A topic of interest in higher education these days is the future of instructional modalities. Educause describes a trend in students’ preferences for modalities that are mostly or entirely online because of the many benefits for students. Online asynchronous courses are characterized by self-paced flexible design to accommodate the needs of students. Students access course material and learning activities, such as pre-recorded lectures, readings, and assignments, from different locations with no fixed meeting time for class – they work at their own pace, on their schedule. Instructors provide students with activities that can be done independently. It may also be appropriate for students to work collaboratively in small groups or mentor each other.

Benefits of Asynchronous Learning for Students

Asynchronous strategies in the online learning environment offer many advantages:

1. Research suggests that asynchronous instructional strategies promote higher cognitive learning outcomes than synchronous strategies because students have time to process ideas and concepts to develop in-depth thinking.
2. A key benefit is that student learning and thinking become more visible. With asynchronous online learning, learners are part of a peer learning network offering diverse perspectives and insights, with all of this happening in text or video form. Students can engage asynchronously with content raised by course readings, discussions, lectures and videos and all of their responses are visible to the faculty member.
3. Asynchronous learning strengthens subject matter knowledge and transferable skills such as communication, critical thinking, adaptability, time management and self-discipline.
4. Some studies highlight how asynchronous learning can be used to meet the needs of individual learners. For example, Universal Design for Learning practices can support a broad range of diverse learning needs.

Choose Asynchronous Strategies Intentionally 

While asynchronous learning has many strengths, it is also essential to consider the limitations in choosing strategies. Students may have negative feelings about asynchronous strategies because it requires stronger self-motivation and time management skills. Also, students may need help seeing the value of interactive discussions and regular faculty contact to stay organized. To improve students’ experience, it is essential to plan your presence and engagement with the class, and build community in the online classroom. Let students get to know you and invite students to share who they are. Creating community is not just a ‘feel good’ goal: when you successfully create your classroom community, your students focus on common goals and have a sense that they are not in this alone. Your course learning objectives or outcomes should guide your chosen learning strategies. Consider the following questions when selecting learning strategies:

• What skill should students be able to perform by the end of the module or class?
• Which active learning strategy will allow students to practice this skill?
• How will students engage with information and interact? 
• When will students reflect on what they’ve learned? 
• How will you make your presence (or teaching presence) visible to influence students to participate, engage with peers and facilitate students’ learning?

Active Learning

Active learning strategies have students do something (physical or cognitive) to apply concepts and challenge students to take responsibility for their learning. In addition, active learning activities help promote higher-order thinking skills and engage students in deep understanding by exploring diverse perspectives, arguments and issues. Bonwell and Eison described active learning strategies as “instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.” Examples of active learning techniques include case studies, group projects, peer teaching, discussions, debates and reflection. Remember that students will need an appropriate timeframe to complete asynchronous group work because extra time is necessary for communication and coordination as compared to face to face classes.

Practical Course Design Recommendations

When designing an asynchronous online course, keep the following principles in mind.

1. Keep it simple: use learning tools that students are familiar with. 
2. Make sure your intended outcomes, learning activities, and assessments are aligned. 
3. Ensure your course site is clear and well-planned. Nurture student motivation with clear instructions and guidelines to increase a sense of competence – help students understand what they need to do and the resources to succeed. Without face-to-face cues, it is important to direct students’ attention before reading, watching or listening to something. 
4. Include a weekly course schedule to map out the term for the students.
5. Foster a sense of instructor presence and communicate with your students regularly.
6. Provide flexible ways for students to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes.
7. Asynchronous instruction extends beyond watching videos. Avoid recording complete lectures; instead, break your lectures down into 5-10 minute mini-lectures, and include opportunities for active learning. 
8. Consider targeting your feedback to manage your workload and prevent students from being overwhelmed. Peer feedback offers another strategy for providing timely feedback. For example, you can guide student feedback with a simple framework such as describe–evaluate–suggest.

Which tools can I use for asynchronous teaching?

There are many tools available to help you engage learners in asynchronous learning. You can learn about some of these tools in the table below.

Tool/Activity	Description	Support Resources
VIUTube	Record and share video content such as lectures, demonstrations, quizzes, tours, interviews etc.	VIUTube Tutorials VIUTube Video Quizzes
Quiz Tool	Self-assessment, formative assessment, quizzing and exams.	VIULearn Quizzes Tool
Self Assessments	Create untrackable quizzes for students to test their knowledge and to provide immediate formative feedback.	VIULearn Self Assessments
Groups	Use group activities to help build community in the virtual classroom.	VIULearn Groups Tool Create Group Assignment Submission Folders Create Group Discussion Forms Create Group-Enrolment Release Conditions to release course materials only to members of a specific group.
Discussion Forums	Asynchronous discussions as a class or in smaller groups. Files and images can also be attached.	VIULearn Discussions Tool
Assignments	Provide a place for students to submit work and for instructors to review and provide feedback on submissions.	VIULearn Assignments Tool
VIUBlogs	Communicate and share skills, experiences, learning (artifacts and reflective writing), either individually or collaboratively by creating eportfolios, blogs, and standalone websites.	VIUBlogs Tutorials
Announcements	Post updates and new information about the course.	Create Announcements in VIULearn
Checklists	Help learners manage their time and focus their attention on important objectives.	Create Checklists in VIULearn
Email	Communicate time sensitive and important updates and information to specific students, groups, or the entire class.	Using the Email Tool in VIULearn VIU/ Outlook Email Support Resources Send an Email to the Class using the SRS
Surveys	Use Surveys to gather feedback from your students about the course or other circumstances.	Download Midterm Survey Template Download End of the Term Survey Template Create Surveys in VIULearn Access Survey Results in VIULearn
H5P	Create interactive experiences & activities.	H5P Website Install the H5P Plugin on VIUBlogs H5P Support Resources
Other: Chat tools (for example, MS Teams), Google Docs, Mind Mapping, etc.	Facilitate collaboration.	Microsoft Teams for Classes & Cohorts Google Docs Editor Support Resources Create Mind Maps using Miro

Please note that some of these tools may not be compliant under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FIPPA). For more information about FIPPA and how to stay compliant please email FIPPA@viu.ca or visit VIU’s Access and Privacy webpage. 

Want to Learn More?

Check out these additional resources:

• Frontiers in Psychology, Constructing a Teaching Presence Measurement Framework Based on the Community of Inquiry Theory [Research Article]
• International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in higher education [Research Article]
• University of Alberta, Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching [Webpage]
• University of Alberta, The Benefits of Asynchronous Instruction [Video: 6:48]
• University of Waterloo, Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning: Strategies for Remote Teaching [Webpage]

And, as always, we encourage you to contact us for a conversation about this or any other teaching and learning topic.