The Role of Self-Regulation in Remote Emergency Learning: Comparing Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning

Saleh Alhazbi,Mahmood A. Hasan

doi:10.3390/su131911070

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and universities across the world have had to switch to online learning, which is offered either synchronously or asynchronously. This study examined the role of self-regulation on students’ performance in each of these modes by comparing the use of self-regulation skills between high and low achievers in each mode and assessing the relationships of using these skills with students’ performance. The data were collected from students who enrolled in a data structures course in fall 2020 in either synchronous or asynchronous mode. The results show that self-regulation is an essential factor for learners’ success in both modes of online learning. However, there was a variance of using self-regulating learning strategies between students in synchronous and asynchronous modes.

Highlights

The number of students who had enrolled in the asynchronous mode was 37 in one section, while the number of students who had enrolled in the synchronous mode was 85, enrolled in two separate sections (N1 = 43, N2 = 42)
The results in our study show no significant correlation between this scale and learner performance, high achievers in asynchronous mode rated themselves higher in this scale than low achievers did, while there was no significant difference between students in synchronous mode
The results of this study indicated no significant difference between the two modes in terms of students’ academic achievements

Summary

Introduction

Sustainability 2021, The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 forced schools and universities to shut down their campuses and to switch to online classes. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, by the end of March 2020, school and university closures were enforced in 165 countries; this affected over 1.5 billion learners. Colleges and universities switched to remote online learning to provide educational continuity to their students. The effectiveness of online learning has been studied for decades, and online education is as effective as or more effective than traditional face-to-face education [1,2,3,4,5]. There are two modes of online learning: synchronous and asynchronous

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