Day 4 - Consider Synchronous and Asynchronous Discussions

In your course, your lead instructor will likely decide if discussion sections or other meetings happen synchronously (live) or asynchronously (by a deadline, but not live). While you are not likely to make this decision yourself, it is important to understand what each modality offers you and your students.

“Asynchronous learning is based on environments in which students participate in course activities within a given span of time, as compared to synchronous learning, which requires that students participate in course activities simultaneously in real time” (Dominigue, 2016).

Synchronous Discussions Asynchronous Discussions
  • Real-time interaction means responses and feedback are immediate. This can be more engaging for some students, and more difficult for others. 
  • Participation can involve live audio, webcam video, shared presentations, text chat, and other features. 
  • Requires setting expectations for communication and behavior. 
  • Often requires specific technology to participate (e.g., webcam, microphone, stable high-speed internet connection).
  • Technology failures are high-stakes and hard to correct in the moment.
  • Difficult to schedule, especially across multiple time zones.
  • More time for reflection before responding because interactions are not real-time. This can encourage some students to participate more, but be less engaging for other students. 
  • Participation is primarily text, and can include recorded audio, images, or video. 
  • Requires clear instructions with due dates and expectations of quality. 
  • Fewer technology requirements to participate compared to synchronous discussion. 
  • Easier and more flexible to schedule because students are required to participate by a deadline but not a specific time. 

Examples of Synchronous Discussions

Example 1: In an online course about gender and sexuality, the instructor hosts a weekly live discussion section meeting with 30 students. Students are first presented with a poll question that prompts them to consider an idea from the week's readings or lectures. Often this question is chosen to be controversial. After students view the poll results, they are split into small groups to discuss their response to the poll question, with the goal of reaching consensus about at least one point related to their readings. In this discussion, students must use readings rather than opinions to make their points. At the end of the small group discussion, specific groups are asked to share what they agreed upon and how the readings support it. The instructor uses what the groups share back to talk about the readings in more detail. The class meeting ends with students writing a 1-2 sentence anonymous reflection on the class meeting that is shared with the instructor. This discussion helps students connect with each other, practice fundamental discussion skills, and become more fluent with the week's readings. 

Example 2: In an online statistics course focused on using the R programming language, the instructor and TAs host live weekly discussion section meetings. Students are presented with a problem to work through earlier in the week, and during the live session the instructors demonstrate their solution to the problem. Instructors share their screen, showing how to work through the problem in RStudio, displaying their code to students. Students have the opportunity to raise their hand and use chat to ask questions during the demonstration. The problems chosen to work through are similar to those that will be on later project assignments and exams. 

Examples of Asynchronous Discussions

Example 3: In an online History course, students complete one Discussion every week in Canvas. In some weeks, the Discussion asks students to assume the persona of a historical figure and respond to a prompt or idea as that person. Students must draw on both the primary and secondary sources from that week, using what they know of the historical figure and their context to make creative assertions about how they would approach a situation. After all students have posted to their group, posing as a specific historical figure, students can then "break character" and post as themselves, commenting on other students' posts and "liking" the post in their group they find most convincing. At the end of the week, instructors highlight exemplary posts, and discuss why they find specific posts most effective. This discussion asks students to extend what they are learning from course materials to consider new situations. 

Example 4: In an online Math course, students use Piazza to post questions that correspond to specific homework assignments. Rather than asking simply how to solve a problem, students are required to post what they have already found or solicit advice on a specific step. The instructors monitor the Piazza discussion board regularly, but only post to "endorse" correct answers or correct misconceptions. This discussion provides a way for students to connect with and help each other, and lets them directly practice problems that will appear on later exams. 

Activity: Compare Synchronous and Asynchronous

Throughout our course, we will ask you to spend a few minutes reflecting on the readings and materials. This helps connect what you have read to your own experience. Please complete the practice activity below. 

[Insert the following matching activity with the tool of your choice. This was originally done with H5P - download the H5P file here.]

Drag the words into the correct boxes.

_______ activities happen live, and require instructors and students to be available at the same day and time, regardless of location.  [Synchronous]

_______ activities don't happen live. They can provide students with more time to reflect on their response. [Asynchronous]

If your course will have _________ activities, it is especially important to understand where your students are located, and their general schedule constraints. While you can record these activities for students to watch later, students who watch the recording will not have the same experience as others who attended live. [Synchronous]

________ activities can place a greater demand on students to have technology, including things like an adequate computer, a webcam and microphone, and high-speed internet.  [Synchronous]

________ activities can be boring or mundane for students if they are only required to post and reply. It is important to design these activities to align with other parts of your course and give students clear instructions and an interesting prompt. [Asynchronous]

 

Tip: Set Guidelines for Discussion Behavior

Whether discussions or section meetings will be synchronous or asynchronous in your course, it is helpful to set guidelines or expectations for students ahead of time. It is best if these expectations are part of the very beginning of the course, so students understand how to communicate with and treat others from the start. Often these are included in a syllabus or course orientation, and they are explicitly included along with statements on inclusion, diversity, and equity. Review our Course Expectations section of the Syllabus for an example. 

Setting expectations and guidelines for behavior is especially helpful in making sure all students in your course feel included, welcome, and safe participating (Establishing Ground Rules, Center for Teaching Innovation). You may also consider asking for anonymous student feedback or input on your discussion expectations. What do students think is missing or could be improved? When students have opportunities to contribute to and shape expectations, they are more likely to meet them. 

Your lead instructor will likely set these expectations within the syllabus for your course. 

References

 

 

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License Links to an external site.. This means that you should feel free to adopt and adapt content from this page for your own teaching, but we ask that you observe the terms of the license and that you provide attribution to Learning Support Services.