The popular use of portable and mobile devices in our daily lives and accessibility to wireless connectivity at home, workplaces, and many public places should make completing academic studies feasible in multiple settings, seemingly anywhere anytime and while on the move, as some have argued ( Traxler, 2009 Hsu and Ching, 2015 Pimmer, 2016). A recent national survey indicated that 30 percent of higher education students in the United States had taken at least one online course by distance ( Ortagus, 2017). In recent years, traditional universities have begun offering online courses as well ( Lee, 2017 Donovan et al., 2019). Institutions, such as the British Open University and Canada’s Athabasca University, have offered university education online for some years. Several gaps in research are identified, and suggestions for future research are proposed.ĭistance education has emerged as an important form of education in the last few decades ( Lee, 2017 Xiao, 2018). In this paper, the author proposes a conceptual model for understanding the role that the physical environment plays in online distance learning in higher education, drawing on theories and research in environmental psychology, online learning, telework and mobile work, and higher education. However, little attention has been given to where exactly learners do their learning and studying and how the physical and social aspects of the physical environment within which the online learner is physically embedded (e.g., the home) supports and constrains learning activities. Research in distance education and online learning has focused on computer-mediated communication, instructional design, learner characteristics, educational technology, and learning outcomes. With advances in mobile and wireless technologies, completing academic studies anywhere anytime should become feasible. Online distance learning is offered not only in post-secondary distance education institutions but in traditional universities as well.
Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Alberta, AB, Canada.
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