This article aimed to understand how students in distance education experience challenges with e-learning tools in their learning. Specifically, it aimed to identify challenges students experienced with the implementation of podcasts and vodcasts and how lecturers responded to these challenges. The research context for the article is an Academic Writing module at one South African open distance e-learning university. The study made use of a qualitative phenomenological research design to gather in-depth insights about the problem and generate new ideas for research. Data was collected through focus group discussions with first-year students and semi-structured email interviews with lecturers and was analysed using Moore's theory of transactional distance. The findings were analysed thematically and revealed that transactional distance is a probability as novice lecturers initially recorded podcasts and vodcasts that were too long, and first-year students experience many challenges when accessing podcasts and vodcasts. As a result, the distance between students and their content and students and their lecturers may be widened. The data further revealed that lecturers see podcasting and vodcasting as a means to an end and not as a process that requires continuous reflection. The article concludes by suggesting recommendations to support students in distance higher education institutions.