Why "Proximity"?

The remote learning environment may be a lonely one, in which students largely forego the benefits of sharing the learning process as described by Vygotsky, and by Lave, Wenger and others. However, there are ways of overcoming the isolation often experienced in online learning, and of creating and maintaining a sense of proximity, challenge and excitement, partly through the medium of synchronous chat groups and asynchronous discussion forums. 

We believe that proximity can be present in online classes. 

It can be brought about through careful and purposeful pedagogical means: success in online courses is primarily dependent on the quality and success of the discussion in the course.  

“In facilitating communication that models the proximity of a traditional classroom, instructors need to be engaged, relational, and personal. If done correctly, these interactions can lead to higher-level learning as students broaden their own knowledge while reflecting on the knowledge and experiences of their peers and instructor  (Gonzalez, 2010)” – Dyer, T., Aroz, J. and Larson, E. (2018) Proximity in the online classroom: Engagement, relationships and personalisation. Journal of Instructional Research, 7: 108.  

In developing courses and learning resources, we strive to close proximal gaps in remote learning - between students, between students and lecturer, and in addition, between the lecturer and the online course developer. This is based on the Community of Inquiry framework that incorporates lecturer, group, cognitive and learner presence. Aside from our range of subject expertise in the field of Education, this is probably where our greatest strength lies.