Moore (2003), contributed to the definition of distance education with propositions and constructs known as the theory of transactional distance education. Transactional distance theory is conceptually critical, it proposes that the distance in distance education is transactional and not spiral or temporal. It is this transactional nature of distance education that demands a transition through the curriculum delivery grid, through various pedagogical implications, from fully off-line to fully online, and from contact base to remote. The purpose of this work is to identify difficulties experienced in transitioning through a curriculum delivery grid for industrial engineering students, at Unisa. An investigation based on a qualitative research approach that includes the epistemological beliefs emanating from the ground theory research method is adopted. Two lived-in exercises are conducted to improve the clarity and plausibility of results. The findings of this research will present the types of barriers encountered, and their characteristics, and the source of these difficulties and barriers. The impact of the barriers experienced by the students and instructors alike will be discussed and deliberated further. The research will be complemented with a recommendation of a remedy to the barriers experienced by the participants and the educational setting.

Keywords: Transactional theory; Curriculum; Barriers; Education; Distance education.