Synchronous and asynchronous e-learning are two of the most trending names in the e-learning sector. The global e-learning industry size was more than $315 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at nearly 20% CAGR through 2028. This gives an estimation of the enormous e-learning industry as well as the high growth scope for the players in this field.
No matter whether you already have an e-learning business or have plans to start one, now is the right time to start one. While the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the adoption and demand for e-learning, it has now become a common practice in the education sector. And with that synchronous and asynchronous e-learning both have come to the spotlight for a while now.
At the same time however, the e-learning sector is quite dynamic in terms of the trends, strategies, demand, and other factors. The rising adoption of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning is one of such trends. In this blog we will guide you through both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning and all you need to know about them.
What Is Synchronous E-learning?
Synchronous e-learning is defined as the traditional classroom structure of e-learning. So, in this type of e-learning, the online setup is the same as the traditional teaching that takes place in schools, colleges, universities, and other learning institutes.
Here the teacher teaches online in real-time so that the students can not only learn in real-time but also can ask questions, clear doubts, or interact just similar to the offline classes. Synchronous e-learning includes online training sessions, classes, educational webinars, doubt solving sessions, and others. The teachers or the e-learning institutes mainly opt for e-learning platforms to conduct such real-time classes.
What Is Asynchronous E-learning?
Asynchronous e-learning is another popular type of e-learning, where the interactions between the online educators and students don’t take place in real-time but at different times. As the name suggests, here the time of the e-learning process is not synchronized. Some of the prominent examples of asynchronous e-learning are online courses in VOD, PDF, and other formats, where the enrolled students can access them at their own convenience at any time and can learn at their own pace.
While synchronous and asynchronous e-learning are different from each other at many levels, each of them has their own set of advantages. Let’s have a look.
Also Read: Top Adult Learning Principles Every Online Educator Should Know
Advantages of Synchronous E-learning
There are certain advantages of synchronous e-learning that make it highly popular among the students.
Gives the Feel of Brick-and-Mortar Education
One of the top advantages of synchronous e-learning is, the structure followed here is same as that in the physical learning institutes. As the teachers and students are present in real-time and the teaching method is similar to the traditional teaching, the students can get the feel of the brick-and-mortar education system.
This in turn makes the learning process more effective and keeps the students more interested in learning. This is also the reason why synchronous e-learning is often preferred over the asynchronous e-learning especially for the school and college going students.
Better Learning At the Comfort of Home
As real-time communication takes place in synchronous e-learning, it lets the students learn properly even without going to the schools and colleges daily. While online distance learning existed even before the pandemic, the outbreak of the COVID-19 resulted in high demand to learn from home. With time not only schools and colleges, but online learning from the teachers from overseas or e-learning from global institutes got normalized further. Synchronous learning is often more sought-after due to the real-time learning methods that make learning from home even better.
Effective to Learn Fast
It is important to learn and assess on time, especially for the ones doing academic courses online. Asynchronous learning being more like an online version of the traditional learning system, helps keep the environment competitive and similar to the conventional education system. Regular tests, live discussions, Q/A classes, live classes for assessment etc. aid in fast learning for the students.
Better Scope to Learn In-depth
Unlike asynchronous learning, you get to interact in real-time with the online educator in synchronous learning. For any queries, unsolved questions, out-of-the syllabus queries, and others, you can reach out to the teacher easily and get it solved. As a result, it offers a better scope to learn in-depth.
Also Read: Guide to Become an Online Tutor in 2022
Advantages of Asynchronous E-learning
Asynchronous e-learning is often the go-to option for those who prefer to learn online, especially for the working professionals who want to learn at their own pace. Let’s see the top advantages of asynchronous e-learning.
Lets You Learn at Your Own Pace
One of the main advantages of asynchronous learning is, you can learn at your own pace without any time constraints. So, it is highly preferred by not only regular students but working professionals as well.
Once you get enrolled you can learn and give assessment tests at your own speed. This also makes it easier for you to learn from multiple courses at the same time without much rush.
Flexible in Terms of Time
Asynchronous e-learning is famous for the high flexibility of time it offers. You can access the study materials at any time as per your convenience. There is no strict schedule to attend online classes or chances to miss any class. Due to the high flexibility it offers, asynchronous e-learning can be a good fit for any type of learners with time constraints.
Teaching at Larger Scale
Asynchronous e-learning opens the path to teaching at a larger scale compared to synchronous e-learning. You can create online study materials in various formats and can simply offer them on your e-learning platform to a large number of audiences.
Synchronous & Asynchronous E-learning: Why a Hybrid Model Works Better
Synchronous and asynchronous e-learning both have their exclusive advantages to utilize. To start your e-learning business off the right foot or grow your e-learning business further, you must opt for a hybrid e-learning model which is a combination of both synchronous & asynchronous e-learning methods. Most of the leading e-learning businesses have already started to explore this option and the first step to do that is – opting for a quality e-learning platform.
Muvi OTT platform offers one of its kind of solutions for e-learning. Muvi offers the top competitive solutions to bring the best out of your e-learning business, such as on-demand and live content creation, SEO optimization tools, your own branded e-learning app, and multiple monetization models, to name a few. It lets you implement synchronous and asynchronous e-learning easily. Furthermore, Muvi has its dedicated e-learning solution including on-demand learning, live stream, LMS integration, online e-learning store, and many more. Take a 14-day trial today to get started.
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