Did you know that there are two different types of distance learning? – Asynchronous learning and Synchronous learning. Synchronous learning is geared towards a course where you and your students are interacting at the same time; ultimately having more student-teacher interaction and more structure. This means that the student must be working on their course at a specific time in order to complete it. Synchronous learning works best for students who have the ability to set aside a predetermined time every day, or every week, to work on the course.
Asynchronous learning allows the student to be more flexible when they take the course; available when they get home from work or when they wake up in the morning. Having such flexibility creates less student-teacher interaction during the course. To achieve this, the content must be stored so that it can be easily accessed by the teacher or students at any time. There are different ways to create and deliver your course content, such as:
- Online forums
- Audio recordings
- Video recordings
Asynchronous learning works best for students who have hectic schedules and need more flexibility to complete the course. Remember, an Asynchronous learner needs to be self-motivated and able to complete assignments, tests, etc. without the constant presence of a teacher.