Synchronous and Asynchronous learning.

What’s the Difference?

Online education started with the advancement of the Internet, which enables people to learn everything they want using specific learning management tools. We can combine online and offline learning to achieve the best results possible. All advancements in Internet-based education are in our hands, but we should decide how to utilize them. Our today’s talking about hybrid learning opens the dialogue about two approaches, different in the level of learning process synchronization.

As you see, both methods represent extreme scenarios, with a spectrum of possibilities lying between them. For instance, while strict deadlines may structure the learning process, learners may work with their materials step by step according to their needs and desires. Let’s start our story by exploring how both options work, what they need, which value they create, and how to implement them.

Do you have a tight schedule and, therefore, cannot invest days and months into the education for now? Asynchronous learning - it's what works best here, and let’s see how.

With the abundance of educational resources and continuous guidance from your instructor, you can digest information at a comfortable speed, ensuring you comprehend every aspect. You’ll work with records and various materials, think about the course subjects, make notes, and ask questions, everything in your own rhythm. That’s what online education brings to us: convenience and independence. And desynchronization of learning processes enables you to reach it fully.

The definition of asynchronous learning is reducing deadlines and other strict time boundaries to free space for self-directed education. Synchronization here means the correlation of the learning plan with all learners' activities, so if it remains low, participants have a lot of free time and engage in these activities when they want or can. They have materials, videos, tasks, and communication platforms, which are enough to learn and practice anything, from 3D modeling to sales.

By applying this plan, we have no predefined curriculum and are free to choose what and when to learn. Freedom, low expenses, and a self-organizing learning environment are key features here.

Therefore, asynchronous learning means reducing the level of strict organization for the sake of more space for self-organization. Online education provides possibilities for self-paced learning, without strict deadlines or coercion. This approach realizes these possibilities to the full extent.

To see asynchronous learning examples, travel to websites like Coursera, edX, or Udemy and find a topic that interests you. Some of the courses here are completely free, so why don’t start with them? Almost all of such courses have low synchronization and you can audit and complete them as you want. You’ll also meet the disadvantages of such an approach: detachment and a lack of motivation, unless you can motivate yourself well.

So now, let’s review the next element: the high-synchronization approach. Can it help to overcome such problems?

Typically, even when dealing with highly interesting and relevant topics, we face challenges of detachment and a lack of motivation. That’s OK, and many scholarly articles prove that: for example, this one from American and Korean researchers. Here, our question is how to overcome that. Synchronous learning - it's what can help. Here we have a highly organized learning path with strict deadlines, specific tasks to complete, and clear expectations after the learning route. Sounds efficient?

We don’t use this approach in all cases, as it can be pretty oppressive if overused. Learners are forcefully engaged in the process and face penalties if unable to complete everything timely. That’s the typical approach for schools and universities, but it also can be used at work. If you need to teach employees some specific skill, be it AI tools from the introduction or sales, then initiating a synchronous online learning program is preferable. They’ll learn the valuable skill in fixed time, and enrich themselves and your company by applying it.

Here, you need a well-defined educational strategy, with each course segment having explicit instructional materials. Learning tasks will be created based on these materials, and they’ll show how engaged your participants are and how they mastered the objectives.

Therefore, synchronous learning means harmonizing all activities to achieve a structured flow of instruction. Use this instrument to organize and structure everything at your workplace: set objectives, create a clear schedule, add learning paths, and ensure high motivation. You’ll impose responsibility on learners, but potentially reduce their mobility and flexibility.

Still, it’s a good approach to hit the mark if a specific task should be completed. But probably, you should adjust synchronization in each case separately. Let’s overview them!

It depends on what you want.

Is this a self-directed educational process where tasks can be finished without firm deadlines? Or must you instruct a particular set of competencies by a predetermined date? Do you have some objectives that may benefit your company instantly? Do you have engaging learning materials that may help your employees reach the high competency level? Are the learning environment at your workplace fruitful and innovative, and how can you improve it? Answering these questions will guide you to the perfect solution.

Also, see below the quick summary of both types. In many cases, the combination is applicable, too.

It can be highly valuable in cases where one needs to quickly and efficiently learn something and apply some skills in practice. Let’s see, why.

Asynchronous online learning is simpler to manage and facilitates a productive work atmosphere. Let’s see it more precisely.

Some learning management systems (LMSs) are more inclined to one of the approaches. It depends on their key features and the mission of the app. If a tool provides more content-organization features for online and offline learning access, it’s more suited for low synchronization. If it has dynamic tools for learning process organization as key features, it is better for highly structured learning.

Both app types, however, are similar in their need to maintain learner motivation and engagement. For that, they utilize gamification elements, score and badge systems, and various rewards for the best learners. Let’s see several examples of learning tools for both approaches.

These tools are based on knowledge exchange via virtual classrooms and have rich knowledge bases. All courses and educational resources are also available for offline use, allowing students to readily obtain what they require at any time. Their task-submitting tools enable learners to send the completed task at any given moment. Lastly, they have communication platforms and direct messaging features to leave feedback and ask questions in self-directed learning.

So, let’s see which tools are more inclined to that.

Synchronous learning tools are designed to organize the educational process thoroughly. While they also have virtual classrooms with learning paths and knowledge bases, their key elements are project management features that enable robust learner organization. They are prevalent in corporate education that requires a dynamic approach that can be connected with work routines.

Let’s see examples of these tools.