For courses offered fully or entirely online (90% to 100% via distance technology), Warren Wilson College distinguishes between synchronous and asynchronous instruction to determine contact time.

Synchronous: Online courses at Warren Wilson are primarily synchronous. In primarily synchronous courses, the instructor and students are involved in real-time class sessions together. The credit hour definition for synchronous online class sessions follows the course delivery method equivalencies established in the Academic Credit Hour Definition policy for in-person courses.

Asynchronous: The College recognizes that fully and entirely online courses typically supplement synchronous learning with asynchronous learning. A credit hour rate of equivalency of 1:1 is employed to guide instructors in setting appropriate time commitments and expectations for asynchronous work that is “class time.” In practice, the rate of equivalency means that an instructor re-assigns a set number of hours, typically on a weekly basis, to the moderated learning activity that students participate in asynchronously. Asynchronous class time is differentiated
from independent “homework” (study, research, essay writing, practice, etc.).

The instructor moderates or guides students through asynchronous course activities that may include collaboration or debate about course content through discussion boards, blogs, Moodle posts, journal posts, or other collaborative online documents and educational social networking. Instructors set expectations for such learning activities so that students make a pre-determined number of contributions related to course content, as well as reading and responding thoughtfully to other students’ posts. Asynchronous learning might also include ongoing group projects with specific
learning outcomes that are assigned one credit hour for the duration of the project.