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Not so long ago, earning a bachelor’s degree online meant spending hours staring at words and graphs on a computer screen. As the demand for accredited online degrees increases, schools are meeting this demand by providing live, synchronous learning for online students.
Live synchronous learning is an integral part of virtual K-12 curriculums and colleges are following suit. More and more colleges and universities are integrating real-time learning into their online curriculums and reaching out to students across the country, even across the world.
One such technology is Elluminate. Elluminate – and programs like it – allow students a variety of options that were not available in early online classrooms. This live learning experience allows teachers and students to connect and interact in real time. Because many online learners do their work late at night, instructors have the option to record the sessions so students may view the lessons as many times as they need to. They’ll simply click on the link to the recording, and they’ll see the recorded lesson on their computers.
What Can Professors and Students Do in a Synchronous Learning Environment?
When engaged in a synchronous learning environment, students and teachers can participate in the following activities:
- Web Conferencing
- Teleconferencing
- Video Conferencing
- Social Networking
There are a variety of ways that professors can engage their students. For instance, students can interact with their instructor and other students in real time by using the “chat” feature. They can type their responses and communicate with other members inside the virtual classroom.
Students and instructors alike can communicate by using a microphone or web cam from their computers. This live environment allows students to ask questions while an instructor is presenting a lecture. For instance, an instructor may show a PowerPoint presentation during the lecture. If a student has a question, he can ask it during the session and get immediate feedback. The advantage is that there is no lag-time in student/teacher responses and learning is immediate.
What Features are Available in a Live Synchronous Classroom?
Here’s the real kicker: Instructors have a variety of options to make learning more effective, even fun.
For instance, students can have access on the white board to write messages or share information. With a simple mouse click, students can raise their hands. Unlike a traditional classroom, the instructor will see a number beside each student’s name with the order they raised their hands and can answer questions in that order, ensuring that no student gets left behind.
If a student must step away from the computer, he or she can indicate his absence by clicking on the “Away” icon. They can also “clap” or give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” sign, just to name a few of the options.
Quizzes and Polls in a Synchronous Classroom
Other interesting features include “quizzes” and “polls.” This enables the instructor to get immediate feedback from students by posting short questions. Students can give immediate feedback to the instructor. If a number of students indicate that they do not understand the material, the instructor can slow down the instruction. If students are comfortable with the material, he can move forward.
Live Desktop Sharing in an Online Class
One of the major sources of frustration for online instructors has been not having the ability to help the students one-on-one. For instance, an English instructor may teach MLA or APA format, but several students may not format their papers correctly, or an accounting professor may need to assist a student with an Excel spreadsheet, but something is lost in the translation online.
Synchronous learning allows the teacher to gain access to the student’s desktop (with the student’s permission). Once permission is granted, the instructor can open documents, save documents, go to a website, etc.–all from a remote computer. The benefit to doing this is that an English instructor can “fix” spacing issues; an accounting professor can show a student how to correct a spreadsheet. This access is only temporary, but it allows instructors to work with students hands-on from another location and perform the same operations from a distance that he could one-on-one.
Synchronous Courses Enhance Online Learning
Once the instructor has completed a lesson, he can share the link with all the students in the course. He can also take attendance of those students who attended the live session. These features—and more—bridge the distance in online learning.
Online education has experienced a growth spurt over the past few years. Students who want to ensure that they are earning accredited online degrees can rest assured that colleges and universities are doing everything in their power to bring the classroom directly to the student.
Regardless of whether you’re pursuing an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or beyond, check out colleges and universities that offer synchronous learning in the online classrooms. Synchronous learning shortens the learning curve and makes earning an online degree more enjoyable.
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