What is asynchronous learning?

Asynchronous learning is a form of education in which students do not learn at the same time as the instructor is teaching. Lessons might consist of text, video, quizzes, and even games, but they are pre-made and not delivered live (unlike synchronous learning). Asynchronous learning has become one of the most popular forms of delivering training online, as major course platforms and influencers alike offer pre-made courses.

What are the benefits of asynchronous learning?

There are a lot of benefits to asynchronous learning. For the students, asynchronous learning is almost always self-paced, meaning that it fits a variety of learning styles. Whether you need to squeeze your education in once the kids are in bed, or whether you have learning disabilities that make it really hard to sit in a traditional classroom, asynchronous learning can make education accessible to just about anyone. Some people need to go over the materials again, to slow down or pause a lesson, and asynchronous learning lets you do this. Live instruction doesn’t.

There are benefits for instructors too. The rise of asynchronous learning platforms means that instructors can scale their offerings. Instead of teaching courses again and again, they can focus on doing it once and doing it really well. And having pre-recorded courses doesn’t mean the instructor has to ignore the students. On the contrary, asynchronous learning, when done on a great platform, can free up instructors to spend less time teaching and more time engaging with their students, answering their questions, and making sure they meet their learning goals. Research has shown that one of the biggest challenges with asynchronous learning is making sure students are engaged, and mixing a community with a course does exactly this.

We’ve created a fantastic asynchronous course platform with Mighty Networks, that lets you deliver courses at scale for your audience, but also frees you up to engage them and build deep relationships and support that most online and traditional education never offers. Plus, if you decide to do a course live in the future, it lets you do that too!

Try it for yourself, free!

Examples of asynchronous learning

• Carly Walton runs her own asynchronous course and community on Mighty Networks that shows people how to teach music online. (Read her story.)


• Keisha created a course on digital marketing that lives on a major course platform and brings her a bit of income every month.


• Kai is responsible for training managers on budgeting software for his company, and he created a digital course to accomplish this.


• The Spanish department at the local college offers an Intro to Spanish course online that’s pre-recorded and students can go at their own pace.

Now Read: What to Look For in an Online Course Builder