ABSTRACT
As we enter the third decade of online learning, the underlying theoretical frameworks of the theory of transactional distance and the theory/model of the community of inquiry continue to be extremely relevant to the field. It is on top of these frameworks that we continue to explore the key design factors one must consider within instructional design for distance education. The ideas of audience, learner control, dialogue, and costs/return on investment remain central to our design decisions. However, in today’s designs, we also need to explore the re-emerging concepts of personalization and adaptive learning.
