Although synchronous teaching has limitations and challenges in terms of bandwidth , there is a space for synchronous teaching in our teaching. Let's take a look at some of the reasons we might consider including synchronous activities in your courses.

The Value of Synchronous Teaching

On the previous page, we discussed some of the strengths of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Let's look in a more detail about some reasons that we may decided to include synchronous elements in our teaching. According to Finkelstein (2006) synchronous teaching can provide immediacy, assess different skills, and connect in ways that we cannot always achieve with asynchronous course elements. Finkelstein suggests the following indicators for using Synchronous tools:

Indicator	Rationale
Lessons are best learned from group discussions or collaboration	Learners can discuss, collaborate, construct knowledge and work together in real time.
Deeper appreciation for and understanding of the subject matter is desired	A good instructor not only teaches but also inspires. This conveyed through conviction, impassioned, gestures, spontaneity, humour in real-time
A safe environment for exploration and sharing and a sense of community are vital to achieving learning objectives	Live online settings can be places to quickly and efficiently build that sense of community and cooperation
Learning involves rehearsal, demonstration and assessment of particular skills, for example, communication, analytical thinking, real-time problem solving, information literacy	Real-time venues afford opportunities to provide instruction and assess learners in ways that are highly impractical, if not impossible in an asynchronous manner.
Information is complex and guidance is necessary	A knowledgeable instructor can walk learners through material that is difficult to absorb independently and teach them methods for deciphering complex information they may encounter later on their own.
Dialogue or debate among learners is required.	Few course communication options can allow the immediacy and spontaneity of debate that synchronous tools offer.
The situation calls for personal real-time attention	Reacting to a learner’s present state and concerns, and providing support and reinforcement for the moment of need are skills more aptly dispensed in real-time.

Adapted from Finkelstein, J. (2006). Learning in real time: Synchronous teaching and learning online. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Guiding Questions

Which of the indicators described by Finkelstein are important in your teaching?
Are there indicators on this list that you feel could be achieved just as well with asynchronous activities?