Online learning has made everyone around the world access the best of knowledge at the comfort of their homes with better flexibility. If you are offering employee training online, then you need to decide whether you want to go for synchronous or asynchronous learning.
Both synchronous and synchronous have their own advantages and disadvantages. It’s for you to decide which is the best option that aligns with your organizations’ goals and caters to the needs of your learners. To help you better with this, we have listed down the pros and cons of both synchronous and asynchronous learning so that you can make a more organized decision.
Synchronous learning:
Synchronous learning is any type of learning that takes place in real-time, where a group of people is interacting and engaging simultaneously. This doesn’t require the learners to be at the same place although the learning happens simultaneously. Synchronous learning allows the learners to interact with the tutors and get their questions cleared on-spot and they can also interact with their peers too.
Pros:
- It creates more engagement and involves the learners more because they can easily interact with their tutors and co-learners.
- Learners can pose their questions to learners then and there themselves and can also share their opinions instantly.
- Learners can share instant feedback.
Cons:
- Learners should adhere to a specific training schedule and they can’t access the content whenever they want.
- Learners might feel left out if they don’t understand any concept and they may also feel that they are not receiving individual attention.
- The quality of the training completely depends on the tutor. Thus, always ensure your trainer is highly qualified and has the potential to engage the learners throughout the lecture.
Asynchronous learning:
Asynchronous doesn’t require your learners to be at a certain place at a certain period of time. Learners can access the content wherever and whenever they want. They can watch the lecture a number of times until they become familiar with the concept. All that your learners need is a good internet connection to complete the course. To interact with the co-learners and tutors, learners can share their opinions and feedback through different mediums and get the response later.
Pros:
- Asynchronous learning offers more flexibility as the learners can access the content whenever they want.
- Learners can watch the content more times without any limitations.
- No scope for connectivity issues as learners can access the content or download it when their internet connection is stable.
Cons:
- Learners cannot have access to tutors instantly. For instance, learners need to wait for the response of the tutor through mail or some other medium.
- Some learners might feel isolated as there is no live interaction. This could be a huge demotivating factor as many learners enjoy social and collaborative learning.
- Learners need to be more self-disciplined as there is no one to monitor their progress and assignment completions.
Which one should you choose?
The learning method you choose should satisfy all your requirements. The learning objectives, availability of the learners, the type of content you deliver, and much more. If you have the resources, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning might be the best option. Many learning management systems like DigitalChalk offer a variety of learning types like synchronous learning, asynchronous learning, blended learning, and synchronous virtual classroom learning. With all these learning types, you can offer a personalized learning experience to your learners.
The combination of content that has different formats like images, text, and videos is the best way to keep your learners engaged. However, if your resources and budget are limited, you always have the option of choosing only one type of learning method. We hope this article helps you in giving you a better perspective on learning methods and lets you choose the appropriate one for your organization and employees.
