Advantages and Disadvantages of Asynchronous Learning
The main advantage of asynchronous learning is that the learner can participate in their studies at a time that is convenient for them. My graduate degree was 100% online, I worked, had young children and did my homework in the evening after everyone was in bed, so I believe that this is a true advantage of this form of learning. According to Hughes (2014), learners have the ability to learn at their own pace and can review the classroom materials as often as necessary in an asynchronous environment. While I can attest to the ability to review materials at my leisure, the pace of the class is dictated by the assignments that are due and the overall course content. Although you can leave things to the last possible minute, the learner cannot really control the overall pace of the class. That is probably a good thing, as many of us are not self-directed enough to complete tasks that have no assigned due date. Some disadvantages of asynchronous learning include detachment from your classmates and potential feelings of isolation. I think humans are social creatures and enjoy the opportunities to discuss topics and learn from their colleagues. Without an active discussion board, those opportunities would not exist. Another disadvantage that I would note is that the class time is not limited to a typical class length. My professors at graduate school would often assign as much content as they wanted within the week. Responding to discussion boards took hours of my time, much longer than a 3-hour lecture. And I was forced to contribute (good and bad thing). In a face-to-face (f2f) lecture, if I didn’t feel like contributing, I could avoid making eye contact.
Is 'Lecture' a Bad Word?
The term lecture has become a catchall phrase that can mean anything from the traditional ‘sage on the stage’ all the way to a modern view encompassing the ‘guide on the side’ methodology of instruction. Although the term tends to have a negative connotation, I think of it as the concept of the standard class time allotment. I believe that online classes are more likely to fall prey to ‘traditional lecture format’ than any class that I have attended f2f in recent years. In my experience, f2f classes, more often than not, contain a participatory element. There are group activities, discussions, hands-on experiences and so much more. I will agree with Bates (2015) that the more traditional format of a lecture where the expert talks and the participants listen is likely dying out. But teachers and learners who engage in critical thinking and active learning are the future. Teachers help students understand materials. They synthesize huge amounts of knowledge into manageable chunks. Learning builds on a solid foundation and instruction is scaffolded.
My library instruction sessions are all offered in a f2f learning environment. In my opinion, my classes are most successful when I have the opportunity to include plenty of active learning techniques, such as: demos, group and solo reflective exercises, quizzes, polling, etc. Perhaps because these are the classes that I enjoy teaching the most, these are the classes where I feel the students are most engaged in my instruction.
Is PowerPoint Evil?
In my Learning Technologies class we were asked to watch a TEDtalk and then comment on the topic covered. The Phillips TEDtalk is highly entertaining and educational. He discusses our use of PowerPoint software and how it is done well and not so well. He states that PPTs can help to illustrate a point, prompt the presenter, provides an overview of the materials covered, notes key points and generally complements the presenter and the information that is being presented. I appreciated the comment made at the end of his talk, when he said that your PPT should not distract from you, because ultimately you are the presentation! The problem is that most people don’t create successful PPTs. They load the slides with content, the text is hard to read (size, colour, amount), there is little contrast on the slides and the information is quickly forgotten. Also in the TEDtalk, I liked how he suggested that the presenter should have the greatest contrast in order to draw the audience’s attention to them.
Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age [Open Textbook]. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Hughes, A. (2014). Comparing asynchronous and synchronous learning [Webpage]. Retrieved from https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1577/comparing-asynchronous-and-synchronous-learning
Phillips, D.J.P. (2014). How to avoid death by PowerPoint [Video file]. Retrieved from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo
