Defeating the Tyrant! The Tyrant of Distance


 

Teach a student a lesson, and they can learn for a day

Teach them how to harness technology, and they can learn for life

     This week's dive into integrating technology was a reflection on how we use technology, how we incorporate new technology into students' lives, and how students can range from digital immigrants to digital natives. The goal for instructors & educators is to reduce transactional distance by personalizing the student's journey through the use of technology, essentially meeting the student where they are and bringing them along from there (Kang, 2025). 


     First, let's understand what Transactional Distance (TD) Theory is. TD is simply the space between the teacher and the learner caused by geographic distance. Teachers need to find ways to bridge this gap (Mooer & Kearsley, 2005). Personally, I would argue that TD should include more than geographic distance, as there are hundreds of factors that create a distance between individuals - education level, race, gender identity, ethnicity, where we grew up, favorite sports teams (don't get me started on those darn Yankee fans), and more. Today, we'll focus on the geographic distance and how technology can bridge the gap if implemented effectively. 

     Second, we need to understand the differences between digital immigrants and digital natives. Digital natives are individuals who were born into the digital age and raised in a technologically advanced environment. They are fluent in computer speak, behavior, and more. Adopting a new technology is neraly effortless because they've been raised and built the neural pathways to easily adapt and adjust to the latest technology. Now, some of us, including Millennials and older generations, are digital immigrants. We grew up without technology readily at our fingertips, and those neural pathways are harder to adjust (Prensky, 2001).

So how do we overcome the tyranny of distance with technology? (All from Kang, 2025 with a personal twist).

  • Know your students. Are they natives or immigrants in the digital world? Do an assessment or survey before or at the start of the course (use examples so they can frame their understanding)
    • Are you familiar with educational technology? (Blogging, Discussion Boards, AI Tutoring Systems, etc.)
  • Maintain a balance between dynamic and transactional. My favorite part of running the eMMissary sessions is when the fellows take over and I get to step back and learn from them. They've done the readings, reflected, and potentially even discussed it with others; then we bring them together on Zoom, drop a question, and see where it goes. 
  • Design to empower learners. I was just talking with my good friend JB about integrating technology, and he's been using AI to build adaptive modules for his students. They're able to complete the basic course materials at a minimum, but then build by diving deeper if they wish. It was fascinating to see how he leveraged GenAI to build a tailorable learning experience for his students. 
  • Be Real. Too often, we lose the personal touch as the distance between people grows. Find a way to include something human in the learning. One of my ways is to keep my language natural and conversational, with the occasional use of "folks" because that's how I would talk if we were face-to-face. If you're hybrid (whether via Zoom or in person), take the time to build out interactive forums to ensure individuals have the opportunity to get to know each other. I'm a big fan of Dr. Kang switching our blogging groups every week, as it allows me to get to know three new students instead of sticking with my trusted group of people I can easily relate to.


Reflection Questions for You:

  1. Are you a digital native or digital immigrant? How does that frame your perception of technology and your interactions with others and tech?
  2. How do you overcome the tyranny of distance?
  3. What methods do you use to add a personal touch?


References:

Kang, H. (2025b, March 28). Technology Integration: First Things First. Adult Learning and Meaningful Technology Integration; New Prairie Press. https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub/learningtechintegration/chapter/adult-learner-and-technology-what-questions-to-ask/

Marc Prensky; Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon 1 September 2001; 9 (5): 1–6. https://doi-org.er.lib.k-state.edu/10.1108/10748120110424816

Moore, M., & Kearsley, G. (2005). [Rev. of Distance education: a systems view]. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 1(4), 70–72.





Comments

  1. TomSeptember 27, 2025 at 10:17 AM

    I admire the range of topics you addressed about knowing learners, maintaining a balance, empowering learners, and being real. Each of them is transferable to most work environments. Another thought that occurred to me is your narrative could be accompanied by a Venn diagram; this may also indicate a recency bias from the blog of one of our fellow group members. I am also toying with the idea of the visual including the transactional distance (Moore, 1973) and digital spectrum (Prensky, 2009) along the x and y axes. This is not to suggest assigning a characterization of low in either of those areas is negative but that it is data related to a particular course.

