Online learning - Synchronous vs Asynchronous

The online model of teaching is different from a traditional, face to face classroom.  This offers some benefits and some drawbacks.  Most often, content for online classes is presented asynchronously.

Asynchronous learning

Asynchronous learning means that the material presented by the instructor and the the material viewed or work performed by the student do not occur at the same time.  This is most often the case with online learning.

I'll give a couple of examples of asynchronous presentation with links to real examples from MIT.  After giving a few examples, I'll describe some of the benefits and drawbacks of asynchronous learning.

Online books or reading assignments. (Note - asynchronous learning is not unique to the online environment.  Textbooks used in traditional classrooms also present material asynchronously.

Free online textbooks!

Video lectures - while in class lectures are presented in real time, when they are filmed, they can be watched anytime.

Educational video lectures!

Worksheets, lecture notes, slideshows, and other reading assignments.

Lecture notes (not as exciting, so no exclamation point).

These are just a few examples of asynchronous methods of presentation.

Benefits

• These can be accessed at any time so students can fit them to their schedule.
• These can be accessed more than once, so if students don't get it the first time, they can go back over it again.
• There is variety so different methods of presentation can be used.

Detriments

• No interaction with a live person.  Students can't ask questions in real time.  (Discussion boards offer a way for students to ask questions, but the response will be delayed.)
• Lazy students can short the process.  There is a tendency to skim or cut short important material because of a lack of direct accountability to another person.

Synchronous learning

The biggest drawback of asynchronous learning is lack of direct feedback.  However, online courses can offer that with synchronous learning.  Group chats, video conferences, and hangouts offer students the ability to interact with the teacher and other students in real time.

Benefits

• Students can interact with live people.  This allows them to ask questions in real time, but it also allows them to see or hear what others are thinking.  This can prompt their own thinking.
• If synchronous hangouts are made mandatory, there is someone to hold the students accountable for showing up.

Detriments

• Synchronous learning occurs at a specific time.  It can be recorded and rebroadcast for asynchronous learning, but if a student can't access the learning at the right time, he will miss the opportunity for live feedback.
• Chat and hangouts are not quite real time.  While you can see what someone posts when he enters it, a students own response time or a teacher's response time is limited by typing speed.  A simple back and forth can occur, but it is difficult to approach the level of real conversation where many people communicate in a quick manner.
• Videoconferencing offers some remedy to the real time by allowing for conversation instead of typing.  However, these are often limited by internet access speeds.  Moreover, participants in such conferences can rarely see the people all at once and thus vital visual cues of communication are lost.

Certain things about a traditional classroom can never be duplicated in the online world, but by using a variety of synchronous and asynchronous methods, the online teacher can offer a true learning environment.  In fact, he can offer things that a traditional classroom can not, even though he can't offer everything the traditional classroom does.