Person/Phil Hill/Blog/26/10/mixed-synchronicity-and-the-limits-of-instructional-design
Properties
- logseq-created-time-year
- 20/2/6
Summary
- Published in the On EdTech newsletter. A response to Nicole Weber's OLC Insights article "Do Asynchronous Courses Need Synchronous Sessions to Succeed?". Hill agrees that synchronous and asynchronous learning isn't a binary choice. His main objection is to a broader assumption in instructional design: that designers can plan valuable learning interactions in advance.
Notes
- Student preferences: in Wiley's 2022 Voice of the Online Learner report, 79% of online learners were willing to join some synchronous sessions. In a 2024 Risepoint survey, 76% preferred asynchronous formats but 74% would attend live sessions. Preferring asynchronous courses does not mean wanting purely asynchronous experiences.
- A priori design: ADDIE and similar models treat specifying experiences before students meet them as the measure of quality. Completed templates and checklists are not evidence of learning. Student-led interactions can produce unplanned value, such as deeper understanding or lasting peer support.
- AI: earlier adaptive courseware chose among pre-designed pathways. Generative AI can respond to unplanned questions and learner needs. Hill says it is not inherently a better teacher and brings new risks.
- Assessment: more learner agency should not lower standards. Be less prescriptive about how students learn and more rigorous about verifying what they learned, with authentic assessments that reveal reasoning and application.
Highlights
- "It is the assumption of a priori design as ultimate virtue."
- "Student preference for asynchronous courses does not mean students want exclusively asynchronous experiences."
- "Sometimes good design means creating the conditions for learning without prescribing everything that happens."
- "Less control over the learning path should come with more rigor in assessing learning outcomes."
Links
- Source: On EdTech
- Responds to Nicole Weber, "Do Asynchronous Courses Need Synchronous Sessions to Succeed?" (OLC Insights, 2026)