Sync Mode vs. Async Mode

You'll see the option to choose either Sync Mode or Async Mode the first time you set up a course in Peerceptiv. Peerceptiv Sync and Async Mode can both be used with courses that meet in person, meet virtually, or are entirely asynchronous. Instructors can use Peerceptiv sync mode with asynchronous courses or vice versa. Read on for more information and to decide which option might be a good fit for your course.

Sync Mode vs. Async Mode

In traditional Sync Mode assignments, Peerceptiv will enforce a common deadline for each phase of the assignment. Students will access the Peerceptiv platform on their own time, but they must adhere to the same deadlines for the submission, reviewing, and feedback phases. There is an inherent workflow in which all students upload submissions during the submission phase, then all students review during the reviewing phase (allowing for late submissions), and all students give feedback on the reviews they received during the feedback phase. It's important to note that late submissions are allowed until the end of the reviewing deadline, but late reviews are not - the reviewing deadline is a firm deadline. The Peerceptiv algorithm uses the reviewing information to generate reviewing accuracy and helpfulness grades for each student, which are incorporated into the overall grade for student reviewing quality. The grade weights can be adjusted by the instructor so that different grade components are emphasized and the rubric is customizable and able to accommodate ratings and/or comments. When the assignment is finished, all students receive their grades at the same time, usually when released by the instructor. Sync mode works well with any class size or scale.

Async Mode assignments allow students to move through the assignment at their own pace, and the instructor can choose to set a final deadline, phase deadlines, or have no deadline at all. As soon as students submit they can immediately begin reviewing their peers' work and providing feedback to their reviewers. Once a student has completed all the required assignment tasks, they will get their results automatically. The overall grade in an async assignment can be either the submission grade as based on peer reviews, a task grade for completion, or you can select to have an entirely ungraded process. You can choose to allow students to re-submit and repeat the reviewing process. Students get their results as they finish on their own time. Async mode either works best with courses of 100 students or more so that there is plenty of volume to move students through the assignment tasks, or in other situations where students are moving quickly through the process, such as a short timeframe or a live in-class activity.

Sync Mode	Async Mode
- Students move through the assignment according to common phase deadlines.	- Students complete tasks at their own pace.
- Students get results after the final deadline and results may be released by the instructor.	- Students get results automatically whenever they finish their required tasks.
- Results can be a combination of submission grade, review grade, and task grade.	- Results can either be a submission grade, task grade, or ungraded.
- Works well with all course sizes.	- Works best with large courses or live, in-person activities

Which mode is right for you?

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you think about whether to choose sync mode or async mode for your course, and remember that the Peerceptiv mode does not need to be the same as the university or program categorization of the course (synchronous or asynchronous). In general, Peerceptiv sync mode assignments provide more organizational structure for students and instructors, and have a more robust grading process that includes grades for reviewing behavior. Async mode assignments offer greater student flexibility to complete the assignment at their own pace, including getting immediate feedback, and offer competency-based grading.

Do you prefer your students complete their work according to a set schedule and deadlines? 

Sync mode is preferrable for set schedules and deadlines. Async mode allows students to submit, review, and give feedback at any time, including the option to restart the assignment. If you have many students who need to complete work outside of the normal deadlines or who would require significant extensions, async may be a better fit. Please note that if you set up an Async assignment with deadlines, those deadlines are final and will lock students out of the assignment entirely. Async is designed for students to have the freedom to complete the assignment at their own pace but if you add deadlines to an async assignment, you cannot change or readjust them after they pass. 

How many students do you have? 

Sync mode will work well with any course size. Async mode works best for courses of 100+, unless you plan to enforce deadlines or complete in-class activities that will move the students through at roughly the same time.

How much control do you want to have over student grades? 

In async assignments, grades are instantly released to the student when they finish an assignment. You will likely see the grade at the same time the student does. It's possible to make changes to the grades, but these assignments are designed to run themselves with no teacher actions needed before grades are released. In async mode, students receive a submission grade based solely on their peer reviews and performance on the rubric. They do not receive a grade for reviewing behavior.

In Sync mode, you are able to set a grading curve and ensure that your students' submission grades align with that curve. Students can also receive grades for reviewing behavior or can receive grades that are only based on task completion. If you want to have more control over student grades and incentivize reviewing behavior, sync mode may be a better fit. 

Will your students be comfortable in a flexible learning environment? 

Our async mode was designed to fit well in courses where students have the freedom and responsibility to manage their own learning activities. You can give students the option to restart their assignment after they finish so that they can learn through an iterative process.

If you have any questions about choosing Sync Mode or Async Mode, please contact [e-mail] with questions or to set up a consultation with one of our instructional support specialists.