Synchronous and Asynchronous Class:

The New Normal Learning Amidst Pandemic

Purposive Communication with Interactive Learning

Dan Gomez
Professor
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are a life-long learner that strives to learn what we can do to be the best person

and student we can be. First and foremost, we would like to thank God, for letting us

through all the difficulties, and for His shower of blessing throughout our research paper to

be completed. We have experienced your guidance day by day. We will keep on trusting

you for our future.

We would also like to acknowledge and express our warmest thanks to Prof. Dan

Gomez who made this work possible, and for giving this opportunity to do research paper.

His guidance and advice carried us through all the stages of making this research.

And, last but not the least, we would also like to give special thanks our parents for

their continuous support and understanding, they are our inspiration.

May our Almighty God bless us all.

TITLE PAGE i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

BODY

I. Introduction

I.1 Rationale 1

I.2 Problem of the Study 2

I.3 Research Objectives 3

I.4 Significance of the Study 4

II. Review of Related Literature

III. Findings

IV. Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION

Rationale

At present, online learning resources have become a focus of vital discussion in

education and research literature especially at higher education level. Heads in various

universities are giving immense attention on online education as an important source of

teaching (Young, 2011). These online learning resources have been revealed to be a

technique to make the educational opportunities accessible to maximum students at any

time and location. Online resources are now being considered as a means for improving

instruction, establishing flexibility in learners' reach to instruction, and reducing the costs of

instruction (Taplin, Kerr, & Brown, 2013).

A large part of the current academic research has identified that web learning

situations inside the instructional innovation engage students essentially through specific

correspondence. The adequacy of videoconferencing contrasted with close and personal

interaction and capability of videoconferencing in training for geographically remote

learners, who don't have access to traditional educational setup, has been proved of

incredible benefit. As a result, these results have built up a discourse on video-conferencing

apparatuses that how may be a true media could be used for instruction; however, they

don't give information on the most effective method that may be utilized to connect the

learners in dynamic learning. One article by Bonk and Zhang (2006) gave pedagogical

knowledge of both synchronous and asynchronous learning, in which they discuss about

online methods of instruction and how learners can adjust their thoughts for online

instruction.

In synchronous correspondence instructors called attention to and found that there

was a minute variation regarding adequately reinforcing learners in synchronous learning

respect to online synchronous group discussion and effective control that depended on a

specialized instrument, empowered participants to communicate through text content and

pictorials. The study was conducted on ninth grade students. Members from both groups

anticipated that an effective mediator must be active, and he should keep the live

discussions focused to help participants to remain on the topic. Participants also told that

they did not essentially need the moderator to put in his or her scholarly opinion on the topic

in the discussion.

The researchers concluded that the type of discussion that an instructor encouraged

to use and the extent to which students were involved in synchronous discussion influenced

the learning of students for both High School and College level. They also found that the

way of discussion was different in synchronous and asynchronous online conversation.

Different studies have found that while engaged with synchronous learning as compared to

asynchronous learning members (a) can find limited means of communication, (b) tend to

be focused, (c) feel a greater sense of contribution, and (d) experience better

assignment/course completion rates (Chen to You, 2007; Hrastinski, 2010).

Through a multi-case evaluation of asynchronous courses Garrison and Cleveland-

Innes (2005) found that alone participant interaction does not inculcate a feeling of mutual

social existence or involvement in online education. They found that participants of

asynchronous online study seek the content uploaded by their instructor or they try to

engage themselves in meaningful learning tasks. According to Lehman and Conceição

(2011) the designers of online learning sources have become able to understand and

incorporate the latent nature of social interaction that must be considered while creating

asynchronous learning situation by understanding existence of different factors i.e.,

involvement in an online course.

Han (2013) found that regarding utilization of video conferencing at higher education

level in synchronous instruction use of videos impacts the learners' feeling of association

with their instructor. Han found that in courses that included teacher videos, as compared to

the courses that did not utilize videos, students could overcome the feeling of being at

distance from the instructor. Moore (1993, 2013) talked about transactional distance which

Han suggested could be overcome through the utilization of video assisted instruction. He

argued engaging in important collaborations with the instructor and peers may minimize

transactional distance. As indicated by Moore (1993) transactional distance is a

pedagogical phenomenon that learners experience while living apart from their instructors

and fellows, collaborating with each other and the way of their relationship. Participants

may feel different level of transactional distance in an online course mostly depending upon

the level of shared discussion, the content that the instructor sets up for them, and the level

of autonomy in a course (Moore, 2013).

In a study Arbaugh (2004) found that many individuals who participated in

asynchronous online courses, the experience involved in developmental process for

understanding and becoming an active learner was totally new for them. Most of the

individuals need to modify their role as online learner and their assumption regarding the

role of their instructor. Motteram and Forrester (2005) determine online learning as specific

individualized process but to become an active and effective online learner, students need

some pre-requisite skills i.e., know the use of technology being used for the course, ability

to search the course material, understanding how to communicate with other participants.

