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How to Make Asynchronous Learning Work for Your Company

 
 

In the modern business world, bringing employees together for group training can be a challenge. A growing number of people are working from home while, in global corporations, teams might have members scattered across different time zones. Faced with these difficulties, many companies are adding asynchronous learning options to their employee training program. But self-paced eLearning comes with its own set of problems. For example, employees often struggle to stay engaged and motivated when they are learning separately from the other students. So how can your company bridge that gap and design learning paths that are both flexible and interactive? In this article, we’ll show you how to do exactly that.

 

 

What is asynchronous learning?

Asynchronous learning is any learning method in which participants complete the learning activities on their own schedule, rather than attending live classes. This could take many different forms. For example, your company might use traditional online courses with video lessons, worksheets, and other activities. Or you might offer your employees microlearning, where training materials are broken down into small, “snackable” lessons like short videos or quizzes.

Asynchronous learning can also include other, less structured forms of learning like online forums or discussions in the comments section of a module. User-generated content and learning materials like podcasts, whitepapers, books, etc. are also considered asynchronous.

Asynchronous learning is ideal for teaching theoretical knowledge or general “background” knowledge. For example, employees can be given a customized, asynchronous learning path that ultimately brings all students up to the same level of theoretical knowledge. 

 

Advantages and disadvantages of asynchronous learning

Here are some of the many benefits that asynchronous learning can offer in the modern workplace:

  • Makes it easier to schedule learning activities for global teams or hybrid working environments.
  • Gives employees the flexibility to learn when and where they want.
  • Avoids interruptions to the workday, which can boost productivity.
  • Self-paced learning lets students spend more time on challenging concepts and move quickly through concepts they already know.
  • Can be more cost-effective, because it requires fewer resources than live instruction.

 

However, there are drawbacks as well. The lack of real-time interaction means that students don’t get immediate feedback from their instructor. It can also mean that they feel less engaged with the material. Here are some other potential downsides:

  • Without the structure of a fixed schedule, students may put off completing the course materials until the last minute.
  • If students have questions, they will likely need to wait to get an answer.
  • There is a greater chance of misunderstanding when students can’t ask questions in real-time.
 
Nadine Pedro
[Translate to English:] Nadine Pedro, chemmedia AG

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What is synchronous learning?

Synchronous learning is when participants complete the learning activities together in real-time. They don’t necessarily need to be in the same physical location; synchronous learning can include video conference calls or live webinars as well as in-person workshops or on-the-job training.

Synchronous learning is ideal for teaching more practical, how-to information. For example, once they have the theoretical knowledge, students could attend an in-person training to learn how to apply that theoretical knowledge in their particular job or workplace.

 

Advantages and disadvantages of synchronous learning

Synchronous learning may be more challenging to schedule, especially in workplaces with a broadly distributed workforce. However, it offers many advantages:

  • Real-time interaction allows students to ask questions, get immediate feedback, and discuss concepts with their peers. This can improve the quality of their learning experience.
  • Having a fixed schedule keeps students accountable and can avoid problems with procrastination.
  • Group learning sessions foster communication and can enhance team spirit among participants. This can be particularly helpful for teams who work in different locations.
  • In on-the-job training or live simulations, participants can gain firsthand experience that would not be possible with other learning formats.

 

Despite the many benefits, however, there can be drawbacks as well. One of the main drawbacks of synchronous learning is the lack of flexibility: some learners may need to interrupt the most productive part of their workday to attend a training session, while students in different time zones may need to show up late in the evening or early in the morning. Other issues to consider are:

  • Students cannot re-watch the learning content if they don’t understand something the first time around. 
  • Students who are familiar with the material may feel bored or that they are wasting their time.
  • Synchronous learning is more difficult to scale. While a live webinar could have hundreds of participants, this format would lose many of the benefits of more personalized instruction.
  • Synchronous training in small groups is more resource-intensive in terms of cost and personnel.
 

