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Arctic Yearbook 2014
Online education has its roots in the business world, where companies were quick to utilize
computers and multimedia; as the Internet began to come into its own, businesses found it an ideal
vessel for employee training programs.
Online education programs are unique creatures, customized to content and stylized by instructors,
but are commonly categorized into two types: asynchronous and synchronous. Most online courses
are asynchronous. Asynchronous learning is the method in which the teaching occurs at one time
and the learning occurs at another. Material is posted to web pages, delivered via email, or packaged
in software, and can consist of reading assignments, video recordings, audio clips, or other lesson
tools. Students then individually access and navigate this material, without necessarily needing to
coordinate with other students in the course. Synchronous learning is the method in which teaching
and learning happen at a synchronized time. Faculty and students share a common schedule and
meet together via audio or video conferencing, web-based lectures, virtual classrooms, live chats,
and the like. This method is beco