Synchronous vs. asynchronous learning: Do you know the difference?

Synchronous or asynchronous learning? To make your continuing education a complete success, you should know the difference! In this article, we'll explain to you the specifics of these two forms of learning.

In continuing education, we come across the terms again and again: synchronous and asynchronous learning. It's not always immediately clear what the differences are.

But if you are aware of the differences between synchronous and asynchronous learning, you can structure your training and education measures in a more target-oriented way and will achieve even better learning results!

Synchronous vs. asynchronous: Communication is key

The biggest difference between the two forms of learning can be found in the way participants and trainers communicate:

Both synchronous and asynchronous learning have advantages: Asynchronous forms of learning are preferred especially by users who feel pressured in face-to-face courses and need more time for reflection on and personal processing of learning content. Synchronous learning, on the other hand, promotes active exchange and encourages discussion of the topics discussed.

As you can see, there are different methods of learning for both types of instruction. However, this does not mean that you have to commit to one form of learning with your training measures.

Combine synchronous and asynchronous learning!

With blended learning – the combination of face-to-face and e-learning – you can use synchronous and asynchronous learning methods at the same time! It’s particularly popular to augment face-to-face events with online courses. Online, participants learn asynchronously (i.e. completely self-directed), while in the synchronous, face-to-face part they ask questions and do exercises for practical transfer. With repetition and application in two modes, new knowledge is better anchored in the memory – and the learning efficacy increases!

Would you like to learn more about how to combine synchronous and asynchronous learning units as blended learning? Then feel free to check out our free overview of the most popular blended learning models: