Semi-synchronous Learning, or Keeping Up with Everyone Else's Self-Pace

Our district earned the oppotunity to participate in a distance online learning opportunity through Cybersmart! I am one of the registered participants in the Authentic Learning & Creativity, which looks at adding the idea of authenticity to teaching and learning in the classroom. More on that in a near future post... this post is about an interesting observation I made about the pace of online learning.

Most online learning is divided into two categories related to the timing and pace of the course. Synchronous learning utilizes tools like live video, interactive whiteboard applets, and chat rooms to allow participants to interact with each other in real-time, at the same time. Learning takes place "in synch" - for everyone at the same pace. Asynchronous learning, on the other hand, lets participants move at their own pace. Learners can add their input to the course through tools like discussion forums, blogs and wikis, and other learners can log on at different times and read and respond to that input. Every learner can be in the course at different times, however.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Some learners need the pseudo-"face-to-face" learning and more immediate feedback that comes from synchronous learning, but learners must adhere to a preset schedule in order to participate. Asynchronous methods allow learners to move at their own pace, but often requires greater independent reading and research - and consequently some more self-discipline.

I did a brief Google search - but found very little already out there - about a third type of time-based learning, essentially a hybrid of the two: semi-synchronous learning. I discovered this when, for the Cybersmart course, two things happened to me: 1) I didn't receive my login information until about 5 days after the course "started"; and 2) I got a little bogged down with work and home stuff for about a day and a half. Consequently, once I was finally able to log in to the course and take the time to participate, I was faced with an interesting problem.

By design, there were no synchronous elements to the course - participants could access all the materials at their own pace. However, it was also designed so that each unit would be completed in one week. That is to say, the moderator would post information, participants would respond, and the moderator follow-up, within a limited window of time. I found myself two weeks behind everyone else in the course - not quite the example I wanted to set. I also found that, while I could still post in the "out-of-date" forums, because the other participants were focusing on later sections, most likely my input would not be as beneficial to the group as a whole because they most likely wouldn't see it.

In reality, I would guess that most online learning courses that are labeled asynchronous are, in fact, semi-synchronous. Receiving the benefit of interacting with other participants in other locations still requires all participants to be in the same "conversation space" (or, one could say, conversation time) as everyone else.

I hope to get caught up tomorrow and Friday, and use this opportunity to reflect on the online learning process as a whole. I want to bring the other four teachers from my school who are also in the course together to develop some redelivery options - it'll be interesting to hear their perspective on my "delayed participation." Stay tuned.

Posted in: communication, distance learning, learning, social software