Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Distance Learning Activities

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Collaboration Versus Participation

Active, participatory collaboration has transformed our classrooms online and in real life.

Instructors have many choices to make while considering which online tools to use, and when to use them. The tools that are built into the problem-solving process must provide the learners with ways to leverage their ideations to reach conclusions that promote higher critical thinking both individually, as well as collaboratively.

Problem solving can be a messy process; there is no clear-cut path from A to B when multiple perspectives are being considered. Roger Martin, author and Dean of Rotman School of Management, says that (instructional) design involves “integrative thinking: the ability to exploit opposing ideas or constraints to create entirely new solutions.” 

The process of designing the perfect eLearning course that is also highly personalized involves building in tools that allow for flexible learning. Flexibility includes the ability to take the course anywhere, at any time, and to have multiple ways to reach individual conclusions. Building in asynchronous and synchronous learning into the program also allows for flexibility to optimally leverage the student’s learning styles, time, and skill sets while building a sense of community within the group.

How do we design and implement content that will build comprehension collectively and collaboratively? Interactive instructional design involves thinking about the context in which it will be used. Effective designers observe the people who will be using the content. When we know how the learners need their content delivered, we know how to ask the questions through a variety of modalities and tools that are best suited to their preferred modalities, comfort levels, and background experiences.

Asynchronous Learning
The facilitator asks open-ended questions to inspire deeper thought about the concept being taught. Some tools to consider for asynchronous learning are videos, webinars, audio podcasts, eBooks (texts), infogr.am (graphs), qtrial.qualtrics.com (quizzes), and edudemic.com (games).

Synchronous Learning
Social media (e.g. Twitter, Face Book, Google Hangout, PinTrest, etc.) games, videos, quizzes, inter-active blogs, coding, discussion forums, instant messaging, are examples of ways that classmates connect with facilitators and peers to collaborate on ideas related to the content.
Thoughtful and meaningful exchanges drive critical thinking to reach new heights. Interest drives learning. The goal of the shared learning experience is for students learn more collectively than they could have individually.

Some tools to consider include icebreakers, cartoons, avatars, and interactive multiplayer games. Tools that may be implemented to guide learners to successful outcomes include video lectures, interactive quizzes, complete peer graded assessments, and multiple ways to connect with classmates and facilitators. The shared goal is to allow students to learn better – and faster.

In conclusion, no matter which learning activity or environment that you are planning for the first rule is to establish online etiquette.Everyone involved must be aware of and play by the rules before any synchronous sessions are held. According to Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Center for Technology,"Make sure everyone gets to voice their thoughts and opinions and that no one person dominates the conversation" (2010). Global learning includes multiple cultures, and multiple perspectives. All ideas are worth hearing, and equity must allows be considered. Active inquiry and continuous participation from a wide range of learners enriches the conversation, and enables learners to come to conclusions that would not be possible completing the project or coursework alone. Whether online, or in the real world, learning comes to life when everyone's voice is heard. 

Pixar's Randy Nelson said,"The amplification you get by listening to a bunch of human beings interested in each other brings separate depth, that brings depth to the problem... bringing breath that gives them interest in the entire solution" (edutopia.org,2010). Collaboration can not be a synonym for participation. Collaboration is the depth, breath, and life of the learning experience.


Diana Stein
AET/541
March 31, 2014
Dr. Spear

Resources

Websites:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-open-online-courses-transform-higher-education-and-science/

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/more-high-school-students-in-florida-are-taking-advantage-of-massive-open/2151364

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC5FbmsH4fw#t=102

http://infogr.am/

https://www.facebook.com/emergingtrendsandtechs?ref=stream

https://www.coursera.org/specialization/virtualteacher/10?utm_medium=listingPage

https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsControlPanel/?T=3PbPKY

http://www.edudemic.com/games-in-education/

http://sjlibrary23.blogspot.com

http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms2/data/ck/sites/193/files/Synchronous%20vs%20Asynchronous%20Learning%20Activities.pdf

http://youtu.be/QhXJe8ANws8

Texts:

Haythornwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-learning theory & practice . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Stavredes, T. (2012). Effective online teaching. Foundations and strategies for student success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gardner, Howard (1983; 1993) Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences, New York: Basic Books.

