Online Teaching: When do I teach live versus letting students learn individually?

With many courses continuing to be taught online, a key question to consider as you are planning is whether to deliver content via live streaming such as Zoom or to let the students work on the content material individually. I am sure many of you have learned some of the online educational jargon, such as synchronous and asynchronous learning. Simply put, synchronous is live and happening at the moment, and asynchronous lets the students determine when they will learn. Hybrid or blending learning refers to any combination of online learning, including synchronous and asynchronous and in-person.

Initially, back in the spring semester, it made sense to covert in classroom teaching material to mostly a live online format. But with a bit of extra time to prepare and some new learned experience, it is essential to consider when and how much of your fall course will be live (synchronous) or student determined (asynchronous). In the true spirit of online learning, most of it aims to be student-driven and thus asynchronous. Students who pick to learn online have different characteristics than those who prefer on-campus learning (Roddy et al., 2017). The challenge we face is that our students started on-campus but have been forced to convert to online. While some students can make that transition fairly comfortably, other students struggle. Therefore, it makes common sense to strive for a balance between the two, and research provides supportive evidence that a mix (hybrid or blended) is best (Young, 2020). The critical question then becomes how much of the course should or needs to be delivered live and how much can be organized to let students learn on their time frame?

Let’s take a closer look at synchronous and asynchronous formats.

Synchronous learning is the closest thing we have to feel like we are still with our students. The benefit of being able to see each other and interact in real-time is invaluable. And it affords faculty the ability to get a finger of the pulse of how the students are doing. But unlike on-campus class schedules, when all the students are in the same location, one of the most significant challenges of the synchronous format is that our students are scattered not only across this country but may also be in another country. The point being, timing is now an issue. You could be scheduling your live learning activity during significantly challenging times for some of your students, it could be exceedingly early in the morning or the middle of the night.

Another challenge with the synchronous approach is the critical importance of access to digital devices and adequate internet bandwidth. There is, at times, nothing more frustrating than when an image keeps freezing, or audio is intermittent or lost. These issues are true for teachers and students alike. In our current situation, this may be even more of an issue given more people are home, and all need to use the internet or device.

However, even though planning a time when everyone can connect has its hurdles, the benefit is the shared time together. This time of live connection provides the opportunity for instant feedback as well as providing immediate answers to student questions. We know from neuroscience that human beings are social creatures and that we actually learn better together (Immordino-Yang & Fischer, 2009; Sousa, 2000; Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2011, 2014).  So, synchronous learning provides the ability to use the social benefit from evidence-based teaching through live lectures, paired, and group activities.  Examples of synchronous include live streaming lectures, webinars, video conferencing, virtual classrooms, live chat groups, and instant messaging.

Asynchronous learning is more common in online education. It is the primary underpinning of this methodology, which is to let students decide when they learn. You, as the teacher, still determine the educational content and activities, but they determine when they will do it. Key concepts to asynchronous learning include deadlines and interactions. Although the students are given the autonomy to decide when they want to learn, the importance of deadlines ensures they complete the work as assigned within the defined time frame. Intentionally creating opportunities that require students to interact with each other through assignments, chats, group projects, discussion posts, etc., is important. Your presence is also vital.

Creating engaging and meaningful activities, assignments, and tasks for students that require them to apply the information they are learning can significantly support student learning and motivation. Reflective type assignments work really well in an asynchronous environment. Because students are learning on their own, they have more time to reflect on what they just learned. A good way to do this is to use some reflective questions such as what was one main concept they learned or what is still unclear and have them share these with their classmates and you in some form of chat or discussion board.

Keeping those activities fresh and interesting may be harder than planning to lecture for 50 minutes. Remember, keep it simple. Think about what activities you have in your in-class course and keep, modify, and add more so that you live lecture less. Consider pre-recorded short videos to present a topic, followed by an activity. Chunk a previously live 2-hour lecture into 5-6 shorter pre-recorded lectures and consider pre, intra, and post assignments, activities, or quizzes.  Have the students post their work, thoughts, or comments online so their classmates can see. Encourage or require commenting between students, use surveys for formative assessment or course feedback.

There is no formula for the best balance in a hybrid or blended approach. You and your students, along with the nature, content, and learning outcomes of the course factor into this decision. Regardless of how we teach, in-person or online, mixing things up is usually a good idea.

References

Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Fischer, K. W. (2009). Neuroscience bases of learning. In V. G. Aukrust (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Education, 3rd Edition, Section on Learning and Cognition. Oxford, England: Elsevier.

Lawless, C. (2020, April 23). Synchronous vs Asynchronous learning: Which is right for your learners? Retrieved from https://www.learnupon.com/blog/synchronous-learning-asynchronous-learning/

Roddy, C., Amiet, D.L., Chung, J., Holt, C., Shaw, L., McKenzie, S., … Mundy, M. E. (2017) Applying best practice online Learning, teaching, and support to intensive online environments: An integrative review. Front. Educ. 2:59. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2017.00059 Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2017.00059/full

Sousa, D. A. (2011). How the brain learns (4^th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Stanford, D. (2020, March 16). Videoconferencing alternatives: How low bandwidth teaching will save us all. Retrieved from https://www.iddblog.org/videoconferencing-alternatives-how-low-bandwidth-teaching-will-save-us-all/

Tokuhama-Espinosa, T. (2014). Making classrooms better: 50 practical applications of mind, brain, and education science. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Tokuhama-Espinosa, T. (2011). Mind, Brain, and Education Science: A comprehensive guide to the new brain-based teaching. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Young, J. R. (2020, April 8). When to teach online classes live and when to let students learn on demand. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-04-08-when-to-teach-online-classes-live-and-when-to-let-students-learn-on-demand/