6 Things To Include In Your Asynchronous Elearning Strategy

laptops connected to a globeWhen you are creating your elearning strategy, it is important that you identify the specific learning method that you will use. For instance, if you will use an asynchronous method, you need to understand what type of learning experience this will give your students.

Asynchronous is all about self-paced learning. That means you will create a course that learners can access as they wish. They are not required to learn it together with a group. It may also mean you do not have to wait around for learners to access the course – you can upload the lesson and leave it on the Internet. That is possible but if you want to gauge how effective the course is, it still pays to keep an eye out for every course that you post online.

The challenge in this type of learning is how to make it as interesting, engaging and effective as possible. Learning in your own pace is okay especially if you are a very busy person. However, it can get boring sometimes. So if you are coming up with a strategy for your asynchronous elearning course, you may want to include these  6 tips to make it more effective.

  1. Make your expectations and objectives clear. Being upfront with these two will allow learners to align it with their own expectations and objectives for taking on the course. This can be indicated in the outline of the course. The outline can also serve as the guide of the learners in determining how far they have come in the learning process.
  2. Establish a mode of communication between the instructor and students. It is true that this is a self-paced type of learning that does not have to happen simultaneously with other learnings. But that does not mean students cannot communicate with the instructor. Ensure that the elearning course has an established mode of communication where learners can post questions about areas in the course. It can be an email or an open discussion forum where they can post questions or discuss issues encountered.
  3. Set a consistent schedule for communication. For instance, when a student sends an email, make sure that the instructor answers within 24 hours and vice versa. That will keep the communication from dragging out too long. Inform them of the preferred method of communication for inquiries that demand immediate answers. If there are inquiries that require discussions, this can be set in real time – just make sure the learners know how to initiate this so instructors are made aware.
  4. Create an environment that will allow learners to interact. This may seem like it goes against the self-paced learning. But then again, getting input from fellow learners is a great way of learning too. Think about  setting up a blog where learners can put comments on articles that are relevant to the elearning course. That is one way to let learners interact and learn from each other – even if they are not learning the course all at the same time.
  5. Open doors for self-exploration and research. Although the bulk of the learning will be coming from the content of the course, it is important that you allow the learners to explore things on their own. Encourage them to do their own research if there is something they cannot understand. To do this, you may want to place a lot of resource links that will serve as references of the learners studying your elearning course. Not only will you broaden the resources of the learners, you can also encourage them to pursue their studies on their own initiative. If there is a video that you can link to for more information or a webinar that you have previously done, this can be included in your course. If that particular course has a part 2, then mention that as well. At least, you can encourage them to continue updating their knowledge.
  6. Use interactive elements in the course. Lastly, you want to make sure that even without interacting with other people, your asynchronous elearning course will continue to be exciting and engaging. You can use scenario-based activities or games that will help them practice the skills that they learned. You can also use various multimedia tools like videos, audio presentations, etc.

Try to incorporate these 6 tips as you are planning your strategy for your self-paced elearning course. That way, you can hope to provide your learners with the best learning experience even without real-time interaction.

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