Interactive perspectives in distance education: a case study

Abstract

This article provides some insights into how an institution of distance education views its students and how students experience distance learning. A random cross‐section of Athabasca University students was monitored during their courses of study with a focus on the interactive processes. Characteristics of the student body are explored in relation to institutional criteria of student success. A number of implications are drawn from the data and evidence is provided that institutions engaged in this mode of learning must exercise considerable prescriptive caution. Our understanding of distance education in general must acknowledge the dynamics of the specific context in which it operates.