Asynchronous Learning: What It Is and Why It Matters

Asynchronous training enables self-paced learning through pre-recorded video content—ideal for organisations with global teams and remote workforces. This blog explores its key benefits, including accessibility, cost savings, and flexibility, and shows how platforms like VIDIZMO streamline implementation with interactive, multilingual, and SCORM-compliant video training features.

Asynchronous training is the need of the hour in this globalised, remote world where communication has gone digital.

Video has taken over the new world of online training, bringing in a human touch while leaving behind boring classrooms and lengthy textbooks, especially for larger organisations needing to train their global teams operating in different time zones.

The onset of COVID truly brought video communication to light (you must have heard of Zoom Boom, right?).

However, as time went by, Zoom fatigue set in. Standford researchers identified the 4 causes of Zoom fatigue:

1. Excessive eye contact required

2. Continuously having to see yourself

3. Mobility is restricted – participants are usually limited to cramped spaces

4. Video meetings increase the cognitive load by a great deal

This is where is Asynchronous training steps in – you can either have pre-recorded self-paced training from the get-go or choose to have a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous training.

In this blog, let's explore what exactly is asynchronous training, how it benefits large and small organizations alike, and how organizations can effectively streamline this training format.

What is Asynchronous Training?

Asynchronous training is an on-demand, self-paced format of online training. You can have an entirely asynchronous training model or a blend of asynchronous and synchronous trainings combined to get the best of both worlds.

In a blended async training model, you can have your live training sessions recorded, edited, and then uploaded as self-paced training modules for future review or for the learner that couldn't attend the live session.

It is best to have video-based training for asynchronous learning modules to ensure an engaged and interactive experience with a human touch.

For instance, in the future, when you hire new people, you can use asynchronous videos to train them on Shopify email marketing, SaaS promotion, and other business strategies you may have.

Read More: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication

Benefits of Asynchronous Training

There is no denying the importance of corporate training. Benjamin Franklin got it right when he said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest".

Asynchronous training offers organisations, especially those with thousands of employees working globally in different time zones. Here are the 6 main benefits showing the impact of asynchronous training:

Learners Can Learn at Their Own Pace

These self-paced trainings are perfect for busy business professionals who cannot align their calendars to find a mutually agreeable time for a real-time training session.

Plus, each learner has their own preference for how much content they can take in at one time. An asynchronous video's speed can be increased or decreased, and you can also go back to rewatch any missed concepts.

Distance Learning Research conducted by National Centre for Education found 58% of the workforce prefers self-paced training combined with the option of learning from home if a learner prefers that.

Watch Training Wherever, Whenever

Today, employee training tools providing asynchronous training videos allow employees to easily watch these as and when they like in their own time at home, on the way, or at the office.

Review And Playback Concepts When Needed

Training must not be a one-time thing. They need to be reusable video assets that are openly accessible to your team whenever they need to go back to revise any particular concept.

These reusable asynchronous training assets will also come in handy when new team members join a project – you will not need to conduct the exact same training again.

No Time Zone Is Left Out

In this day and age, most organisations have employees in different regions around the world. When it is 11 am in the UK, it will be 7 pm in Japan. You can't imagine all these employees being available simultaneously for a training session.

Makes Training Accessible

Asynchronous online training also ensures much greater accessibility through the possibility of opting for a video training platform providing accessibility capabilities like automatic multilingual transcription, keyboard shortcuts, audio descriptions, etc.

Saves Time and Money

Physical trainings are much more costly than online training – they have an added venue cost. If there are multiple offices, then each office will require separate sessions. Plus, you will have to hold these trainings again when new employees join.

Real-time training is also costly, as you will still have to hold these redundant sessions whenever a new member joins or when content is updated. External instructors have their own fees, and if it is an internal employee, their wasted time also has a cost attached to it.

Asynchronous training allows you to create reusable training assets that can be slightly tweaked for new updates, or simple new videos can be shot and added to the course. Ultimately, your organisation will save time and money.

