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Synchronous Vs. Asynchronous Learning Platform—Let Your Employees Decide

Should you choose an asynchronous learning platform for the employees of your business? It is very important to understand that this question cannot be answered in isolation. There is no perfect or universal answer that will apply to all businesses.

Let us understand the difference between a synchronous and asynchronous learning platform before focusing on why the decision depends on the unique characteristics and requirements of your business.

The fundamental distinction between synchronous and asynchronous learning is that the former is a real-time set up where direct interaction occurs between a teacher and students or between the students themselves.

On the other hand, asynchronous learning involves transmission of lessons or instructions through different mediums like emails, video links, or even discussion forum updates. The student accesses the information at his or her convenience.

As you can see, whether synchronous or asynchronous will work for your business will depend on the preferences of employees, the working culture in your firm, the time requirements of various activities of your business, and the cost implications of the two options.

If your employees are not in favor of conventional classroom teaching, then chances are high that they would not be in favor of a synchronous platform. If convenience of accessing instructions at their preferred time is very important, then it is obvious that asynchronous platform is the right option for you.

As far as cost is concerned, establishing a real-time classroom set up, either in person or over the Internet, is likely to be an expensive proposition. Setting up a passive platform where students access instructions independently may work out cheaper. This can be a particularly beneficial option if your employees can be trusted to be self-disciplined about the entire matter.

Of course, the risk of the learning process being reduced to a formality is significantly high with asynchronous learning. Unless your employees are self disciplined, chances are high that the learning activities will be completed in a perfunctory manner, which means your business won’t really benefit from your decision to deploy the learning platform.

So, how can you make the right choice between synchronous and asynchronous learning? The best option is to let your employees decide. Since you are dealing with adults who understand the advantages and benefits of continuous learning, the best option would be to encourage employees to research the pros and cons of different platforms themselves

You can just be the facilitator who implements the collective decision and pays for the same. This will ensure that those who stand to gain the most from the exercise remain be in charge of the process of comparison and finalization of the right platform.

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