Community, Collaboration, & Connected Learning

Personalized eLearning

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The reasons for learning are many.  There are infinite eLearning courses available to choose from. Choosing the one that suits you best requires knowing yourself, and knowing what you need to stay motivated toward reaching your personal learning goals. Learning online requires the learner to implement critical thinking skills in creative and innovative ways. Rote memorization is not a learning goal of the 21^st century classroom. Active, participatory collaboration has transformed our classrooms.

Instructors have many choices to make while considering which online tools to use, and when to use them. The tools that are built into the problem-solving process must provide the learners with ways to leverage their ideations to reach conclusions that promote higher critical thinking both individually, as well as collaboratively. Problem solving can be a messy process; there is no clear cut path from A to B when multiple perspectives are being considered. Roger Martin, author and Dean of Rotman School of Management, says that design involves “integrative thinking: the ability to exploit opposing ideas or constraints to create entirely new solutions.” The process of designing the perfect eLearning course that is also highly personalized involves building in tools that allow for flexible learning. Flexibility includes the ability to take the course anywhere, at any time. Building in asynchronous and synchronous learning into the program also allows for flexibility to optimally leverage the student’s learning styles, time, and skill sets while building a sense of community within the group. Some tools to consider include social media, ice breakers, games and simulations, videos, cartoons, and avatars. Some tools that may be implemented to guide learners to successful outcomes include video lectures, interactive quizzes, complete peer graded assessments, and multiple ways to connect with classmates and facilitators. The shared goal is to allow students to learn better – and faster. According to Daphne Koll of Coursera, four key ideas that are influential in building the perfect eLearning course are:

1Effectiveness of Online Learning
"Online learning plays a significant role in a lifelong education. In fact, a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education found that “classes with online learning (whether taught completely online or blended) on average produce stronger student learning outcomes than do classes with solely face-to-face instruction.”
https://www.coursera.org/about/

Before any learning can happen there must first be a desire to know. Learning starts with a question. Effective eLearning design must invite the learner into the experience. Designing the perfect online course involves problem-solving in reverse order. This sort of reversed cognitive processing allows the designer to leverage tools and the learner’s prior knowledge to their maximum efficiencies. Simply said, if the learner relates to the content, and the processes are adaptable, concept mastery is almost sure to follow.

2Mastery Learning
"Based on an approach developed by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, Mastery Learning helps students fully understand a topic before moving onto a more advanced topic. Immediate feedback on a concept a student did not understand will allow the student to feel supported, and know what the next steps for learning are. In many cases, we provide randomized versions of the assignment so a student can re-study and re-attempt the homework." https://www.coursera.org/about/

How do we design content that will build comprehension collectively and collaboratively? Interactive instructional design involves thinking about the context in which it will be used. Effective designers observe the people who will be using the content. When we know how the learners need their content delivered, we know how to ask the questions through a variety of modalities and tools that are best suited to their preferred modalities, comfort levels, and background experiences.

3Peer Assessments
"In many courses, the most meaningful assignments cannot be easily graded by a computer. In these situations peer assessments, where students can evaluate and provide feedback on each other’s work, are of greatest value. This technique has been shown in many studies to result in accurate feedback for the student and a valuable learning experience for the grader." https://www.coursera.org/about/

Interactive feedback that includes the use of peer assessments is especially meaningful because the observation gained through feedback allows for peer mentoring to take place. The best way to ensure that your knowledge is concrete is to teach it well. This sort of positive exchange also builds trust, resulting in classroom community.

4Blended Learning
"Many learning institutions are using online platform to provide their on-campus students with an improved learning experience. This blended model of learning has shown in studies to increase student engagement, attendance and performance." https://www.coursera.org/about/

Higher-level thinking is enhanced through collaboration, particularly with teams from varied backgrounds and disciplines. As we learn we need time to think, as well as time to bounce ideas around with each other. It makes sense that working in diverse teams will produce a wider range of ideas, ultimately resulting in providing more innovative solutions.

Yes, before any learning can happen there must first be a desire to know. If we want to invite the learner into the experience we must begin with a “What if?” mindset. When all learners are required to participate all responses are added into the problem-solving equation. Questions that build into higher-level questions invite deeper understanding, resulting in a richer, more complex learning environment.

