Asynchronous Learning

Asynchronous learning is the concept of teaching the same material to students at different times or places. It is also referred to as location independent learning.

The format of this material can vary. It is commonly recorded video or audio programs but can be virtually any medium.

Asynchronous learning does not imply independent learning. Students communicate about the material after absorbing it. This discussion can be done via forums, and teachers may actually require a certain amount of participation. Instructors will also often give out assignments and evaluations to students as well.

Asynchronous learning has several benefits.

1. Students can absorb the material at their own pace and can repeat concepts that give them trouble.
2. Students don’t have to respond “off the cuff”. They can put additional time and thought into answers and questions, improving the learning process.
3. Students don’t have to adhere to a rigid timeline. There will still be deadlines, but this type of learning works well with variable schedules.
4. From an instructor perspective, there is less limitation on the number of students they can teach at one time. Teachers will still have to account for feedback, assessments, and the like, but they can generally handle larger class loads. In some cases, the testing can be automated, increasing class size potential even further.
5. Instruction quality can be dialed in over time, improving it. There will be fewer instructor mistakes and omissions.

The downside is, as you might expect, the lack of immediate feedback and the ability for the instructor to make sure students are understanding the material as they receive it. In synchronous learning, where all students are receiving material at the same time, there is a more rapid question and answer cycle that can create some good discussion.

Keep in mind that synchronous learning does not necessarily imply live instructors giving in person training. There could be a webinar where all students are logged in at the same time which would be synchronous.

Both synchronous and asynchronous learning are different than self-paced learning. The first two imply a group going through the learning process together while self-paced learning is, as the name implies, independent.

Your continuous improvement training program will likely have a mix of all three types of learning.

Of note, Velaction offers a fairly extensive range of training materials that can help you develop all three of the above-mentioned types of training programs.