Synchronous learning best practices: An action research study

Low cost and significant advances in technology now allow instructors to create their own virtual learning environments. Creating social interactions within a virtual space that emulates the physical classroom remains challenging. While students are familiar with virtual worlds and video meetings, they are inexperienced as virtual learners. Over a nine year period we applied iterative cycles of action research through numerous large classes to systematically uncover attributes of success when executing synchronous learning in distributed environments. Findings show technology is not the source of problems; rather, difficulties emerge from human behaviors and their interactions with system features. We conclude with practical takeaway guidelines for video conferencing and immersive virtual environments and a model of nexus of control that elaborates software and classroom management attributes that can lead to successful execution.

► We examine success attributes distributed synchronous learning large classes.
► A nine year action research study incorporates over 3630 students.
► Findings show the main source of problems is behaviors rather than technology.
► Practical takeaway guidelines support teachers using distributed learning settings.
► Nexus of control model elaborates classroom management attributes of success.