I like the idea of having my students complete a personality survey for online learners and using that data to drive how I run the asynchronous portion of the course.
I liked the idea of including some synchronous activities within an asynchronous course. I like that the students can have time for self reflection and also not get buried in the crowd.
I prefer to develop a blended education online with synchronized sessions at least once a month and the rest asynchronously. There must be interaction at least every 25 days. Education does not have the necessary engagement when it is alone, without guidance and without pressure to surrender.
I understand that learners have preferences, but if I'm not mistaken, the research shows the impact on grades is not affected by aligning materials to learner preferences. I can see how learning preferences affect motivation, which is very important for any learning modality.
Hearing the perspectives on synchronous and asynchronous learning is very insightful. I previoulsy felt asynchronous was a better option for many online learners due to their other life needs. Now I think otherwise as their education should take precedence.
Having students take a learning styles assessment can be helpful to them better understanding how their learning preferences and can also help faculty to ensure a variety of learning activities are incorporated into their class.
Asynchronous learning has provided me with a new group of students. I have noticed that some students need more motivation and constant reminders to complete assignments on time. Asynchronous students have to self motivated and have time managment skills.
In this module I learned the differences between Asynchronous versus Synchronous online learning. The value of having each type of method either together or separately for online teaching depends on the course you are teaching and how you implement it. I also learned the learner can test themselves using "VARK" or "True colors" to find out what type of learner they are and this can assist the instructor to be more effective in teaching the course.
The use of self-reflection exercises are great for assessing understanding and gaps in learning.
That introverts can greatly benefit from asynchronous courses.
With good course design, most academic courses along with their materials and laboratory experiments can be made available asynchronously.
While asynchronous allows the student for self learning at their own pace, the instructor is highly encourage to maintain comunication to ensure students are capturing the material and lessons effectively.
I like that this module detailed some things that would help students succeed in terms of their temprament. It takes a lot of motivation and self-discipline to learn and work on your own time and willpower. When I design online elements for my courses, I try to take a multi-modal/learning style approach so there are options that appeal to students different learning preferences.
I've learned that asynchronous learning is comparable to content-based task completion (applicable to a workplace environment for example). This can be a helpful way of being relatable to students in an asynchronous setting.
Whether learning in an asynchronous or a synchronous environment students can be engaged in learning. If possible students should take a learning assessment to determine how they may learn best.
I think that online courses have the ability to really be beneficial if the components are done correctly with both aspects of synchronous vs asynchronous activities. Those who feel the need to have more interaction will benefit from the moments were there is synchronous discussion but I think these learners also need to recognize that participation in these types of activities will be better for them.
Reply to Cori McGhee's post:Interesting. What do you do when a student didn't choose that learning format? The pandemic is a good case for many. So many students said they don't learn well in online. I don't blame the students. They are amazing at focusing to other online material. I think we need a better way to develop online asychronous material. Our methods are too outdated. Our theories are good. Community of Inquiry is a good model. We just don't take chances with trying new methods.
I prefer to reflect therefore teaching asynchronous courses is a great fit for me. I have a way to reach those students who may tend to fall behind by offering assignment sections due throughout the course. Once they reach the last week, we just pull it all together.
Asynchronous learning is not appropriate for all students. We should take time to make sure it fits for the individual student needs.
Asynchronous learning does pose challenges with student engagement, however, it provides much flexibility for students who lead full and busy lives.
Instructors can be instrumental in student success in an asynchronous course. Connectivity with students is still important even if there are no set meeting times in asynchronous learning.
