Link to:  Final Copy The Persuasive Research Essay: The Rise in Asynchronous courses

Synopsis/Reflection 

In my Persuasive Research Essay, I am trying to argue that SUNY New Paltz should enable more asynchronous courses. This topic is important because students deserve the right to succeed and the ability to work in a way that makes them feel comfortable. I have chosen this topic since I am a student at New Paltz that struggles to succeed in my classes due to the lack of asynchronous courses there are and would like to see more implemented.  

In my essay, I bring up how students struggle to come to class on time, and the benefits of asynchronous courses for those who commute to campus. Also, asynchronous courses can be done at any time of day which aids in relieving pressure on students. I hope that once readers view my essay, they will feel strongly towards New Paltz implementing more asynchronous courses. I also hope that students will consider taking asynchronous courses in the future.  

 

Persuasive Research Essay: Final Copy

Ashley Vasquez

Professor Rigolino

ENG 160

13^th October 2021

      The Rise in Asynchronous courses

In the Fall of 2020, I was able to experience my first asynchronous course which was Drawing Visual Thinking 1. I enjoyed the course due to all the creative control given to me to create my projects, but what I enjoyed most of all was the flexibility I was given to do my work. This flexibility enabled me to take the time I needed to understand the material since I learn at a different pace. During the Fall Semester, I was also taking multiple online classes as well, but it was difficult for me often because my synchronous classes did not enable me the flexibility that Drawing Visual Thinking 1 did. The classes were fast-paced, and I was unable to interpret the material, and in the end, I did not receive a great grade. SUNY New Paltz should offer more asynchronous courses so that students can have the ability to do their work at a pace that works for them and makes them more successful in school.

When it comes to the schedules at SUNY New Paltz students often must take many courses for their course load ranging from around 5-6 courses a semester. This overall results in a packed schedule for students and a large amount of stress. For each class session, a large quantity of material is discussed, and it often makes it difficult for students to perceive the information. Students depending on the class must also take notes and process information quickly so that they can interpret what is being taught. Students are not in classes enough and often are in classes once or twice a week. According to my sister Cynthia, working in addition to going to school is not an easy task. She says that because of working she loses track of her time and finds it a struggle to tackle school and work.

 

Students that participate in asynchronous courses have better control of their time. For instance, at the moment I am taking Art of the Western World 2 and it is an asynchronous course. Since it is an asynchronous course, I can plan out when I should do my work and am not stressed about immediate deadlines. Whereas currently, I am also taking Basic Digital Photography and the classes are long and go on for six hours going till nine o’clock. Since this class is long it makes it hard to manage my time to do other work in my general education courses. I feel as if SUNY New Paltz were to offer asynchronous courses. It would enable students like myself that take long classes to have better time management skills to do work in other courses

Numerous students often struggle to come to school on time, and asynchronous courses enable students to make it to their classes in a timely manner. According to, Deborah Sparnon, “Without commuting to and from the university, students save time as well as vehicle wear and tear while earning their advanced degree ( Online at Midnight). In relation to this quote, I have friends who live in Poughkeepsie, and it takes them a while to get to school. They have told me that there are often numerous traffic accidents that prevent them from coming to school on time. Along with that, I also have a sister who works at B-Side Grill, and she often tells me it is difficult to come to class on time due to her hectic work schedule. I feel as if New Paltz were to give more asynchronous courses my friends and sister would be able to come to class on time.

Additionally, as mentioned in Online at Midnight, students in asynchronous courses can bring better insight and ideas into course assignments because they had more time to be prepared and think (Sparnon). According to researchers Marteney and Bernadowski, the advantage that online classes give to students is that they give students the ability to meet their own learning style and be able to not be bound by time constraints (Marteney). However, when taking classes in person such as English, I feel often pressured when I must produce a response to questions within a short amount of time. For example, when I am asked to read what I had written after reading I find it hard to conceptualize what I have just read. Although, when given an adequate amount of time to do a response I can think properly and have a response that answers the question and is clearer and more precise. As mentioned in

On the other hand, some individuals view asynchronous classes as troublesome since it enables students to have flexibility with their course load which may lead to some students falling behind.  According to Steven Johnson, students must be on top of their course load and often rely on the structure of the course and because of this they fall behind (Pros and Cons of Asynchronous Learning). I disagree with the fact that students prefer to be in the classroom in person because not all students think the same and many struggle with the concepts in an in-person classroom more than they do an asynchronous course. I do think that there are enough students who would like to take asynchronous courses. For instance, as mentioned in COVID Era College: Are students satisfied there was a poll that demonstrated students desires post pandemic which displayed that over 49.50% of students stated that they were not ready to try in person classes and are satisfied with remote learning (Ezarik).