Eventually, to be successful in online learning, learners need time to learn how to formulate
online activities related to their course that may adjust into their routine while performing all

other family and work responsibilities (Muilenburg & Berge, 2005).

Graham (2006) presented the concept of blended learning. He defined blended

learning that does not depend on the mode of presenting something but what is being

presented. According to him instructional media, methods being utilized and the

combination of face to face and online instruction are the elements of online blended

learning. Moskal, Dzinban and Hartmen (2013) referred the blended learning as changes in

institutions of higher education due to mixing old and new methods, but they suggested that

there must be better definition so that institutions of higher education may align their goals

to be successful to initiate blended learning. In this manner, blended learning has been

found to develop adaptability into individuals' learning, as well as to help organizations for

productive utilization of time and workforce.

This study aims to identify students' perceptions regarding synchronous and

asynchronous e-learning resources at higher education level. It also focused to recognize

the difference in the use of online resources by male and female students at higher

education level, difference in perceptions of students in different programs about the use of

synchronous and asynchronous e-learning resources at higher education level. It also

highlighted the students' perception about need of teachers' presence during the use of e-

learning recourses. Researchers also identified the students' opinions about the placement

of e-learning resources in educational setting. Students' views about the effectiveness of

instruction by teacher as compared to e-learning resources were also examined. Students'

perceptions regarding effectiveness of books and library resources and e-learning

resources for learning were also identified.

The problem of the study was specified below:

Synchronous and Asynchronous Class: The New Normal Learning Amidst

1.1. knowledge and quality of lessons;

Objectives of the study are the following:

1. To identify the students’ perceptions about the use of synchronous and

asynchronous e-learning activities at college education level.

2. Highlight the students’ perception about teachers’ presence during the use of e-

learning recourses.

3. Identify the students’ opinions about the placement e-learning resources in

educational setting.

4. To examine students views about the effectiveness of instruction by teachers as

compared to e-learning resources.

5. To know the students’ perceptions regarding effectiveness of books and library

resources as compared to e-learning resources for learning.

The importance of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning. Combining

these two ways will create a full course, you may guarantee that students are prepared for

classes ahead of time, allowing for more concentrated time with the teacher and deeper

participation and conversation. Your students will have the best chance of succeeding.

Many countries and businesses around the world were able to continue to provide

education despite financial constraints by combining both learning modalities.

The benefit of online education is that it allows students to take classes from

anywhere they choose. It also enables schools to reach out to a larger network of pupils

rather than being limited by geographical limits. Teachers can provide online lectures such

as recorded, preserved, and shared for later viewing. This allows students to access the

instructional materials whenever it is convenient for them. Educators may become more

efficient by expanding their lesson plans beyond standard textbooks to include internet

resources.

The purpose of this study is to be able to make critical understanding and learnings

on how it affects the teachers and students. We, researchers’ intent to spread or give

advises and ideas to the readers on how to cope up and manage their certain problems.

The outcome of this research may provide knowledge and insight to all students,

parents, teachers, and future researchers can generate the possible solutions in handling

different perspective and time. It is beneficial for them to enrich their learning progress and

to be acquainted with the information gathered. It also helps them to generate ideas from

our topic that can serve as a guide and basis in choosing their related topic.
Review Related Literature
Recommendation

The Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted education of over a million post-secondary

students in the world. It needs to rise to the challenges and anew ways of educating

students becomes essential, pandemic has brought about unrivaled change in our social

lives, particularly in schooling. This led to the development of diverse types of learning

management systems (Synchronous and Asynchronous Class) reflecting teachers’ efforts

in redefining the roles of education amidst the global crisis. There is a lacking knowledge in

the students which speaks to the changes from face-to-face learning to synchronous and

asynchronous learning for students who are, the main affected of these transitions of

learnings. Mainly students who experience synchronous and asynchronous learning may

probably has no proper learning, student are not focusing on their studies because of

barriers that affects their learning, this situation has a big impact in the student learning

system. This study mostly benefits the teachers who is the in charge to the student’s new

way of learning, a mixed methods approach was engaged which allowed for the students,

who are in-service teachers, to put up their experiences of the transition from face-to-face

learning to online learning through questionnaires and focus group interviews. This may

help to know what the possible infusion to the certain problem may and for the teachers to

be guided. This structure was used to capture the essence of the student experiences in

their continued learning during the pandemic and the learning platforms and instructional

processes used to maintain high quality education. The results reveal socio-economic

inequalities such as lack of access, technical devices and skills when using online platforms

and its impact on current teaching and learning. The results also show that exposure to a
variety of online teaching increased student knowledge which could be transferred to their

own practice. A teaching method was deployed to the teachers for them to make possible

way on how their student learn even if they are experiencing blended learning.