Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, students have been subjected to many forms of learning. Two of these include synchronous and asynchronous schooling. While students at Central have transitioned into being fully in person in the 2021-2022 school year, there have been multiple occasions in which synchronous or asynchronous days have been implemented into the schedule. However, there has been a lack of awareness of student’s preferences; Synchronous or asynchronous learning?

Before debating one learning style over the other, it’s important to understand what each style is and what they mean. For starters, synchronous learning is learning through some sort of video call (often Zoom or Google Meets). With synchronous learning, students must log into classes and be present for a certain amount of time. Synchronous learning was used heavily in many schools when it was too unsafe to be at school in person from 2020-2021. Even this year, synchronous learning was used for students on the first snow day to remain learning, despite being at home. On the other hand, asynchronous learning is when teachers assign schoolwork for their students (on Google Classroom, for Central students), and students are expected to complete the work at any time before the due date. Although students do not need to log into any calls, they still are given work virtually with their own schedules. Asynchronous learning was used in Central for the two days before Thanksgiving break. While both synchronous and asynchronous learning occur virtually, many students have noted very different effects that these learning styles have had on their education.

Regarding synchronous learning, students have different views on whether or not this learning is more positive or negative. Overall, only 33% of the students surveyed said they preferred synchronous learning to asynchronous learning. Some positives highlighted by students include the fact that synchronous learning helps to prevent procrastination, the school day ends earlier, and that it’s more interactive than asynchronous work. This education method was described as “[helping] keep [students] from procrastinating and [keeping] kids a little more engaged,” by a student. Still, many negatives were pointed out about synchronous learning as well. For example, students explained how synchronous learning can cause distractions, make learning more difficult, lower attention spans, and increase anxiety about teachers asking questions over a video call. One student expressed some of their concerns with synchronous learning, saying, “...I don’t pay attention to the Zoom or get the work done as quickly…Going back to when we were all synchronous, my grades dropped a tremendous amount and most of my work confused me.” While synchronous learning may be more engaging, it causes many students to be more distracted, since events at home, phones, and more tend to be more prevalent. Along with this, students can be confused about their work, opposed to actually understanding it.

As for asynchronous learning, students are mixed on this topic as well. Of the students who participated in a form, about 66% said they preferred asynchronous education. Many people pointed out how asynchronous learning allows students to learn at their own pace, make their own schedule, and get more work done faster. One student described these positives, saying, “I actually did work (insane right?), was actually interested in the work so I did it well, and since I was constructing my own schedule, I had better sleep and eating habits.” Despite asynchronous learning seeming to allow for many students to work independently in whatever way works best for them, many negatives were explained as well. For example, students have described how asynchronous learning can make it harder to understand work without teachers present, increases procrastination, and can cause less students to complete assignments. One student described the effect that asynchronous learning had on them as “[feeling] disconnected from school (like it doesn't feel real).” It seems that much like synchronous learning, asynchronous learning has both positive and negative factors. However, more students lean toward asynchronous learning for virtual school days, mostly because of its independent scheduling and being able to work at your own pace.

The consensus is that asynchronous learning is better for students than synchronous learning. Around 66% of students prefer asynchronous learning, while only 33% prefer synchronous learning. Asynchronous learning allows students to work on their own schedules while still getting things done. Students appear to enjoy being able to do work at whatever pace works for them, and adhere to their own agenda. Still, others prefer synchronous learning due to its more engaging format using video calls. However, the difficulty of learning over video calls and the exhaustion from following a strict virtual schedule causes students to dislike synchronous learning. In the end, students still seem to favor asynchronous learning, preferring this method for days when students cannot come to school in person. Moving forward, when students have to remain home, using asynchronous learning may be a more effective way for students to continue learning. Students tend to appreciate this form of at home learning more, and find it more effective due to its individual scheduling for assignments.