This process takes time, and it may take some empathy. Positive and supportive thinking affects our bottom line collectively. Consider every invention that surrounds you on a daily basis. Nearly all of these items are the result of group collaboration; questions that resulted into other questions, in many iterations before the final solution was cultivated.

As eLearning progresses, and we discover more about how we learn best, there will undoubtedly be more and more programs that do some of the thinking for us, allowing us to use our human capacities in meaningful ways that will affect the greater good. As educators we constantly think about how we can help people get the information that they need, and the skills that they want, to make their lives and the lives of their families and communities better. With this mindset we are sure to invent the perfect learning environment to make those differences come to life.

Best practices for online instruction, student engagement, and virtual community building include the appropriate use of asynchronous and synchronous technologies, social media, and other emerging technologies. Data analysis techniques and student performance measurements may be personalized to enable each learner to reach his or her maximum learning potential in an online or blended learning environment. Strategies to include every learning type in our collaborative environment must include the use of visual, auditory, and interactive/kinesthetic learning modes. Through the inclusion of webinars, audio podcasts, pop up windows featuring informational breakouts and quizzes we enable all learners to the experience.

The Role of the Facilitator
Facilitators play many roles in the eLearning experience. Massive Open Online Classes, or MOOCS, allow students to move through their independently chosen coursework at their own pace with typically little or no interaction from the course facilitator using a variety of interactive features. “MOOCs had exploded into the academic consciousness in summer 2011, when a free artificial intelligence course offered by Stanford University in California attracted 160,000 students from around the world – 23,000 of whom finished it” (M. Mitchell Waldrop and Nature magazine, March 13, 2013). These learning forums offer unlimited enrollment and utilize the latest innovations and current trends in technology. 

The Role of the Learner
This learning model requires the learner to be highly self-motivated and is currently popular in colleges and universities. MOOCS are gaining momentum, and slowly spreading to the K-12 learning system in Florida. Students in middle school and high school are using MOOC’s in subject areas with end-of-course exams, including algebra, geometry, and biology. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “The law requires MOOC providers to use Florida-certified teachers to win approval from the state Department of Education” (McGrory, 2013). Students are using MOOC’s to enhance their education, not to meet requirements.  

The Role of Technology 
The virtual classroom is growing constantly. Selecting and implementing the right technology to use, and when to use it requires thoughtful and data driven analysis. This requires not only knowing your content for instruction thoroughly, but also knowing your student’s needs. Emerging trends and technologies used in social learning, and game-based learning, badging, and augmented reality affect how we reach a wide array of learners.

The Role of Instructional Design
Designing productive and culturally inclusive eLearning environments is no simple task. Lesson planning for student success and engagement requires research and thoughtful organization. Performance and assessment for special populations, such as gifted, at-risk, and special needs students, may require specific modifications to be built-in to evaluate student progress and performance accurately. Educational technology offers the eLearning instructor the ability to provide accurate and timely feedback, and monitor and assess student performance. Emerging technologies are quickly gaining momentum in the traditional classroom, and online. Understanding what innovative learning spaces and tools are available, which ones to use, and how to implement them for student success and engagement require the eLearning designer to be proactive and flexible. According to Stevens, “Learning informatics could provide an unprecedented level of feedback for colleges and universities.” Technological advances not only allow for much more accurate students assessments, but technology also offers colleges and universities unprecedented data that specifically measures how experiences and learning affect student learning. “This is a huge intellectual frontier” (Stevens, 2013).

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Resources

Websites:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-open-online-courses-transform-higher-education-and-science/

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/more-high-school-students-in-florida-are-taking-advantage-of-massive-open/2151364

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC5FbmsH4fw#t=102

http://infogr.am/

https://www.facebook.com/emergingtrendsandtechs?ref=stream

https://www.coursera.org/specialization/virtualteacher/10?utm_medium=listingPage

https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsControlPanel/?T=3PbPKY

http://www.edudemic.com/games-in-education/

Texts:

Haythornwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-learning theory & practice . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Stavredes, T. (2012). Effective online teaching. Foundations and strategies for student success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gardner, Howard (1983; 1993) Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences, New York: Basic Books.