Students’ sense of community and perspectives of taking synchronous and asynchronous online courses

Abstract

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced all universities in China to shut campuses and moved to distance learning in response to epidemic prevention and control. This is the first time that college courses have been completely delivered online across the nation. Therefore, this study examines Chinese college students’ sense of community and their perspectives of taking online courses in synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. A total of 1189 students participated in the study from a northeastern university in China. Results indicate that students have a stronger sense of community towards interacting, discussing, and sharing ideas in asynchronous online courses. Findings also highlight the benefits and challenges of taking courses in these two distance learning formats. It is expected that this study would enlighten Chinese higher education professionals to develop a tight online community and establish a supportive distance learning environment.