Using both asynchronous and synchronous teaching can be done in the course by allowing students the benefit of both. For example, live lectures via Zoom and YouTube supplemental lecutres that may incorporate more animation relevant to the topic.
Leaning toward more asynchronous elements to improve online classes
Whether the class is synchronous or asynchronou would be considered based on the learning needs and designed outcomes of the course. If needed, synchronous class time can be incorporated between asynchronous class time, like hybrid.
I intend to have students post their course questions to Edverum's discussion board to minimize the number of redundant questions emailed to me at the beginning of each course.
Asynchronous and synchronous teaching are important ways to teach your courses, but they must be organized so that students can easily obtain the materials. I will be using both methods with my students.
Asynchronous learning and synchronous learning have their advantages. The decision for course delivery needs to not be whimsical or one of convenience but evaluated by all levels of the academic team. Both can highlight different learning strengths and should be strategically selected for a course not only related to the subject matter being taught but the learning method being emphaized.
I deal with students from lower socio-economic backgrounds so I find asyncronous teaching is more effective since their access to wifi and zoom is often limited and interrupted during scheduled class times.
Determining the appropriate method (synchronous or asynchronous) is essential to the livelihood of the course. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages but must be investigated to determine the likelihood of success in an online environment.
Both synchronous and asynchrounous learning can be useful depending the course and the pool of students.
I learned that a good strategy is to set up a predicatable pattern of how information is given out to students.
Laying out specific guidelines as to how/when to communicate will help establish consistency and also hold students accountable.
There are pros and cons to both synchronous and asynchronous classes. Asynch is better for those who can work independently and who do not procrastinate, as much of their learning and time management will be their responsibility. Asynch provides the most flexibiity in working for both instructor and student and you don't need to find a common class time with everyone. I have been teaching this way for 20 years and love it. It does take a diciplined student to be successful in this environment. Communication is also key. I use the message board a lot for both discussions and course questions.
It is important as an online teacher that you organize your online class in a way that students can easily navigate it. You also need to make all instructions clear in your syllabus, make items easy to find, and monitor your classes progress. Having a FAQ area will help the students as well as the instructor. Students could post a question in there and other students could respond to it. If the student responds correctly, this could be used for extra credit. It will help keep the students engaged in their online course.
Consistency is key with online learning. A student needs to understand what is expected of them and to develop a pattern that conforms to the clear expectations of the instructor. This can include the set-up of the course, the submission of DB posts, interaction with peers, how to ask questions, and general expectations.
Keeping the students interested will be a challange.
I think it's crucial to always consider the pros and cons of synchronous and asynchronous content delivery, and how that will be experienced by a cohort of students. Personally, I am most familiar with asynchronous learning, however it's important to be aware of limitations (i.e. decreased engagement) and benefits (i.e. no need for instructor presence) of asynchronous learning and how that might be handled to maintained consistency with synchronous formats.
Communicate is a huge part of student understanding cirriculum and succeding in the course
Someone said, "Communication is key," I agree, there needs to be an established method of communication so that the student feels they have access to their instructor for all questions and guidance. I find it critical to hand out the syllabus, objectives, and agendas in the first meeting or in the on-line syllabus. Having both VC and on-line gives students access to both components. But once the students feel comfortable with their method they settle into that style and then the flexibility of the online experience will be beneficial.
Communication is two-way traffic with online teaching, as much as I want my students to understand me, I equally want to understand them as individuals.
I find that using both has benefits, but overall consistency is the key with the students and the final outcome of the needs and want of the school.
