Interaction Comparison between Traditional Classroom and Cyber Classroom Using Transactional Distance

Blended learning (BL) is a hybrid of classroom learning and online learning that includes the conveniences of online courses without the complete loss of face-to-face (F2F) contact. Advancements in communication technologies now allow us to have synchronous distributed interactions that occur in realtime with close to the same levels of fidelity as in the F2F environment. Therefore, it is imperative that we understand how to create effective BL experiences that incorporate both traditional instruction and online instruction. This article uses mathematics model to formulate the transactional distance to compare the interaction distance of traditional centralized F2F and synchronous distributed F2F. Transactional distance is then used to know about the communication gap between learner and instructor, content, and other learners. Finally, the paper verifies the validity of the transactional distance calculated through the mathematical model with the help of survey that elicits students´ perception towards those two environments