I learned the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning is that synchronous learning involves a group of students engaged in learning while asynchronous learning involves student-centered learning like self-studying approach. If both methods have proper information and presented in an organized consistent manner, so the students know what is expected of them.
There are two general ways of running a class: synchronous and asynchronous. There are multiple advantages and disadvantages to both, and as an instructor, I'll use whichever one is most appropriate for the subject.
Whether synchronous or asyncronous, orginzation is the key.
It's important that an appropriate learning method be selected for an online course. Guidelines are also important too as they regulate what's expected of students and enforced. When th learning environment is organised and there are guidelines, over time a pattern of teaching emerges. The pattern consists of several components. These include learning outcomes, communication, centralised location, submission of assignments, content delivery as well as questions and answers.
Regarding Synchronous versus Asynchronous, I am not sold on asynchronous being used in all courses, for some, specifically the trades it doesn't work for all the students, they aren't as engaged.
Keeping students on task and current is challenging with asynchronous
I learned that the data about synchronous learning is out of date. In the last 6 months (which feels like over night), our education world in K-12 has turned to Synchronous concurrent (students in the classroom and online at the same time) teaching. I don't like it at the same time I'm fascinated by how our current technology was able to handle the change. When I was in middle school, we would have had none of these things. I am also in awe of the teachers being able to go from F2F to online with relatively few hiccups. I think we see it as HUGE problems today but we are going to look back and be amazed!
I find that using both has benefits, but overall consistency is the key with the students and the final outcome of the needs and want of the school.
Communication is two-way traffic with online teaching, as much as I want my students to understand me, I equally want to understand them as individuals.
Someone said, "Communication is key," I agree, there needs to be an established method of communication so that the student feels they have access to their instructor for all questions and guidance. I find it critical to hand out the syllabus, objectives, and agendas in the first meeting or in the on-line syllabus. Having both VC and on-line gives students access to both components. But once the students feel comfortable with their method they settle into that style and then the flexibility of the online experience will be beneficial.
Communicate is a huge part of student understanding cirriculum and succeding in the course
I think it's crucial to always consider the pros and cons of synchronous and asynchronous content delivery, and how that will be experienced by a cohort of students. Personally, I am most familiar with asynchronous learning, however it's important to be aware of limitations (i.e. decreased engagement) and benefits (i.e. no need for instructor presence) of asynchronous learning and how that might be handled to maintained consistency with synchronous formats.
Keeping the students interested will be a challange.
Consistency is key with online learning. A student needs to understand what is expected of them and to develop a pattern that conforms to the clear expectations of the instructor. This can include the set-up of the course, the submission of DB posts, interaction with peers, how to ask questions, and general expectations.
It is important as an online teacher that you organize your online class in a way that students can easily navigate it. You also need to make all instructions clear in your syllabus, make items easy to find, and monitor your classes progress. Having a FAQ area will help the students as well as the instructor. Students could post a question in there and other students could respond to it. If the student responds correctly, this could be used for extra credit. It will help keep the students engaged in their online course.
There are pros and cons to both synchronous and asynchronous classes. Asynch is better for those who can work independently and who do not procrastinate, as much of their learning and time management will be their responsibility. Asynch provides the most flexibiity in working for both instructor and student and you don't need to find a common class time with everyone. I have been teaching this way for 20 years and love it. It does take a diciplined student to be successful in this environment. Communication is also key. I use the message board a lot for both discussions and course questions.
Laying out specific guidelines as to how/when to communicate will help establish consistency and also hold students accountable.
I learned that a good strategy is to set up a predicatable pattern of how information is given out to students.
Both synchronous and asynchrounous learning can be useful depending the course and the pool of students.
Determining the appropriate method (synchronous or asynchronous) is essential to the livelihood of the course. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages but must be investigated to determine the likelihood of success in an online environment.