VIDIZMO: Must-Have Smart Video Training Platform for Asynchronous Training

It is critical to have a video training platform for organizing, centralizing, and streamlining all your training content in one place accessible globally.

VIDIZMO AI-powered video training platform allows you to do just that effectively. It is a SCORM-compliant, user-friendly video platform, kind of like YouTube, but for larger organisations with internal, private videos.

You can stream both synchronous and asynchronous video training on VIDIZMO's video learning platform. You can even go beyond by using VIDIZMO's end-to-end video content management capabilities, including:

• In-video interactive elements like trackable quizzes, downloadable handouts, feedback surveys, and much more

• Collaborative features like time-stamp comments, in-video annotations, social sharing options, etc.

• Live stream recording can be edited, trimmed down, split into bite-sized chunks, and arranged in a playlist to be available as reusable training assets

• Categories as well as manual and auto-tags to organise your training content – you can even feature specific videos, playlists, categories, and tags on your video portal home page

• Out-of-the-box integrations are available with our learning tools, like LMS, and online meeting solutions such as Zoom and MS Teams

• Multilingual platform with automatic transcription and translation of videos in 50+ languages, making your courses accessible globally

• Advanced video analytic reports to quantify training effectiveness – checking course completion, retention and comprehension

• Private video hosting with training content restricted to only authenticated users and groups

• Course completion certificates to reward learners

• Compatibility with all devices and browsers, as well as adaptive bitrate streaming for the best possible viewing experience on varying bandwidth conditions

Embrace Asynchronous Training for Scalable and Effective Learning

Asynchronous training offers unmatched flexibility for businesses looking to empower their global workforce. By allowing employees to learn on their own time and terms, it eliminates the barriers of time zones, scheduling conflicts, and redundant live sessions.

With the right video training platform, your organisation can centralise all training content, improve accessibility, and create a consistent learning experience across departments. A modern solution like VIDIZMO enables you to implement asynchronous training at scale with interactive features, robust analytics, and secure access management.

Ready to elevate your training strategy? Start your Free Trial or Contact Us to explore how our AI-powered video training platform can transform your asynchronous learning experience.

People Also Ask

What is asynchronous training?

Asynchronous training is a self-paced, on-demand learning method where learners access training materials like videos or documents at their own convenience, without needing to participate in real-time sessions.

How is asynchronous training different from synchronous training?

Asynchronous training allows learners to study at their own pace using pre-recorded content, while synchronous training involves live, real-time interaction between instructors and learners, often through video conferencing tools.

Is asynchronous training effective for employee development?

Yes, asynchronous training is highly effective for employee development as it allows flexibility, supports different learning speeds, and ensures consistent delivery of training content across different locations and time zones.

What are the benefits of asynchronous training?

Asynchronous training offers benefits such as flexibility, cost savings, increased accessibility, reusable training content, and the ability for learners to revisit and review material anytime they need.

Can asynchronous training be used for global teams?

Asynchronous training is ideal for global teams as it eliminates time zone constraints, allowing employees across various regions to access training materials whenever it suits them best.

What tools are needed for asynchronous training?

Organizations typically use video training platforms, learning management systems (LMS), cloud storage solutions, and content authoring tools to develop, manage, and deliver asynchronous training programs.

How does asynchronous training save costs?

Asynchronous training reduces costs by eliminating the need for travel, physical venues, repeated live sessions, and instructor time, especially when training large or distributed teams.

Can asynchronous training include interactive elements?

Yes, modern asynchronous training platforms support interactive features like quizzes, surveys, annotations, and handouts embedded directly within training videos to boost learner engagement.

How do organizations track progress in asynchronous training?

Organizations use analytics from training platforms to track progress metrics such as course completion, viewer engagement, quiz performance, and knowledge retention.

Is video the best format for asynchronous training?

Video is one of the most effective formats for asynchronous training as it combines visual and auditory learning, enhances engagement, and allows learners to pause, replay, or speed up content as needed.