Synchronous or Asynchronous Activities? Choosing a Modality that Works

When teaching in an online and hybrid setting, there are two primary ways to engage and interact with your students. Synchronous activities, like live Zoom sessions, require that everyone is in the same virtual space at the same time. Asynchronous activities, like discussion boards, email, or annotation tools, allow students to engage in academic work with their peers at a time that fits within their schedule.

Synchronous and asynchronous are both useful modalities that exist along a continuum in online and hybrid classes. In some courses, every element is asynchronous (not at the same time, like email or discussion boards), while in others almost everything happens synchronously (where everyone gathers at the same time, like a Zoom session), and still other courses employ a combination of both. These key questions will help you determine where your intentions for this course fall along this continuum and help you decide when to use synchronous or asynchronous elements.

One note: both synchronous and asynchronous modalities are valuable options, with neither being inherently better. Both modalities can be used to develop connections between students and faculty, facilitate group work, and critical thinking. 

What skills are most important for students to develop in your course?

Through asynchronous course elements, students practice written communication in an online setting and can be more reflective in developing and sharing complex ideas. This allows students to build upon their time management and planning skills while completing the coursework. 

Synchronous elements are useful when students are learning to develop an argument in real time, navigating time pressure, and constructing in-person interpersonal skills. Students will still build time management skills, albeit in a more structured and periodic cycle.

What type of feedback will be most useful for students in your course?

Asynchronous modalities provide opportunities for more thorough and reflective feedback. For more complex tasks, feedback will require intentionality, and will most likely be based on the product of a process that is not visible to the instructor. 

Synchronous feedback strategies provide an opportunity for spontaneous, immediate feedback that allows students to make real-time adjustments to their processes. 

What role will student perspectives play in your course?

Asynchronous settings work well for students who have unmovable demands on their time and availability and tend to set the expectation that every student shares their thoughts. This allows a greater diversity of students and ideas to be represented throughout the course.

Synchronous sessions can be designed to allow students to share their perspectives and relate course content to their experiences. This helps students connect with their peers and form a learning community within the synchronous session. Classroom management techniques become more relevant in synchronous sessions as vocal students may dominate discussions, creating a narrowed perspective. There is also a possibility that some students may take a back-seat through the whole course if they are not engaged in the synchronous session.

What type of time can you give to this course?

Asynchronous elements are set up ahead of time, requiring a heavier investment up-front that allows you to focus on teaching during the semester. Everything you create can be “durable”, and can be used semester to semester. While they can be iterated, it is harder to make asynchronous elements responsive to students in real-time.

Synchronous elements also require prep-time, but a lot of the instructional lift happens as you attend to instructional design and facilitate student learning simultaneously. Classroom preparation is iterative and is informed by previous synchronous elements to take into account and address any knowledge gaps. When facilitating the synchronous element, you are able to adapt to changes on the fly and check understanding in the moment to determine your plans need to change. Every session must be constructed in the moment in a way that can be immediately responsive to student needs.

The Right Decision

There is no single “right” choice when it comes to deciding whether synchronous or asynchronous teaching modalities. You’ll need to consider the learning outcomes you are working towards, assessment needs, your strengths as an instructor, and your students’ needs as learners. Clarifying the factors driving your decision can serve as a basis for selecting the modalities that work best for your course.