Synchronous Vs Asynchronous
There are benefits to both synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences no matter what the typical modality of your course. Voice, video, and text are available with both.
Synchronous activities give the instructor the opportunity to hear from students in real-time and to intervene if necessary. They give students the opportunity to ask questions immediately. Synchronous activities can help build class community as people are able to get to know one another, see and hear one another. Asynchronous activities, on the other hand, allow time for students to compose their responses thoughtfully or do research if necessary.
Asynchronous activities also allow students to complete work at a time that’s more convenient for them. It allows the opportunity to practice time management skills.
Ultimately, the decision about whether an activity should be synchronous or asynchronous, like all other instructional decisions, depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. If you need immediate feedback from students or they need immediate feedback from you, synchronous is the way to go. If instead, you want students to take some time with information you’ve presented them with and construct a response over time, asynchronous would be the way to go.
Synchronous Activities
Almost all activities in the classroom are synchronous. Everyone is actively participating together at the same time. For times when it’s not possible to be in class together or in the case of online courses, synchronous activities rely on technology. At OTC, we primarily use Zoom for synchronous activities outside of the classroom.
Zoom Tutorials
Accessing Your Zoom Account (Links to an external site.) – All OTC faculty have a Zoom account. Your zoom session will likely timeout after 40 minutes. If this happens, you can relaunch the session as many times as you need. You can also record your Zoom sessions and share the video for students.