Blended learning: the best of both worlds

Blended learning combines traditional group instruction with self-paced learning activities – in other words, synchronous learning and asynchronous learning. Students might attend alternating digital and in-person training sessions, complete a digital course followed by a live webinar, or attend a series of in-person sessions followed by a digital module or course. The exact blend depends on the ultimate goal of the training and what the particular group of students needs most.

The goal of blended learning is to unite the advantages of synchronous learning and asynchronous learning, offering flexibility and personalized learning paths on the one hand, and interactive engagement on the other. Each type of material can be taught in the most effective way possible.

Combining asynchronous eLearning with hands-on training helps solidify knowledge using real-world practice. For example, a machine shop or fabrication shop might have trainees complete an eLearning course to learn the theory behind metalworking, then attend a hands-on workshop where they can practice metalworking techniques. This would allow them to learn the theory as efficiently and conveniently as possible, then apply that knowledge in the in-person workshop.

This combination is far more effective than either method alone. Metalworking can’t really be learned without the hands-on component, so a strictly asynchronous eLearning program would not be fit for purpose. But learning the background theory in-person would be inconvenient for many learners, and would also require that the trainer spend hours teaching the material live. This is exactly the kind of situation where eLearning shines.

 

Benefits for employees

  • Offers greater flexibility than in-person training alone.
  • More efficient learning — employees can learn background information at their own pace and test out of modules they are already familiar with.
  • In-person modules allow for real-time interactions and make it easy to ask questions and get immediate feedback.

Benefits for employers

  • Gives the opportunity to create customized learning paths for employees.
  • Employees can learn the fundamentals with a pre-recorded digital course, saving time and resources.
  • Improved employee motivation with interactive, in-person training sessions.
 

Developing a successful strategy to blend synchronous learning and asynchronous learning

It takes careful planning to create a successful blended learning program for your company.  Because each style of learning offers different benefits, you’ll want to think carefully about which content to offer in each modality. Here’s how to get started:

 

1.

Analyze the ultimate goal of your training program and the knowledge gap that needs to be filled. What material will your employees need to learn? 

 

2.

Decide which material is better suited to each type of learning. For example, you might have employees complete a digital workplace safety course, then have on-site training where they learn to work with a particular machine or production line. 

 

3.

Find the right technology for your course. You’ll need a learning management system (LMS) with a few particular features to make blended learning work seamlessly.

 

4.

Design a well-structured, appealing course that clearly guides students through the learning process. Be sure to include easy-to-follow instructions and calls to actions in the asynchronous learning portions of your course, so that students are always clear on what to do next. A good LMS will make this easy.

 

 

Learning management systems (LMS) for blended learning

To create blended learning programs in your LMS, you’ll need functionality that lets you incorporate asynchronous learning and synchronous learning into your learning paths. For example, for asynchronous learning, it’s best if users can leave comments in the various modules. This can spark discussions that enhance the learning experience for everyone involved.

For the synchronous side of things, it would also be ideal to have video conference calls built into the LMS. And you should be able to create learning paths that include in-person appointments, webinars, video calls and more. With these features, you and your employees will be able to enjoy the benefits of both types of learning.

 

Try it out

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Save valuable resources, minimize the demands on your time, and optimize learning outcomes. Manage everything centrally on the online learning platform: Employees, training sessions, documents, video conferences, graduation certificates, learning outcomes, and reports.

 

The bottom line

Asynchronous learning offers a number of important advantages. It allows you to create flexible, customized learning paths for your employees that they can complete at their own pace, on their own schedule. It can also save money, since a single course can be shared with hundreds of employees at no additional cost. But a purely asynchronous learning approach doesn’t work for every topic. It is often best to combine self-paced learning with synchronous group training, either in-person or digital. By combining the two types of learning, employees and employers can enjoy the best of both worlds.

 

 
Kristal Fellinger Copywriter and Translator
Kristal Fellinger
Copywriter & Translator
 
 

Picture Source: Shark9208888/shutterstock.com