Asynchronous vs Synchronous Courses

Last updated 7/14/2020

What is the difference between an asynchronous and a synchronous course? What are some of the advantages or disadvantages to either model? And which one is right for your classroom and your students?

In a synchronous course, students meet with the professor and with each other in real time. The professor might lecture, facilitate a discussion, or organize activities for students to complete in break-out rooms. For courses listed as synchronous on CUNYFirst, it is assumed that students will be available to attend the class at the times listed (i.e. Tuesdays from 1-2:15pm). The attendance policy of the “synchronous” session is similar to a face-to-face class. Students should not assume that synchronous class meetings will be recorded for later viewing.

In an asynchronous course, students may have a window of time for when they are able to access and complete assignments (i.e. between Monday and Friday of this week). However, rather than meeting at the same time, students can complete the work when it is convenient for them. One student might do the work on Tuesday, and another might do it on Thursday.

This means that the attendance policy of the asynchronous course is different from a face-to-face class. While instructors can expect that the student will engage in an asynchronous activity (i.e. watching the recording of the synchronous class meeting, participating in a discussion board, completing an alternative assignment, etc.) to “attend” the class, an asynchronous class cannot require students to “show up” to class at the same time.

In an asynchronous class, faculty do have the flexibility to schedule optional synchronous class meetings to help students who have different learning styles. However, since this course is asynchronous this means that attendance in any synchronous class meetings must be 100% optional and can have no impact on a student’s grade.

Course Organization

Below, we’ve given some examples of the way that faculty might organize classes: from fully synchronous to fully asynchronous. These course organizations are more detailed than a CUNYfirst listing, and are concerned with how you develop your pedagogy beyond how it is listed. Whatever course organization you choose, you should share your intentions with your students. Here’s some guidance from CUNY Central on what and how you should be communicating your plans.

While there are plenty of other options beyond the ones we list below, these organizations are meant to help you understand some of the key differences between asynchronous and synchronous learning so that you can choose a design that best suits your students and needs.

Professor Bernice Summerfield’s class is listed as synchronous on CUNYFirst. “Live” dates and times will run in full as it is displayed in the schedule listing.

Some snapshots from class:

Prof. Summerfield’s course is listed as MW from 4:10-5:25pm and will meet on Zoom for the full duration of those dates and times.
This means the students will meet their professor on Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The remaining coursework is completed asynchronously.

Professor Abraham Van Helsing’s class is listed as synchronous on CUNYFirst, but “live” dates and times will be reduced from the schedule listing.

Some snapshots from class:

Professor Van Helsing’s course is listed as MW from 4:10-5:25pm. It will meet on Zoom on Mondays during that times.
The remaining coursework is completed asynchronously.

Each of these classes are listed as “Online” with “TBA” under dates and times on CUNYFirst but will have some optional synchronous sessions:

Professor Albus Dumbledore’s class is listed as asynchronous, even though he offers an optional handful of 3-4 “live” full-class meetings. These are between the students and Professor Dumbledore. Students who cannot attend are held responsible for viewing the recording of the meeting.

Some snapshots from class:

At the beginning of the semester, Professor Albus Dumbledore designs a questionnaire or scheduling survey using Doodle or Google Forms, or Qualtrics. This helps him to determine a time to hold the optional synchronous class session (i.e. a lecture, a discussion or a review session) at a time that is convenient for him and is convenient for the majority of students interested in attending.
He announces those three dates and times for full-class Zoom meetings.
Students are asked for permission to record at the beginning of the Zoom meeting, and all students who cannot attend this meeting will be held responsible for viewing it and completing a makeup assignment that needs to be submitted by a certain date.
The remaining coursework is completed asynchronously.

Professor Vivian Banks’ class is listed as fully asynchronous, with no “live” dates and times at all.

All coursework will be completed asynchronously, which means there are no mandatory class meetings in which students meet with the instructor at a date and time scheduled time. However, Professor Banks must work to maintain a sense of instructor presence so that her students remain engaged with the course, know that she’s paying attention to their contributions, and feel a sense of guidance and direction as they move through the material. This is why Professor Banks posts weekly announcements and content,provides a weekly deadline for assignment submissions, and gives lots of timely feedback.

Some snapshots from class:

At the beginning of the semester, Professor Banks sets up a discussion board on Blackboard and puts students into several groups on it where they conduct weekly conversations. There is also a forum where students can ask questions, one where they can share relevant articles with each other, and one where they can share fun stuff that is unrelated to class.
Every Monday, Professor Banks posts a new discussion topic and asks students to add their thoughts by Wednesday.
Every Thursday, she posts a mini-lecture video to Blackboard that she recorded using Screencast-O-Matic. It features some new content and a recap of interesting points that students raised in the discussion.
Professor Banks holds synchronous remote office hours on Thursday afternoons from 1pm-2pm using Blackboard Collaborate or Zoom. These are open to any student who shows up, but if a student would like to request a private meeting, they may do so with her via e-mail. She also responds to student questions in the “questions and answers” channel.

Which one is right for your classroom and your students?

As you choose a course organization that works for you, here are some items to consider:

Department/program policies. Have you discussed your options with your course coordinator? Does your department require any amount of your class to be held synchronously or asynchronously?
Class composition. How do your students currently engage materials in your class? Is your class primarily discussion-based? Is it primarily lecture-based? A combination? Does your class typically rely on peer review, group work, or pair work?
Class time. Which of these styles of engagement would require students to meet synchronously? For example, if you typically have discussions in class, what are ways to shift those discussions to an asynchronous online forum?
Class rhythm: Just like in the face-to-face class, students will want to know about how frequently they are expected to engage in the various components of your course. Creating a predictable and consistent weekly rhythm can help. For example, if students must respond to a discussion question and also respond to their peers’ contributions, you might want to assign two due dates that reoccur each week (i.e. Answer the question by Thursday, and respond to another person by Friday for a class that meets synchronously on Monday).
Assessing course changes. What might be lost or gained in this shift? For example, students might participate more in asynchronous conversations where students have more time to formulate their response. But you might have more to read and assess.
Maximizing accessibility. Some students might have limited access to technology or privacy. Others might be juggling various schedules and competing needs. People have different learning styles. Are there any course organizations that lend themselves better to making your course accessible to as many students as possible?
Choosing a recording policy. Will you need to record your synchronous class and make the recording available to students who have technical difficulties, who are ill, or who have other reasons that they cannot join a synchronous session? If so, how will you inform students and get their permission to record? How will students access the recording?
Facilitating peer interaction. How can your design facilitate a classroom culture of sharing and interacting between students? Could you organize peer groups for the course? Students in peer groups can also share course information/content with each other if they miss a live session or need clarification, which could reduce your correspondence workload.
Instructor presence. Just like in the face-to-face classroom, students will expect to be able to interact with you in an online course. How can you excite students about what they will learn in your class while also orienting them to your expectations? How will you provide ongoing feedback and support so that students have understood what they have learned and what is still unclear? How will you answer students’ questions in a way that feels manageable and consistent?

CTL’s Position

The CTL favors course organizations that offer a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning to meet the needs of different learning styles. These course organizations easily incorporate the best practices of instructor presence and offering flexible access to the course content.

Last updated 7/14/2020

Course Organization

Which one is right for your classroom and your students?

CTL’s Position

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