For our paper, we will focus on 3 different types of classroom environment, which are in-person, correspondence, and distance education (DE).
When describing instances of in-person classroom environments, we mean when synchronous instruction instruction occurs in a physical space, such as a Brick and mortar building. It is best defined by the Glossary of Education, which states:
In-person learning is any form of instructional interaction that occurs “in person” and in real time between teachers and students or among colleagues and peers. \cite{definition}
When describing instances of the Distance Education classroom environment, we are following the definition laid out by The United States Department of Education clearly defines Distance Education for the purposes of accreditation.
Distance education is defined, for the purpose of accreditation review as a formal interaction which uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and which supports regular and substantive interaction between the students and instructor, either synchronously or asynchronously. Distance education often incorporates technologies such as the internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or video cassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, in conjunction with any of the other technologies. \citep{amended2019}
When describing instances of the Correspondence Classroom Environment, we are again following the definition laid out by The United States Department of Education also has a definition for Correspondence Education, which has a clear distinction from Distance Education and which is an important consideration in the development of the framework presented in this paper.
1. Education provided through one or more courses by an institution under which the institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructor;
2. Interaction between the instructor and the student is limited, is not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the student;
3. Correspondence courses are typically self-paced; and,
4. Correspondence education is not distance education. \citep{amended2019}
The terms synchronous and asynchronous will be referenced often, particularly as they relate to each of the 3 classroom environments defined above. For the purposes of this paper, we combine the definitions from the Cambridge Dictionary as well as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in order to best capture instruction as it looks in today's digital environment.
The Cambridge dictionary defines synchronous as: \cite{dictionaryb}
Trends of the word Synchronous \cite{dictionaryc}
Rooted in a digital space
Happening or done at the same time or speed. \cite{translations}
Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines synchronous as:
Of, used in, or being digital communication (as between computers) in which a common timing signal is established that dictates when individual bits can be transmitted and which allows for very high rates of data transfer. \cite{dictionarya}
Therefore, we define synchronous instruction as utilizing physical and/or high-speed digital communication such that instruction happens or is done at the same time or speed.
The term Asynchronous in general means the opposite of Synchronous. In other words, the Cambridge dictionary defines Asynchronous as:
Not happening or done at the same time or speed. \cite{translations}
Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines asynchronous as:
Of, used in, or being digital communication (as between computers) in which there is no timing requirement for transmission and in which the start of each character is individually signaled by the transmitting device. \cite{dictionarya}
Therefore, we define asynchronous instruction utilizing physical and/or digital communication such that instruction does not happen or is not done at the same time or speed.
Pedagogy drives the development of classroom environments
The principles behind good educational practices has been identified in numerous studies about education research. Studies summarizing effective theories of learning have gone back several decades \cite{Posner_1982} and underpin how we construct understanding of effective education practices.
One great example is from Chickering & Gamson (1987) \cite{chickering1987seven}, which highlights 7 principles of good practice in undergraduate classes. They argue that the most effective undergraduate classes include the following principals:
- Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
- Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students
- Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students
- Good Practice Encourages Active Learning
- Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback
- Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task
- Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
- Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
While these principals were designed around undergraduate courses, many of these principals are accepted as good practice across all age-levels, including K-12 \cite{states2013}. However, it is important to note that these have been designed with traditional, in-person courses in mind. To build on this work, \citet{duffy2000} reviewed four university distance education courses, mapping \citet{chickering1987seven} principles of good practice against what was observed in these online courses and found that these principles hold up even in distance education courses as well.
There are several important points to highlight with these findings. First, building a community is an extremely important part of good pedagogy \cite{swan2009constructivist,shea2009community}, especially in distance education \cite{Bernard_2004,baxter2019creating,callaghan2018facebook,yarker2018using}. Not only does building communities help with retention \cite{baxter2019creating}, which can be a problem with distance education classroom environments \cite{Bernard_2004}, the dialogue that occurs as a result of community development allows learners to develop new ways to think about the aspect of learning, which ultimately improves understanding of course material \cite{knight2015thinking}.
Distance Education vs In-Person Classroom Environments
With the advancement of technology, versions of online education and instruction has become much more accessible and is explored in all areas of education: from pre-k to adult learning, from public to private school, and from formal to informal education. It is reasonable to expect that one could find opportunity for online education in just about any facet of life, but the quality of online education can vary widely. There are many examples of online courses that are essentially a repository of information that the student has to work their way through independently- some are even lacking any form of assessment (i.e., some online “master classes”). Conversely, there are courses that include in-depth correspondence with an instructor and classmates as well as a variety of ways for the learner to engage with the material.
When learners are allowed to explore their medium, it is more beneficial for learning than without. It is for this reason that \citet{Bernard_2004} argue that shifting a course from in-person to distance education may allow for a transformation of the learning experience that offers opportunities otherwise not available during in-person instruction. In other words, when executed appropriately, different classroom environments will offer their own strengths and weaknesses, but no one environment is better than another.
Additionally, \citet{Bernard_2004} also argues that regardless of the classroom environment, what qualifies as “good” instruction does not change. In other words, the 7 principles still apply. However how each principle is executed, pedagogically speaking, will look different. This means that well-designed distance education courses are not dependent on the technology available, but rather the instructor’s pedagogical reality. Bernard et al. described this best when they said
For some, the key definitional feature of DE is the physical separation of learners in space and time. For others, the physical separation in space is only a sufficient condition for DE. In the former definition, asynchronous communication is the norm. In the latter definition, synchronous communication is the norm…. There is a now old instructional design adage that goes something like this: “A medium should be selected in the service of instructional practices, not the other way around.” We would encourage all practitioners and policymakers bent on developing and delivering quality DE, whether on the Internet or through synchronous teleconferencing, to heed this advice.
Synchronous vs Asynchronous Instruction
In general, many researchers indicate that synchronous instruction lends well towards in-person classroom environments, whereas asynchronous instruction lends well towards distance education. However, other researchers indicate that this may be a direct result of the pedagogical strategies utilized by the instructors \cite{Bernard_2004}. That is, many instructors assume that asynchronous instruction is the best approach for any distance education course, so that is where they put the majority of their efforts. However, for instructors that are able to adapt their synchronous pedagogical strategies from in-person to distance education classroom environments, it is possible that synchronous instruction can lend well towards both types of classroom environments.