Hybrid Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning Networks in Distance Education

The rapid growth of the Internet and the media-rich extensions of the World Wide Web allow new developments in the way instructors transfer knowledge to the students. There is no doubt that nothing will replace student participation in an interactive class but it is sometimes not feasible for students to attend the class due to distance or time constraints. This paper documents the development of a test bed at the University of Florida for solutions to overcome both these constraints. It emphasizes a solution which allows the student to attend the class in real time from a remote place and also facilitates the simultaneously archiving of the class session and associated material for asynchronous access. The proposed solution permits live and asynchronous interactions among students and between the students and the instructor, which are crucial for effective learning. This paper describes the technical issues involved and the chosen solutions to provide enhanced live and archived classes. This paper also focuses on the evaluation of experiments conducted at the University of Florida and in some other universities and explores possible future trends to improve the proposed learning environment.