Did the Student-Instructor and Peer-to-Peer Divide Widen with Instructional Changes during COVID-19?

Abstract

The rapid shift to online and HyFlex learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused an abrupt reconceptualization of higher education and learning communities. It also provided a fertile ground for experimentation and observation about the student experience in a highly fluid learning environment. The work presented herein was a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the student experience grounded in the theory of transactional distance. It explored the divide between students and their peers and instructors. It was hypothesized that the distance students perceived between themselves and their peers, instructors, and content was affected by the modality (in-person, online, or hybrid) in which a course was offered during the Fall 2020 semester. The Revised Scale of Transactional Distance (RSTD) instrument was deployed as a quantitative tool, and it was found that modality was a significant factor in students' perceived transactional distance. In-person classes had the shortest perceived distance between students and their instructors and peers; conversely, online courses resulted in the largest divide. A systematic qualitative analysis identified three themes in student interview data: changes in learning environments, changes in learning strategies, and changes in relationships with professors. The implications of these data were discussed and mitigation strategies including intentionality in course design and collaborative spaces were presented.