Synchronous or Asynchronous? Investigating the Impact of Online Learning Overload on Student Outcomes

The shift to online learning (i.e., classes conducted remotely through platforms such as Zoom and Blackboard) due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in students experiencing online learning overload, leading to adverse impacts on their experiential and learning outcomes, and calling into question the sustainability of online learning. Drawing on the media synchronicity theory, this study aims to investigate how a mismatch between the modes of a communication application (i.e., synchronous, or asynchronous) and the type of communication process (i.e., conveyance or convergence) can result in students experiencing online learning overload. We conceptualize online learning overload as composed of technology related overload, information overload and extraneous cognitive load. We investigate how the three overloads negatively affect student performance and student satisfaction. The study contributes to improving the online learning process by emphasizing the importance of fitting the capabilities of the communication application to the communication process