning activities that would eventuate in reducing completion time of a course and enabling learners to attain a degree in a shorter period of time.“

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter 11: Management Systems

“The American system of higher education is greatly challenged to succeed in its traditional role of offering a world class and meeting its primary obligations. These would include:

• • Expanding accessibility to the increasing divers traditional and non-traditional students.
  • Becoming more affordable to those who wish to seek post-secondary education.
  • Offering the workplace skills students need to adapt to a rapidly changing economy.
  • Generating new knowledge at the current rate.
  • Contributing to economic prosperity and global competitiveness of US citizens”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter 12: Societal Systems

“Currently, businesses and state governments are not getting the talent they want, and students and job seekers are not getting the jobs need. There are problems with quality. For instance, employers responding to a recent survey estimated that 40 percent of college graduates available to them do not have the necessary applied skills required to meet their needs.  Almost one-third of U.S. manufacturing companies say they are suffering from some level of skill shortage.  There are also problems with quantity. In the health sector, for instance, there is a shortage of nurses.”

This chapter is followed by a case study to clearly illustrate the practical effect of the TTD.

 

Chapter 13: Global Systems

“Undoubtedly we live in a dynamic global environment that is subject to dramatic changes as the 21^st century unfolds. Globalization, Nerad (2010, p. 2) asserted, is ‘a force more powerful than industrialization, urbanization, or secularization combined.” With direct effect on planning for the future of higher education, it is a process that educators must monitor closely and assess its impact on their particular institution.’”

 

Chapter 14: From theory to Practice

This chapter provides the rationale, examples, and guidelines for developing a systems dynamic model of an institution of higher education that its stakeholders can use in planning for the future.

The guidelines include:

• • Defining the essential problem(s) in an institution of higher education
  • Conceptualizing the components of the problem(s) and their relationships in causal loop diagrams
  • Representing the causal loop diagrams in a flow diagram, as well as related system dynamics equations
  • Simulating the model behavior in a test run on a computer
  • Evaluating the behavior of the model
  • Running the model using real data from normal operation of the university
  • Running the model based on different assumptions and data sets
  • Evaluating policy choices based on various runs of the simulation

 “Learning in the university of the future is very different from how it is practiced today. There is no set curriculum to study or time- and space-based classes to attend. Because of these major differences, students enrolling in the institution of the future must go through an intense training process to learn how to learn and become fully cognizant of their metacognitive abilities