by 
My experience with Asynchronous Teaching and Learning using eCentennial (LMS) tools
By Hanika Bhojwani-Chen
I was very excited when my chair informed me that I had an opportunity to be involved with the development and eventually the delivery of an asynchronous course in Fall 2020. In the past, I have taught courses face-to-face as well as in hybrid modality in The Business School. I was excited because I love teaching & learning, and I love using various edtech tools to enhance student understanding and engagement.
Teaching a hybrid course, had helped me adapt my teaching pedagogy and methodology with heavy reliance on the College LMS (eCentennial). Therefore, the leap to an asynchronous modality of delivery, though different, was not entirely new to me-it was the logical next step.
In my asynchronous course, I leverage an array of tools available in eCentennial to actively engage students, while keeping in mind the course learning outcomes and maintaining academic integrity. In my experience, there are 5 key elements to student success in an asynchronous learning environment. These are:
- Clear Instructions
- Regular Communication
- Effective Engagement
- Well-paced Evaluation
- Periodic Reinforcement
An asynchronous delivery modality, comes with its own set of challenges. But with a good understanding of the key success factors and a plethora of tools available in eCentennial (LMS), those challenges can be viewed as opportunities to communicate, connect and engage with students. Moreover, these opportunities can also be the foundation for continuous improvement in the future.
At the end of the day, my goal (same as all educators)is to have students take delivery of the subject matter while honing their critical thinking and independent thought, on their path to career success.
About Hanika Bhojwani-Chen
As an educator, my teaching goal is to make my students think and to guide them to success through their individual learning experience. It is my intellectual responsibility to make my students embrace critical thinking and independent thought. I believe in continuous improvement and ‘good’ can be made ‘better’. My three passions are – business education, teaching/learning and edtech.