ABSTRACT
Here, we return to the concept of distance in online postgraduate education. We begin with an overview of a longstanding theory of distance education (DE) that of transactional distance (TD), which remains the only developed and empirically researched theory of DE. We use this theory as an analytical lens to reinterpret the narratives. As with the concept of interaction, we find that the concept of distance as perceived by this theory is reductionist and fails to capture fully the nuances of each of the components of dialogue, structure, and autonomy. We present a re-examination of the theory of TD, which acknowledges the complementary aspects of the three components.