    Returning to your four categories having experience as an instructor for both training and education I can think of examples when the desired learning outcomes do not require me to: pay attention to the learners inclinations for technology, maintain a balance between forms of engagement, empowering learners, or being perceived as real. I realize that could make me seem like an instructor curmudgeon, but my point is like your observation about the range of differences between learners. As an instructor we have a variety of tools to achieve lesson and course outcomes and each opportunity to be an instructor requires reflection to develop the best available approach for the requirement.

    To address the reflection questions, you provided I am providing a recent example that may address each of them. Two months ago, during an online session with my learners we discussed a lesson related to how our enterprise acquired equipment. After the in-class discussion one of the learners, enthusiastic about the topic, volunteered to speak to the rest of the class about his observations on the topic. I adjusted the schedule in another on-line session to provide this learner an opportunity to share their perspective. My justification was that I want to reward learner initiative, leverage learner experience, and reinforce the importance of accessing the power of other people’s knowledge. This, however, is not proof I am not a curmudgeon, particularly when it comes to some sports teams, like the Yankees.

    Thank you for providing me an opportunity to consider how I relate your comments to my own perspectives.

    Respectfully,
    Tom

    References.
    Moore, M. G. (1973). Toward a Theory of Independent Learning and Teaching. The Journal of Higher Education (Columbus), 44(9), 661. https://doi.org/10.2307/1980599

    Prensky, Marc (2009) "H. Sapiens Digital: From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom," Innovate: Journal of Online Education: Vol. 5: Iss. 3, Article 1. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol5/iss3/1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris S.September 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM

      Hi Tom!

      Thank you for your reflections – I would never say you’re a curmudgeon! It would be interesting to see if students in online Army courses were given the chance to present topics they’re interested in or passionate about. As I’m just starting the Advanced Ops Course, we are getting to the training and readiness information brief, and I’m excited to dive into the regs and refresh myself on training planning horizons. I’m curious about your thoughts on giving students ownership of the material and facilitating discussion, rather than the traditional approach of death by PowerPoint.

      Chris

      Delete
  2. Stacy HainesSeptember 28, 2025 at 9:43 AM

    Great post Chris! I really enjoyed how you wove together Transactional Distance Theory and the concepts of digital natives and immigrants. I think it is important to note that the Transactional Distance theory is not just about closing a geographical space. According to Moore (2019), transactional distance is the psychological and communication gap that can occur between instructors and students in technology-mediated learning environments. This gap exists in in-person environments and in virtual environments.

    Your point about the importance of maintaining a personal touch when integrating technology into learning environments is one that is also very important to me.

    Adding a personal touch is one of the most effective ways to reduce transactional distance and build a sense of community among learners. Moore (2019) emphasizes that dialogue is a key element in bridging the gap between instructors and learners, and I’ve found that this dialogue has to feel genuine. In my previous job, I did a lot of virtual training with diverse community audiences and I found starting each session with informal check-ins, using open-ended questions like, “What brought you to this training today?” or “What’s one thing you hope to take away?” These questions not only help me understand participants’ needs but also allow them to hear each other’s voices, which creates a human connection even in a virtual space. According to Kang (2025), these moments of authentic interaction help learners feel valued and reduce feelings of isolation, which is especially important for digital immigrants who may lack confidence with new tools.

    References

    Kang, H. (2025). Adult learning and meaningful technology integration (2nd ed.). New Prairie Press.

    Moore, M. G. (2019). The theory of transactional distance. In M. G. Moore & W. C. Diehl (Eds.), Handbook of distance education (4th ed., pp. 32–46). Routledge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris S.September 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM

      Hi Stacy!

      Thanks for that note – I could definitely have misread it at 4:30 AM before my coffee kicked in! I absolutely agree that TD Theory is more than geographical or even psychological and communication distance. What happens when, as the instructor, you misread or don’t understand the background of your students and say something innocuous (to you) but offensive to them?

      Thank you!

      Chris

      Delete
  3. Chris S.September 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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