In the future, if I were to have 2 of my courses as asynchronous ones, I feel that it would take a-lot of pressure off me. It would be less stressful and enable me to take more control of my course load. It would change the lives of other students including myself because we will be more in control of our schedules and not lose track of time easily. Students would not be as stressed and not worry as much about asynchronous courses if they could manage their lives in school and outside of school. For the future, I hope that SUNY New Paltz will enable asynchronous courses that will not only benefit me, but all the students as well.

Works Cited

Ezarik, Melissa. “Student Experiences during COVID and Campus Reopening Concerns.” INSIDE HIGHER ED, 24 Mar. 2021, www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/24/student-experiences-during-covid-and-campus-reopening-concerns.

Johnson, Steve. “Pros and Cons of Asynchronous Learning.” News AKMI, 25 Nov. 2020, newsakmi.com/news/education/pros-and-cons-of-asynchronous-learning/.

Marteney, Tina, and Carianne Bernadowski. “Teachers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Online Instruction for Students with Special Educational Needs.” British Journal of Special Education, vol. 43, no. 2, 2016, pp. 178–194., ideacontent.blob.core.windows.net/content/sites/2/2020/01/PaperIDEA_64.pdf.

Sparnon, Deborah. “Online at Midnight.” Knowledge Quest , 1 Sept. 2004, web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=7d65c601-8805-48b9-b7c5-3d4a5c6a63cb%40redis.

Persuasive Research Essay: Rough Draft

Ashley Vasquez 

Professor Rigolino 

ENG 160 

13th October 2021 

 

The Rise in Asynchronous Courses 

SUNY New Paltz should offer more asynchronous courses. Students work at all different paces and granting asynchronous courses will give them the opportunity to be flexible with their workload. In August of 2020, it was my first time dealing with asynchronous courses. I was new to them, but they gave me the time I needed to complete the work. The difference between synchronous and asynchronous classes is that with synchronous you have an intended time to meet for the class and the due date for assignments. Although asynchronous courses can be done at any time, due dates are still established. For someone such as myself, being given the opportunity to take asynchronous classes allowed me to pace myself. It would be beneficial for all students if SUNY New Paltz offered more asynchronous courses so that students could feel comfortable. 

Those that take asynchronous courses at New Paltz will have better control of their time. According to Deborah Sparnon, “Without commuting to and from the university, students save time as well as vehicle wear and tear while earning their advanced degree.! I have been in class w (Online at Midnight).” To clarify, Sparnon is trying to say that students who participate in asynchronous courses not only save time but also save money and vehicle wear and tear. Additionally, as mentioned in Online at Midnight students can bring better insight and ideas because they had more time to be prepared and think (Sparnon). According to Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of online instruction for students with special educational needs, the advantage that online classes give to students is that is gives students the ability to meet their own learning style and be able to not be bound by time constraints (Marteney). 

 

Asynchronous courses enable students to think more clearly and develop their ideas more efficiently. As stated by Ayesha Perveen, having more flexibility to respond enables students to think and develop learning skills to think more when they respond (22). This is true because when given more time to think you can think about your thoughts more and develop your original ideas. Also, in Actively Engaging Students in Asynchronous Online Classes Riggs and Linder discuss that students can reflect more on what they want to write, and discussion boards aid in doing this. Discussion boards overall allow students to think more and contribute more to taking time on tasks (2). 

Individuals who participate in asynchronous courses will feel less stressed and pressured by time constraints. According to Tina Marteney, instead of students feeling pressured due to having more time students are more motivated to do work and not feel focused on doing the work immediately. On a similar note, in relation to my own personal experience, it is common to feel less stressed. When not being pressured with an immediate due date, having a good amount of time to do something made me feel more reassured that I can complete my work within a set period. When I do my work for an asynchronous class, having more time was able to keep the pressure off me. 

 Works Cited: 

Marteney, Tina, and Carianne Bernadowski. “Teachers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Online Instruction for Students with Special Educational Needs.” British Journal of Special Education, vol. 43, no. 2, 2016, pp. 178–194., doi:10.1111/1467-8578.12129.  

Perveen, Ayesha. “Synchronous and Asynchronous E-Language Learning: A … – Ed.” Files.eric.edu.gov, Jan. 2016, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1093436.pdf.  

Riggs, Shannon A, and Kathryn E Linder. “Actively Engaging Students in Asynchronous Online Classes.” Idea Content, Dec. 2016, ideacontent.blob.core.windows.net/content/sites/2/2020/01/PaperIDEA_64.pdf.  

Sparnon, Deborah. “Online at Midnight.” Web Ebsco Host, Oct. 2004, libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebscohost.com%2Flogin.aspx%3Fdirect&db=a9h&AN=14689798&site=ehost-live.