Synchronous learning is instructional interaction that occurs in real time, with students and the instructor present at the same moment, even if they are in different locations.
How it works
Instructors publish a calendar of live sessions. Students join at those times, participate in discussion or activities, and receive immediate feedback. Attendance or participation may be required. The rest of the course can still contain asynchronous elements such as readings or recorded materials.
Example: a graduate statistics course meets live via video for 90 minutes every Tuesday evening. Students must join that session. Between sessions they complete problem sets on their own schedule. The live portion is synchronous; the overall course may still qualify as distance education if no instructional face-to-face campus time is required.
How it differs
Asynchronous learning removes the shared clock. Students access materials and complete work within windows rather than at fixed times. Hybrid learning adds required physical classroom time. A course can mix synchronous online sessions with asynchronous work and still be classified as distance education under IPEDS if all instructional content is remote.
Common errors
Assuming every online course is asynchronous. Requiring live attendance without stating it clearly in the schedule. Treating a recorded lecture that students can watch anytime as synchronous simply because it was originally delivered live.
References
- 1. Online Learning Consortium digital modalitiesReal-time interaction definition
- 2. Institutional distance education policies citing IPEDSScheduled live sessions within DE
Synchronous learning is instructional interaction that occurs in real time, with students and the instructor present at the same moment, even if they are in different locations.