Are You a Synchronous or an Asynchronous Learner?
What kind of learner are you? Are you a self-starter or a social butterfly? Do you thrive in the warm embrace of a supportive instructor or do you do your best work in a virtual isolation chamber? Does professorial oversight motivate you to be your best self or does it just cramp your style? And most importantly, what kind of online experience is your best bet for success?
The internet has revolutionized traditional learning in a big way. Conventional methods are giving way to more dynamic and flexible paradigms in the educational experience. Synchronous and asynchronous learning is a direct result of these developments.
Synchronous learning refers to an educational setting with simultaneous collaboration across channels of communication which may be in person or online. Classroom lectures, live online lectures, live forum discussions or video conferences are synchronous in nature.
If you’re the kind of learner that likes active discussion, immediate feedback, and a personal familiarity that you can only get through real-time interaction, you’re probably a candidate for a synchronous learning experience. Synchronous learning may present you with some challenges as well. The defining characteristic of this learning experience is its adherence to a set schedule. Lectures and class discussions will take place at established meeting times.
Asynchronous learning is self-paced and does not require simultaneous collaboration. The learner is free to catch up as per their convenience, encouraging more and more professionals to acquire new skills on demand, when they are free from other commitments. Open-ended courses, message boards, and discussion groups are some asynchronous learning elements.
Asynchronous learning is highly time efficient and minimally wasteful but limited real-time participation with co-learners can adversely affect motivation. The increasing demand for user convenience, as well as the need to reach more adult learners, have made asynchronous learning a method of choice across the entire spectrum of learning activity.
If you like the personal touch, however, and you do your best pontificating when you feel like people are actually listening, asynchronous learning can be a lonely experience. Also, while working in a self-guided environment sounds really great and empowering, it’s important to be honest with yourself. Some learners benefit best from access to clearly stated expectations, immediate feedback, and, to an extent, a watchful eye. If you’re this type of learner, the free-form nature of asynchronous learning could be demotivating.
The coolest thing about online learning is that you don’t have to choose just one way of doing it. Many online courses require a little of both— a combination of real-time conferencing and self-paced assignment completion; or a balance between pre-taped lectures and live interactive discussions. Every learning model is different, and the very best online learning find ways of balancing these models to produce distinct and enriching experiences.
