Virtual Learning: asynchronous vs. synchronous

Virtual Learning: asynchronous vs.  synchronous

     Back when in was a senior in high school (1994-1995 school  year), I participated in a pilot program for distance learning for dual enrollment students. Students from Habersham Central High School sat in a distance learning lab equipped with video cameras and a large TV monitor and interacted with a professor and college students at nearby Piedmont College. It had many advantages. We were able to take a college class and interact with a college professor without ever leaving campus. This was very high tech back then. Most students had never really used the internet, much less thought about online learning at that point. Unfortunately, the program did not last long (possibly only two years beyond the first pilot year). The program was costly to maintain, and took up a lot of space and resources for a few students. Because the students were bound by time and location, their were only a very few who could benefit.
 


Much later when I was working on my master's degree from Shenandoah Univ., I took several classes virtually through a blended classroom setting, but the model was semi-asynchronous. The students at the university that were taking the class live would participate in the class and then were required to complete assignments and make blog entries before a certain due date (usually before midnight Saturday). The virtual students would receive a DVD of the class via express mail, and we would be required to watch the class and complete the same assignments & posts before the same due date. It made learning both interactive and yet flexible for those taking the class virtually. I could watch the class and do the work on a flexible schedule, and yet I felt like I was a true member of the class.