Students’ Sense of Community and Perspectives of Taking Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Courses

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Marglet

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak forced Chinese universities to close campuses and deliver higher education entirely through distance learning for the first time nationwide. This study investigates Chinese college students’ sense of community and their perspectives on synchronous versus asynchronous online course formats. Data from 1189 students at a northeastern university show stronger community through interaction, discussion, and idea sharing in asynchronous settings. Synchronous formats stimulate active interaction, while asynchronous formats support self-paced learning, yet both modes present distinct distractions and social isolation challenges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Distance learning in Chinese universities

Distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak

Students’ sense of community and perspectives of taking synchronous and asynchronous online courses Xi Lin, Li Gao Abstract: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced all universities in China to shut campuses and moved to distance learning in response to epidemic prevention and control. This is the first time that college courses have been completely delivered online across the nation. Therefore, this study examines Chinese college students’ sense of community and their perspectives of taking online courses in synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. A total of 1189 students participated in the study from a northeastern university in China. Results indicate that students have a stronger sense of community towards interacting, discussing, and sharing ideas in asynchronous online courses. Findings additionally highlight the benefits of taking courses in these two distance learning formats. For instance, active interaction is often stimulated through synchronous distance learning, while students can learn on their own pace in asynchronous online learning environments. Challenges are also perceived in both formats, such as being distracted by classmates in synchronous online classes or feeling social isolated in asynchronous online classes. It is expected that this study would enlighten Chinese higher education professionals to develop a tight online community and establish a supportive distance learning environment. Keywords: synchronous distance learning, asynchronous distance learning, sense of community, Chinese college students, higher education, COVID-19 Introduction Distance learning has become popular as a means to make educational opportunities accessible to a wide range of audiences, and this learning approach offers flexibility in participating, ease of access, and convenience (Croxton, 2014; Yamagata-Lynch, 2014) . Compared with countries (e.g. , United States) where distance education has been widely used in universities for decades, the incorporation of the internet-based technology into teaching and learning is still at its early stage in Chinese higher education (Huang, Teo, & Zhou, 2020) . Distance learning in Chinese universities With the development of technology and the high internet penetration rate in schools, teachers have attempted to adopt the internet education in China (Zhang & Wang, 2004) . In 2012, the Chinese government issued a Ten-year Development Plan for Education Information (2010-2011) (cited in Huang, Teo, & Zhou, 2020), which has also greatly encouraged the integration of internet-based technology into teaching and learning from K-12 to higher education institutions. Motivated by both the development of internet-based technology and the policy, college teachers have begun to carry out blended teaching in various degrees. For example, Wang and colleagues (2019) designed a blended college English course for 1604 undergraduate students at a university in China for one academic year. Students were required to learn from the online courses by accessing the various learning resources (e.g. , reading passages, videos), then they interacted with the instructor, teaching assistants, and their peers to discuss and share ideas about the learning content in an online discussion board. Students also participated in different interactive learning activities in the flipped learner-centered classroom. They furthermore collaborated to complete group projects out of the classroom and do presentation in the classroom. Finally, students used social networking via smartphones to expand time and space for English language learning. This blended course design has been proved to establish an efficient English language learning environment. Similarly, Tao and colleagues (2020) designed a blended teaching mode for a compulsory English course for 843 undergraduate students at a university in northern China. This 16-week course was comprised of a weekly 2-hour face-to-face lecture and after

FAQs

What change did the COVID-19 outbreak bring to Chinese universities?

Universities in China closed campuses and shifted to fully online distance learning for epidemic prevention and control.

Which online format produced a stronger sense of community among students?

Asynchronous online courses, especially for interacting, discussing, and sharing ideas.

What benefits and challenges are associated with synchronous and asynchronous formats?

Synchronous learning often stimulates active interaction, while asynchronous learning allows students to learn at their own pace. Challenges include distraction in synchronous classes and feeling socially isolated in asynchronous classes.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Marglet