Work

From Presence to Proximity in Online Higher Education: Students’ Lived and Desired Relationships

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article examines how students experience and build relational ties in online higher education. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, it analyses students’ lived and desired relationships across four domains: the online campus, the degree programme, teachers, and peers. One hundred and forty-four students completed an open-ended questionnaire. Their narratives informed the Relational Proximity Matrix (RPM), a framework used to map connections and distinguish transformative, functional, and residual modes of proximity. Findings indicate strong affective and supportive ties among peers, whereas interactions with teachers and the online campus are often formal or instrumental. The study concludes that relational proximity, rather than access alone, depends critically on recognition, reciprocity, and pedagogical care. The RPM offers a heuristic orientation that may inform educational design and support educators and institutions in cultivating practices that enhance relational quality.

Source: Education Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/educsci16010028

Author: Luísa Aires

Institution: Universidade Aberta

Language: English

Topic: Online and Blended Learning

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172