| Description of good practice: |
When education is unfixed in time, the process is described as ‘asynchronous’. Inherently this way of communication is less difficult than synchronous types, as students are free to make up their own schedules. With asynchronous delivery of instruction, a student can review the online content several times and enjoy additional time to think over the learning
material and to respond to it. It is vital for students with disabilities, because input/output of information, thinking, and conceptualization can take longer time due to their impairments. Moreover, instructors are available via e-mail and/or telephone, if a student has questions or concerns. The advantages of this way of interaction are: a relatively low cost and time flexibility. Nevertheless, the necessary large amount of writing and information exchange can present some problems. Examples of DE technologies asynchronous in nature are described below.
Electronic mail (e-mail):
Electronic mail (e-mail) software is now so well-developed and user-friendly that even new users need very little training to get started. It is a fast and easy way of sending messages from one person to another or to a group (either by using multiple recipients, or through an e-mail distribution list). In both cases, a user may select application-specific client software depending on his/her needs and compatibility with the preferred AT software and hardware. The widespread use of e-mail makes it a common first step for instructors venturing in the world of online communication with their students.
Mailing list:
A mailing list is an automatic mailing system, which allows the group to communicate without having to send individual e-mails to everyone in the group. It addresses the entire class, so when someone sends mail to the mailing list, a copy is transmitted to all subscribers. Messages to and from mailing lists are sent and received the same way as any other e-mail messages. However, mailing lists do not provide a mechanism organizing the messages by subject. In fact, messages usually appear in the email box unarranged. For this reason, most instructors prefer forums, not mailing lists.
Forum:
Forums are another kind of asynchronous communication. They are also known as bulletin boards and/or message boards. The main chronological difference between mailing lists and forums is that messages produced by the mailing lists are automatically sent to subscribers’ e-mail inboxes, while bulletin board users must visit a location on the web to read and post messages. However, some bulletin boards now provide the option of receiving copies of postings via e-mail. Another important difference is that in forums and bulleting boards, messages about a particular topic are grouped together, making discussions easy to follow. Users are able to reply and associate their message with a specific one already posted. In contrast, mailing list discussions usually are not “threaded” in this way, unless special message filtering and sorting are organized.
Web repositories:
Web repositories have become one of widely used media for delivery in DE. The most impressive advantage of the web technologies is their ability to provide multimedia and hypertext. Hypertext links allow the user to move from one information resource to another directly connected with the previous one. Physically linked information can be stored on another remotely located computer. Multimedia used to show dynamic changes of an object over time and graphically present textual information can enhance learning. A relatively low cost of delivery, ease of resource development and wide availability of student’s access make it an ideal instructional delivery resource. Learning resources are stored in the Internet in such a way that a student can access them any time. With the Internet-based DE students easily gain advice and guidelines on learning from the instructor in synchronous and
asynchronous mode.
Video transmission(pre-recorded):
Pre-recorded video transmission involves the rebroadcast of a course segment which has been videotaped and includes no real time interaction between a student and an instructor. Asynchronous video tools, e.g. videocassettes, can convey supplemental information to learners or record lectures for later viewing. Pre-recorded materials may be broadcast on a local television channel. The nature of visual and audio information used in video transmission can pose certain accessibility difficulties for students with SEN. |
