LESSON 5:

SYNCHRONOUS AND
ASYNCHRONOUS
MODALITIES
TWO BASIC FEATURES OF ONLINE LEARNING
1. SYNCHONICITY / SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING–
means used in real time, requiring participants and
instructors/facilitators to meet virtually at the same time from
different places. One of the most used tools used for
synchronous learning is webinar tools, such as Zoom, and the
virtual classroom, such as Adobe Connect, and Google meet.

2. ASYNCHRONOCITY /ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING

-means self-paced, and therefore participants can use provided
asynchronous learning elements, such as online audio and video
and discussion forums, at the time and place of their choosing.
 R O N O U S L E A R N I N G
BENEFITS OF SYNCH
SESSION a n d s p o n ta n e it y o fte n n o t
is a s e n s e o f im m e d ia c y
• There .
in a s y n c h ro n o u s s e s s io n
possible r a c ti o n b o th in p le n a r y
e y a r e id e a l f o r p e r so n a l in te
•T h
sess io n o r s m a ll g r o u p s .
a te r s e n s e o f c o m m u n it y ,
•They can produce a gre p a r ti c ip a te .
e ry o n e g e ts to
especially when ev r e s e n te r a n d g e t q u e s ti o n s
rs c a n in te r a c t w it h th e p
• learne
an sw e re d in re a l- ti m e .
 C H R O N O U S L E A R N I N G
DRAWB A C K S O F S Y N
SESSIONS ult ie s ( e s p e cia lly
e m a y b e s c h e d u li n g d iff ic
• Ther
across time zones) c ha lle n g in g f o r p e op le
o no us s e s s io n s m a y b e
• Synchr s
a n d b u s y s c h ed u le
with families x tr o v e r te d a n d
e m o r e e
• They are biased for th
articulated learners. e f o r r e f le cti o n b e f o r e
o fte n p r o v id e lim ite d tim
• They
respo n din g to q u e s tio n s .
THREE ADDITIONAL REASON WHY ASYNCHRONOUS
SEEM TO BE THE BEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD
Internet Access – Lower bandwidth is required in asynchronous
sessions. This means that it caters to more students than the
synchronous sessions.

Less Real-Time Demand on the Faculty- The teacher need not be

stuck to schedule for synchronous sessions with the learners. This is
a psychological, emotional, and a health problem

Better Engagement and Effectiveness- In general, asynchronous

sessions seem to have better chances of engaging the learners and
promoting deeper reflection and learning.
SOME VARIABLES TO CONSIDER IN DETERMINING
WHETHER SYNCHRONOUS OR ASYNCHRONOUS IS THE
BEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD
• Learner Access- learners can only participate if they have access.
If access is an issue for at least one of your learners, that is sufficient
reason to not engage in synchronous sessions. Asynchronous
activities create space for learners to find time to get online and
participate, given their various contexts.
• Learner Autonomy- We need to also consider our student’s
capacity to engage in autonomous and self-directed learning.
•Learner Task- If your goal is to get them to reflect, asynchronous
tasks would be the way. But if your goal is for them to interact, then
synchronous sessions are the more suitable design. Imagine a course
that you want to teach.
MODULARITY
• It is a style of instructions based on modules independent units
made of a learning project.
• Modularity refers to how teachers can rearrange and adapt lesson-
building blocks.

TWO BIG IDEAS ABOUT MODULARITY

Fr. Johnny Go, sj (2020)
1. Organize your course into several discrete and meaningful
chunks-or modules-that you can use flexibly, recombining in various
ways for different purposes and classes, such as an entire course or
several seminar-workshops.
2. Identify natural interim checkpoints within the course when it
would be helpful to give your learners feedback without waiting for
the end of the course.
ASSESSMENT:
A. Enumeration
1. What is the main difference between Synchronous and
Asynchronous Learning?
2. Name one benefit of Synchronous Learning Sessions.
3. What is a drawback of Synchronous Learning Sessions
mentioned?
4. Why does Asynchronous Learning seem advantageous
regarding Internet access?
5.What are the two big ideas about Modularity according
to Fr. Johnny Go?
B. Essay
1. Explain the concept of Synchronous Learning and
provide examples of tools commonly used for
synchronous learning. Discuss the benefits and
drawbacks of this modality in online education.
2.What is Asynchronous Learning, and how does it
differ from Synchronous Learning? Describe the
advantages of asynchronous learning, especially in
terms of flexibility and engagement.