Asynchronous vs. Synchronous 

What is Asynchronous? 

    Asynchronous is a type of learning delivery system that is done strictly through one's computer. Asynchronous learning does not have learners engaging with an instructor, it instead involves a learner engaging with modules that consist of activities and lessons for learners to go through at their own pace. 

How to Create an Asynchronous Course

    When an instructor is present, it creates a safety net, where if the technology doesn't work then learners have their instructors to guide and support them. In the case of asynchronous learning, there is no instructor to serve as a safety net, if the technology fails, it fails. Before diving into the creation of an asynchronous course, the most important thing that you must consider is, do you have the appropriate resources? If you do not have the appropriate resources then, according to Piskurich (2015), "Your learners will suffer." If it is determined that you do have all the appropriate resources then, it is important to design policies and procedures. The creation of the policies and procedures, according to Piskurich (2015), answers some of the following questions...

    - Who has access to the learning.

    - How will they have access to the learning.

    - What portions require approval from management. 

Finally, once the policy and procedures have been made, it is now time to prepare the work environment. Preparing the work environment means that you ensure that the proper hardware is in place. 

How Do I Know if the Asynchronous Course is Working? 

    Conducting some sort of evaluation is crucial in ensuring that the asynchronous course is effective. Some things to look for when doing an evaluation include the following according to Piskurich (2015)...

- The number of courses taken.

- The number of courses completed.

- The number of courses created.

- Revenue 

- The number of calls made to the help desk.

- The ratings given by users.

What is Synchronous Learning? 

    While synchronous learning is held online similarly to asynchronous, what makes it different is the fact that there is an instructor. Learners join an online meeting through platforms such as Teams, Zoom, etc., where an instructor is teaching them. 

How to Design Synchronous Courses

    The design of synchronous courses might reflect certain aspects of something that is created for a classroom setting, however, there are some crucial differences. One of the differences is the creation of "mini-interactions" (Piskurich, 2015). These mini-interactions serve an important role which is ensuring that learners are staying engaged with the lesson. Even though synchronous has an instructor, it is online which means that it's challenging to ensure that learners are staying engaged. Something else that makes synchronous learning different from in-person learning is the use of a facilitator guide. It is crucial for the facilitator guide to be very detailed, even if you as the designer, are going to be facilitating. According to the author Piskurich (2015) for the facilitator guide, there is no such thing as overdoing it. Information should be provided about the following things...

- When to do mini interactions. 

- When to stop and ask for feedback, whether it's verbal or allowing learners to give you an emoji. 

- How to use any platforms being integrated into the lesson. 

- Steps on how to access the network.

The items listed above are not the only things that need to be in the facilitator guide, there are a lot more, however, those are some examples. 

Along with providing a facilitator's guide, it is also important to include a learner guide as well. The learners' guide would support learners with some of the following things according to Piskurich (2015)...

- Directions on how to complete assignments. 

- A list of materials that will be used during the course. 

- How to troubleshoot technical problems that may arise. 

Which One is Better? 

    When it comes to which one is better, asynchronous or synchronous, there is truly no right or wrong answer. The answer will depend on who you are asking. Everyone has preferences on how they like to obtain information, and those preferences will determine if they would prefer asynchronous or synchronous learning. 

Resources: 

George M. Piskurich. (2015). Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right: Vol. Third edition. Wiley.