During the Coronavirus pandemic, many students were impacted by the changing school schedules. During this time, students were exposed to different in-person and virtual learning variations. Many students liked various things about the variety of learning options, and many opted for all-virtual after being exposed to them. But every student seems to have a different opinion on the types of learning they prefer and why.
One of the most loved styles of learning is asynchronous learning. On these days, students complete assignments at home instead of going in-person. While work is given to students, it is completed in the comfort of their own homes rather than having to report to class.
In the 2023-24 school year, Hudson High School had one asynchronous day for junior students to take the ACT test. It took place on a Tuesday and tremendously helped break up the school week for students. Although work was being done, getting more rest throughout the day was beneficial for the rest of the week. Getting in an extra couple of hours of sleep greatly improved the efficiency of the brain for the remaining three days. Many students reported feeling better about their productivity after having a single day to catch up on work.
Many students at HHS have jobs, sports and other activities outside of school that take up time and delay homework. With five days in the week, having a life outside of school is very hard to manage. Implementing a set asynchronous day each week would make managing the outside life of a school much easier. Students with jobs can add an extra day to their schedule to be able to do both school and work.
Students who travel often due to sports must deal with the massive amount of makeup work that comes with missing a school day. Keeping up with the piling amount of work makes it impossible to stay on top of assignments. It’s overwhelming and stressful. This drives students not to want to risk missing school so they don’t have to endure the painful makeup work.
On asynchronous days, what can be done is much more flexibility. The flexibility can give students opportunities to learn schedule-building exercises, which is a very important skill in the real world. To be the most successful these days, students must manage their time effectively. In college, there aren’t always teachers hovering over students, making sure they get their work done, which is something a lot of students don’t get exposed to.
Having a day of online learning can give students who wouldn’t normally go up to their teachers to ask for help the time to do so. Many students today suffer from social anxiety, discouraging them from having the confidence to get the help they need. Having a one-on-one conversation with a teacher is very beneficial, especially if the student is falling behind in that class.
Ultimately, asynchronous days have the potential to be incredibly beneficial for the majority of students. For this schedule to work, there has to be a kind of honor system in place to ensure all students do their work. While some students will take the opportunity to grow with this schedule, some will choose to take the entire day off instead. A solution to this could be encouraging students to do their work by giving important work intended to be done that day, pushing the students to use their time wisely.
Asynchronous days have repeatedly proven helpful for students’ mental state and the flow of weekly routines. Many of the students at HHS would be very encouraged by a push for a schedule like this.
