Flexible Learning Experiences (Flex) during a Pandemic: Transactional Distance and Pedagogical Approaches of Faculty in a Higher Education Institution

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the experience of Higher Education Institution (HEI) faculty members on transactional distance in the context of a flexible educational landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data gathered from eight (8) participants who have been teaching in a state college since the start of the pandemic. A common meaning of distance emerged from the analysis and was revealed through three different aspects wherein the variables of the Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) are concerned predominantly: i. dialogue (difficulty in communication and interaction), ii. structure (issues on participation due to intermittent internet connectivity), and iii. learner autonomy (poor performance in assessment results). These variables in TDT prompted the exemplification of cybergogy and heutagogy in a flexible educational landscape from the descriptions of teachers. Responding to the sense of distance, teaching reflected upon the opportunity in sharing current practice to foster flexibility while employing a learning management system to accommodate learner needs. The findings were discussed and interpreted as an embodied experience originating from the passage of transactional distance continually affecting faculty members’ life fundamental transition to a changed pedagogical space that is reflected in their experience of teaching amidst the constraints brought by the pandemic.