Asynchronous online learning gives learners the opportunity to control the progress / conditions of their own learning experience in a self-paced, convenient and interactive way. More specifically, this type of online education is not time and space bound, which relieves some of the pressure hindering individuals from accessing and reflecting on their learning in a highly fast-paced world, the everyday effects of which are even more evident when the regular flow is disrupted by something as detrimental as a pandemic.

Donn Randy Garrison, a Canadian professor and an expert on remote education, studied this phenomenon in relation to what he calls ‘cognitive presence’, which is ‘the process of both reflection and discourse in the initiation, construction and confirmation of meaningful learning outcomes’. Even more so than face-to-face learning, asynchronous online learning provides the conditions for this cognitive function in terms of having the time, space and resources to actively reflect on and be ‘present’ for the learning process. This is a huge step for modern-day student-based teaching and learning, and educators should take into consideration that remote learners shape their learning more than ever with the multifarious possibilities offered by technology, especially when educators facilitate the individual’s learning and create the content for study. 

Moreover, while asynchronous online learning may understandably be challenging for some students with disabilities, the issue of controlling exposure to content and learning is arguably a positive aspect for students who may lose focus or feel uncomfortable in more immediate, synchronous social settings/interactions. Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki and others, for example, collected data from college students with various ‘high-incidence disabilities’ (LD, ADHD, Autism, and more), and the findings confirmed diverse preferences, not least of which is the ‘preference for the synchronous discussions’, but also the high performance of students following asynchronous discussions (pp. 8-9). There were various and varying factors that contributed to different end-results, but the fact is that synchronicity ‘requires the processing of fast back and forth conversations’, which can be problematic for ‘students with learning disabilities (Dahlstrom-Hakki and others, p. 9). Asynchronous online learning can be a space for easier and more comfortable learning. 

It is true that there are many advantages to asynchronous remote education, and greater agency is one of them. Control and agency in this context are also structured by active interaction with the other participants in the online class, and this can enhance a healthy sharing of ideas and social interactions in a more self-paced environment, a ‘synergy’ (‘Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning’) that more effectively conditions learning. For many people, this kind of remote learning reveals a whole new world. 

Works Cited

Dahlstrom-Hakki, Ibrahim, Zachary Alstad and Manju Banerjee, ‘Comparing Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Discussions for Students with Disabilities: The Impact of Social Presence’, Computers and Education 150 (2020): 103842, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103842.

Garrison, D. Randy, ‘Cognitive presence for effective asynchronous online learning: The role of reflective inquiry, self-direction and metacognition’, Elements of quality online education: Practice and direction 4.1 (2003), < https://www.researchgate.net/profile/D-Garrison/publication/228585404_Cognitive_presence_for_effective_asynchronous_online_learning_The_role_of_reflective_inquiry_self-direction_and_metacognition/links/02bfe50db023b07263000000/Cognitive-presence-for-effective-asynchronous-online-learning-The-role-of-reflective-inquiry-self-direction-and-metacognition.pdf> [accessed 07 January 2020].

‘Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning’, University of Illinois Springfield < https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/online-education-overview/strengths-and-weaknesses/> [accessed 07 January 2020].

Asynchronous online education can prove an excellent way to facilitate learning. Its flexibility and easy access to resources and teaching channels can provide significant motivation to individuals (esp. adults) who would otherwise be unable or unwilling to commit to a time and space bound learning program. It is true this mode of education has its constrains and may indeed lack the spontaneity of a here and now class, as well as face to face interaction among peers/teachers. But its benefits are numerous and at the end of the day it's all about what one intends to make of it.