How do the two types of distance education work?

Synchronous instruction means that all of the students and the instructor(s) participate in the class at the same time, even though they are not in the same place. This is usually done through “live” teleconferencing, video conferencing web conferencing, or Internet chats. The class is given at a set time, and everyone calls or logs in at that time to participate. Synchronous courses can offer a level of interactivity similar to that of a traditional face-to-face class.[2885]

Asynchronous instruction does not require that the student(s) and the instructor(s) participate at the same time. Students choose when they want to study the course materials or interact with the instructor(s). Asynchronous instruction is more flexible than synchronous instruction, but offers less interactivity because it is not “live.” In asynchronous instruction, course materials and communications are often delivered via CDs or DVDs, by traditional mail correspondence, or through e-mails, listservs and Internet downloads.[2886]

  1. 2885

    Cal. Cmty. Colls. Chancellor’s Office, Distance Education Report (Aug. 2013); see also What is Distance Learning? California Distance Learning Project, http://www.cdlponline.org.

  2. 2886

    Cal. Cmty. Colls. Chancellor’s Office, Distance Education Report (Aug. 2013).