In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current lockdowns have revealed that ed-tech has a valuable place in the education system. It has become more apparent now that learners have to do more online learning than they ever have before. There are plenty of ways that educators can use tech to make online lessons and deliver instructions remotely. 

This tech can contribute to higher engagement levels and collaboration and improve every user’s overall life when appropriately used. Most educators believe that eLearning must occur the same way that physical learning does, with all of the learners and the educator present at the same time. What many educators don’t know is that the asynchronous eLearning mindset can be just as effective. 

Adopting the Asynchronous Mentality

The many crucial things to keep in mind when evolving any teaching activity to be better suited to eLearning is that eLearning does not need to occur simultaneously as online teaching. This shift from in-person learning to the online counterpart is what makes eLearning unique. 

When giving a course in a traditional classroom setting, you are standing at the front of the class, at the whiteboard, and have real-time discussions with your learners. When you move things online, the same can take place. 

You might believe that the only way to run an online class is synchronous via web conferences. In many cases, this won’t be very practical since the probability of all learners and the educator being all together with live, stable internet connections is relatively low. 

That’s why it’s much easier to work on the asynchronous mindset. This means that you won’t need to count on you and your learners being online simultaneously. It takes some getting used to, but you will find the experience enlightening once you make the shift.  

The Asynchronous Mentality is Everywhere

For instance, you may want to take a course in your LMS (Learning Management System) to be a series of modules, and decide that you want your learners to take the modules sequentially, because each builds on the last, or you want to let your learners take the modules in the order of their choosing. 

Each module may be a video that you made, accompanied by a PDF, some relevant documents, YouTube and third-party links, etc. 

Learners can log into the virtual classroom whenever they want, even during the early morning hours, to access each module in the order you designated. You can also lay out some essential rules for the course, like the frequency and types of assessments and more. 

Conclusion

Not all learning needs to be done with the educator and the learner working together simultaneously. Allowing your learners the freedom to do their coursework according to their schedules will help boost engagement, teach them how to plan for themselves, and be responsible. The asynchronous mindset is everywhere, and embracing it is crucial to successful eLearning.