Learning Modes

The term ‘Learning modes’ refers to ‘how’ a learner essentially interacts with the content, the teacher and peers. There are two learning modes: synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous means in real time, being in the same place at the same time. Asynchronous means activities and communication are done not in real time but when the participants are ready/able to engage.

Synchronous

Synchronous equates to ‘in real time’ being in the same place at the same time where learning takes place in person and teachers and or learners are able to interact simultaneously. To be synchronous there needs to be two or more people in the same space (physical or virtual, and face-to-face) at the same time.

Asynchronous

Asynchronous equates to ‘not in real time’ where learning or interaction is not at the same time whether in class or online but when participants are ready/able to engage in their own time. It most often occurs with the learner (from an on-campus or online cohort) being by themselves and choosing how and when to interact with the learning content and activities. It also applies to learning activities where the teacher and other students interact online using specific edtech tools, but not at the same time.

Most people are very familiar with synchronous learning modes because of the years spent in classrooms physically present with a teacher and their peers. The synchronous virtual learning mode is now also very familiar and it can be via video conferencing (e.g., Zoom, MS Teams) or even in a virtual world (e.g., Second Life, Minecraft).

Many of us have been building various synchronous experiences for a long time. We now see teachers and learners grappling with the reality and importance of asynchronous learning modes. But what do we mean by asynchronous being the ‘glue’ that hold online learning together? How can we make it an equivalent experience to synchronous learning?

Asynchronous is the glue that holds online learning together.

Blended, hybrid and HyFlex are terms that employ a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning modes to share content and encourage interaction, engagement, retention and overall satisfaction. In 1989, Moore shared the Theory of Transactional Distance for increased engagement through online interactivity. This included how engagement in learning takes place student to student, teacher to student, and student to content. It continues to resonate today as we design and build better online learning opportunities using existing and emerging technologies.

Asynchronous learning is a leveller that allows students to participate when they can’t join the synchronous session. Asynchronous mode can also be the dominant design that drives the learning instead of typical synchronous modes.

Asynchronous versatility is an affordance of using various digital technologies. This continues to be a truly untapped area that has moved beyond text based forums to students being able to collaborate and communicate, especially through video and audio. Exploring this opens learning experiences to feel more like they are synchronous and begins to humanise the online experience. Examples include contributing to a forum or sharing resources via an edtech tool like Padlet or Voicethread or collaborating on a Google doc.

The table below briefly shares typical actions in synchronous, asynchronous and combined modes.

Designing for asynchronous learning is not new; institutions have been doing this for more than two decades; however, what is more challenging is changing the mindset away from synchronous being the dominant or only mode of learning through belief that learners cannot succeed unless they are ‘face-to-face’ in a synchronous environment.

Bates (2015), author of Teaching in a Digital Age shares a post-COVID update to his book about learning modes (Bates, 2022). He describes the educational benefit of asynchronous technologies or recorded media as:

“…the ability to access information or communicate at any time offers the learner more control and flexibility”.

He shares relevant research leading to inevitable design changes for asynchronous use and concludes:

“…for online learning, asynchronous should be the default model, but supported by synchronous teaching where necessary and appropriate.”

References

Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. BCcampus.

Bates, A. W. (2022). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/

Bates, A.W. (2022, April 7) Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of synchronous or asynchronous teaching. https://www.tonybates.ca/2022/04/07/discussing-the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-synchronous-or-asynchronous-learning/

Moore, M. G. (1989). Editorial: Three types of interaction. American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923648909526659