Why use synchronous tools?
The history of distance education is driven by educators’ recognition of student needs. We left the traditional classroom and entered the US mail, the TV screen and finally the online classroom in order to help our students to have better access to the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their chosen pursuits. Though we have covered a lot of ground in our attempts to service the distance student, one notices again and again a sort of reminiscing tone when instructors remember “how I did it in the classroom,” and perhaps a vague feeling that something was lost when teaching and learning went fully distance. The popularity of the hybrid (blended) model of instruction underscores a desire for synchronous interaction in teaching and learning. The hybrid course allows for both physical classroom encounters and demonstrations and also for the often more structured, reflective, and autonomous environment of the online classroom. Though the hybrid model works for many who feel a
