THE USE OF SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING FOR FACILITATING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OTUKPO, BENUE STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the use of synchronous and asynchronous approach to learning for effective education in Catholic Secondary Schools in Otukpo, Benue State. It was anchored on Fishbein’s Expectancy Value Theory of 1975. This theory advocates that the amount of effort that students are willing to expand on learning is determined by the degree to which they expect to succeed, as well as the degree to which they value their learning outcome; and this determines their academic success. It was guided by four research questions investigating the course delivery models employed by teachers; how synchronous and asynchronous approaches are blended for effective learning; the tools used for synchronous and asynchronous learning and ways in which synchronous and asynchronous learning can be blended for education that is more effective. The study hypothesizes that the blending of synchronous and asynchronous learning has significant difference on the effectiveness of education in Catholic Secondary Schools in Otukpo, Benue State. It used convergent parallel mixed methods research designs. The qualitative data was collected using interview guide, while questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data. The qualitative data was presented in narrative forms while the quantitative data was analyzed with statistical package and descriptively presented in frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that the teachers in the five sampled schools had limited experience of facilitating synchronous and asynchronous approaches to teaching and learning. Thus, the study recommends that the principals should organize workshops and seminars that would help to prepare both teachers and students to be equipped with the competence and skill sets they need to benefit from the resourcefulness of blending synchronous and asynchronous approaches to teaching and learning in the modern context.