Appendix CD-A

Transactional Distance Survey Expert Review Form

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you very much for agreeing to participate in reviewing the current survey!

The current study is intended to explore a few important aspects of learner perceptions of transactional distance. More specifically, its four main scales are concerned with:

a) learners' interaction with other OU students, their course tutor and course materials (Section A);
b) their opinion of course structure and the degree of learner control (Section B);
c) the degree of independence and interdependence they think they are provided in their studies (Section C);
d) the perceived degree of transactional distance (SectionD).

You are provided with the draft version of the survey and we would like to ask you to leave your opinion on clarity, relevance and coherence of each of the questionnaire items in the relevant boxes opposite each item on a scale from 1 to 5 (please find more detailed information in the box below).

If you would like to make other comments on individual scales of the instrument and questionnaire as a whole a blank space is provided at the end of each section.

·         Clarity measures the extent to which the item is clear to you.
5 means that the item is very clear, 1 means that it is not clear.

·         Relevance deals with the degree of the item's relevance in the context of investigation into one of the dimensions of transactional distance.
5 means that is is very relevant, while 1 means that the item is irrelevant.

·         Coherence refers to the coherence of the response category in question and need to modify it
5 means that the item is coherent and may be used withuot any modifications; 1 means that it is not coherent and its modification is strongly recommended.

 

Section A - Dialogue scale

 

 

 

 

 

Clarity

Relevance

Coherence

A1

When I don't understand something on the course, I ask another student

A2

Support from other students contributes a lot to my performance on the course

A3

I learn most from other OU students

A4

I participate in tutorial discussions

A5

The present course develops my ability to work as a team member

A6

The course tutor motivates students to do their best work

A7

I have a clear idea of where I am going and what is expected from me

A8

Tutors on the course make it clear from the start what they expect from students

A9

The course tutor gives a lot of time to commenting on students' work

A10

The course tutor gives helpful feedback on how well you are doing

A11

When I don't understand on an OU course, I ask the tutor

A12

I learn most from the tutor

A13

When I don't understand something on the OU course, I read the course materials

A14

The course content is relevant to my learning interests and needs

A15

The course materials generate my interest in the subject I'm studying

A16

The course materials challenge students to do their best work

A17

I learn most from course materials

A18

The course develops my independent study skills

 

 

 

If you have any comments you wish to add on the dialogue scale, please leave them in the space provided below.

 

 

 

Now please look back over Part A to make sure you have inserted a number in each box for each of the statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any difficulty using this questionnaire, please e-mail the OU's internet survey staff.

 Ruslan Ramanau