Spelman offers three delivery methods for online courses – Synchronous, Asynchronous, and Hybrid. These methods refer to the type of online experience, and although they have their differences, both refer to time.
Synchronous Learning
• Require both the students and professor to be online at the same time
• Lectures, discussions, and presentations occur at a specific hour
• All students must be online at that specific hour in order to participate
Asynchronous Learning
• Allows students to take online courses on your own schedule
• Instructors provide materials, lectures, tests, and assignments that can be accessed at any time
• Students may be given a time frame, however, in which work must be completed
Hybrid Learning
• A mixture of both asynchronous and synchronous learning
• Each course description will indicate what hours are synchronous
• Synchronous times could be used for office hours, testing, or class discussion