How do online learners communicate online in both asynchronous and synchronous?
Answer The difference between the two is that Synchronous communication is generally in one or more of the following: Video to video learning, live text or voice chatrooms, and/or a set time/date where students and the instructor meet for a lecture, project, etc. Asynchronous, on the other hand, is not live. Students and the instructor access their courses at all different hours of the day to read, listen to and/or watch lectures, complete homework assignments, take quizzes and participate in the main and team group discussions via discussion boards, similar to a blog. Generally students are required to post a certain amount of material (i.e. one main substantive post followed by three substantial responses to other students as a bare minimum). The instructor also responds to other students to stimulate the discussion which in a normal college course is generally two weeks in length. That gives the students two full weeks to discuss a topic(s) determined by the instructor/school on top
Answer Hello Yasuke, Some distance learning programs incorporate both asynchronous and synchronous learning. Sometimes the first class or last class is a face-to-face meeting. Depending on the type of OLS (online learning system), instructors can conduct online synchronous meetings. A few universities have “office hours” for instructors and students to “talk” via messaging systems. Asynchronous learning occurs when individuals access the bulletin boards or forums independently. Good question!
