CUTTING THE TRAIL: STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN REMOTE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Abstract

Despite the many efforts to improve educational environments for remote postsecondary students, perennial problems of broadband capacity, limited access to programs, and needed supports persist. The geographical distance between students and instructors necessitates the use of distance education to improve access and equity to educational opportunities. Many forms of outreach have been tried, some with more success than others, depending on the location of each student, the pedagogies employed, and the supports provided. Improvements that resolve systemic issues are emerging as understanding of remote postsecondary distance education improves. A growing number of educators and administrators see the potential to improve systemic issues through various pedagogical and broadband solutions; however, understanding which solutions are most equitable at improving fair and accessible solutions to these environments requires a deeper understanding of students, their needs, and their challenges. To promote students’ success, we need to understand what success is, how it is realized, and what gets in the way. This research focuses on the experiences of an underrepresented population of postsecondary distance education students. Its contribution to knowledge lies in a deeper understanding of remote postsecondary students’ perceptions of learning at a distance, given the various education formats and approaches used. This research seeks to expand understanding about which elements within distance education foster success, with the intention of improving postsecondary environments and including non-traditional, remote student experiences in scholarship. By contributing information about remote spaces, advocacy from this research has the potential to inform, promote, and improve the quality of education in remote communities. This study is framed within a critical digital pedagogy lens using Laurillard’s (2012) conversational framework. Critical digital pedagogy is a non-neutral approach to teaching and learning that challenges the status quo in education, supporting social change and raising consciousness while shaping society through liberatory praxis. Critical digital pedagogy fosters agency and empowers learners while deconstructing existing hierarchical structures, authorities, and traditional knowledge paradigms; it also advocates for non-traditional methodologies and making space for alternate forms of knowledge by re-developing and re-envisioning student-centered approaches to learning through discussion, practice, and collaboration (Laurillard, 2012; Stommel, 2014).