Although synchronous, networked learning activities have been popular since the 1980s, until the turn of the century, most were text-based. With the growth of synchronous audio- and audiographic tools over the last decade, environments supporting synchronous voice and shared workspaces have gained purchase. At the Open University, UK, increasingly, face-to-face tutorials are being replaced with synchronous, online tutorials. While the use of such tools can be seen as more 'inclusive' allowing participation by those previously excluded by distance and the time involved in travelling to the nearest face-to-face tutorial. Many online distance learners, too, value the opportunity to communicate in real-time with their peers, as the interactions can be more spontaneous (McKinney, 2010) and there is the potential for increasing learner dialogue and interaction (McBrien et al. 2009). However, adult part time learners experience many external pressures (Callender & Feldman, 2009), so need the flexibility of study options that are available when they are able to engage, with opportunities to interact whenever it is convenient to them. With this in mind, relying on synchronous communication for an online learning activity could limit inclusivity, as some learners might find the time constraints impossible to meet.
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