What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning?
– Answer: In synchronous learning the sending and receiving of information between the instructor and a participant is practically same-time. With asynchronous learning every participant uses the instructional materials and knowledge check at the time most convenient for them, i.e. the learning process does not happen at the same time for different participants.
Synchronous learning is when all the participants are interacting at the same time (in Virtual Classrooms or chatting sessions for instance). Asynchronous learning is when the student accesses the material on his/her own, at any time (online learning materials) or communicates with peers or tutors who are not available online at the same (emails, discussion forums).
You will see these words peppered throughout websites devoted to online learning. Basically, synchronous means “in real time” and asynchronous means “not in real time.” Face-to-face courses in classrooms are synchronous (they happen at the same time every week and everyone is normally present in the classroom) while many online courses are asynchronous (i.e., you can access the course any time you like and can do your work according to your own timetable). The Weaving the Web course are all asynchronous. Since we have learners from all over the world in our courses, using a synchronous environment (where everyone would have to log in at the same time) is neither practical nor desirable. Most people who choose our courses do so because they do not have to be in class every Monday night at 7 p.m. but wish to establish their own study timetable. Other institutions may offer synchronous instructions for some parts of courses using synchronous chat rooms, video conferencing, and even video
Synchronous means that the participants (faculty and students, students, or one-on-one student and faculty) are taking part in an exchange at the same time. For example, you ask the faculty a question via e-mail and they respond immediately as if you were facing them. Asynchronous, on the other hand means there is a delay between when the e-mail correspondence (for instance) is sent and when a reply is received. The delay could be as little as an hour, or as long as two or three days.
