Asychronous vs. Synchronous e-Learning

The increasing demand for flexible learning methods to accommodate learners with different lifestyles has surged in implementing asynchronous and synchronous e-learning designs. But what do they mean, and how do they differ?

Asynchronous e-Learning Design

In the book Rapid Instructional Design, George Piskurich defines asynchronous e-learning design as the learning process where the student oversees their instructional activity using the internet as the main access point to the virtual learning environment (Piskurich, 2015, p. 368). In this type of learning design, there is no immediate guidance from the instructor, which presents advantages and disadvantages in keeping the student motivated and engaged in learning.

• Insight 1: As I mentioned previously, in an asynchronous e-learning environment, the student is in charge of their learning process by keeping up with the workload, understanding the content with little guidance from the instructor, and committing to deadlines. Thus, the instructional designer and instructor must present the content organized and as detailed as possible without overwhelming the student with much information. To achieve this result, it is essential to develop an outstanding plan which comprehends three key steps: Analyzing the reasons for implementing the asynchronous e-learning, determining if the people in charge of distributing the e-learning are equipped with the knowledge and tools to administer the asynchronous learning experience, and last, creating a vision for the program you are planning to run on an asynchronous environment (Piskurich, 2015, p. 372).

• Insight 2: motivating self-direction can be a challenge in asynchronous e-learning. I found this insightful because it is true that when we (students) embark on e-learning to achieve our career goals, we must individually develop incentives toward the learning process. After all, we won't have an instructor to remind us constantly about the importance of keeping up with activities and assignments or staying motivated throughout the course/training. Moreover, as instructional designers, we won't control how the student engages with the learning material once it is delivered in the learning management system or LMS. Thus, the program requires thorough planning and almost perfect design from the start. That means avoiding vague information that does not contribute to learning. Therefore, the goal is to focus on specifics to help students easily navigate the instructional material and strengthen their knowledge acquisition.

Synchronous e-Learning Design

Now let's discuss synchronous e-learning. Rapid Instructional Design describes synchronous e-learning in online learning environments where the instructor meets with the learner simultaneously (Piskurich, 2015, p. 368). Thus, this virtual meeting typically occurs using a conference platform like Zoom or Teams. Interestingly, this is not mentioned in the book because these apps emerged during the pandemic in 2019, and this book (Rapid Instructional Design) was published in 2015.

• Insight 1: Designing a synchronous e-learning program requires rigorous interventions of good analysis to achieve proper implementation, but it is more flexible than designing for an asynchronous e-learning course. This is because, during the synchronous e-learning delivery, the instructor has control over the material presented online and can make modifications as needed to efficiently secure the transfer of knowledge. Although one of the many disadvantages of implementing this method of instruction is that even though the students would be connected simultaneously with the instructors, this does not translate necessarily mean that they are going to turn on their cameras and microphones during the lesson, which jeopardizes any opportunity for the instructor to interpret non-verbal cues to know if the students are engaged and understanding what is presented to them (Piskurich, 2015, p. 412).

• Insight 2: I found the concept of repurposing interesting, which applies to both asynchronous and synchronous e-learning. In short, repurposing translates into converting a well-designed face-to-face course to an online delivery (Piskurich, 2015, p. 415). This is typically easier said than done because repurposing a course requires a careful evaluation of the existing program's content and ensuring that it fits into the virtual environment. In some instances, there are training/teaching courses that won't do well in a synchronous environment, for example, on-the-job training or OJT, that might require manipulation of machinery and supervision. Moreover, repurposing can be costly and time-consuming if the content needs to be redesigned -in most cases- to fit into the learning management system used for the instruction. As Piskurich said about delivery systems, "It works where it works and doesn't where it doesn't" (Piskurich, 2015, p. 413).

Reflecting on Project A Experience

What worked and what did not?

I enjoyed working on Project A in all stages of the ADDIE model. However, it was challenging because I felt I could have designed a better module on Digital Audio Editing and Production if I had more time to invest in it.

As we have learned in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of Rapid Instructional Design, building an asynchronous course from scratch is time-consuming as it requires strong attention to detail skills since modifying the original plan can be another extensive process. Thus, because I am also in this learning process of implementing the ADDIE model into an actual program, I had to make a lot of edits to my project, resulting in long hours of redesign and revisions.

Another thing that did not go well was that I fell short on time in creating all the content I wanted for this course and had to rely on existing material that explained the topics well. Still, I like -when possible- making the learning experience more organic, if you will.

What worked is that I could complete the project for delivery on time and that the knowledge I acquired is transferable to many other scenarios, including Project B. Also, since my course was designed on Canvas, I now know how to create content on that platform which I found super fun.

The strongest aspect of the design process?

The design process was the one that gave me the most trouble because I did not have a complete course to use as a reference for my project; instead, I had a syllabus and the requirements from my client that I used as the base to build up the content and structure of the module in Digital Audio Editing and Production. So, the strongest aspect of the design process was to outline the learning activities based on the learning objectives and goals proposed for this module. This section of the design process was challenging because I had to redo the activities more than once and subsequently adjust the learning goals and objectives for them to correlate with each other, and we know how crucial it is to make sure this part of the ADDIE is done well as it is the foundation to support the developing of the other stages of this model.

The weakest aspect of the design process?

The weakest aspect of the design process was creating the calendar. This was probably the most uncomplicated process for many in this course, but designing for me was not much fun. I wanted to go for a simple but informative design, but none suited my needs, and the first two models I proposed got feedback from my client and peers, who suggested that the content could have been clearer, which I completely agree with. Finally, I came up with my design using some tools from Word instead of Canva, which helped me to outline my ideas better, and I am much happier with the result.

Timeline of Module’s Activities on Digital Audio Production Editing Techniques

How do you think the experience will impact you on Project B?

The experience working with Project A will help me develop each phase of the ADDIE model into Project B faster and more accurately. This is because Project B would be an opportunity to reinforce the knowledge I acquired when developing the first project and would help me address challenges I encounter more strategically.

References

Piskurich, G. M. (2015). Rapid instructional design: Learning Id fast and right. Wiley.