A significant difference between online learning and traditional classroom experiences is how difficult it is for online students to interact meaningfully with their peers. In my opinion, these interactions matter—**not primarily because they improve collaboration or engagement, but because they increase the likelihood that learners form real connections outside the course**. The kind that persist beyond assignments and discussion posts. In-person learning makes this almost unavoidable. You arrive at the same time, leave at the same time, overhear conversations, recognize faces. Synchronous online learning preserves a thin version of this. Asynchronous learning preserves none of it. Online learning offers flexibility. It allows learners to engage on their own schedules, revisit material, and progress at a pace that fits their constraints. For many, it's the only way participation is possible. But that flexibility comes with a tradeoff. In online courses, interaction often becomes fully intentional. Nothing happens by accident. There are no side conversations, no shared pauses, no moments where connection forms without being explicitly designed for. I do think we underestimate what we give up when we optimize for flexibility alone. Connection depends on friction, timing, and shared moments. Flexibility removes many of these conditions. And each time we design for maximum flexibility, we quietly reduce the likelihood that learners will ever feel connected to one another. ###### Related Projects: - [[Live Discussions, Streamlined Grading - Thanks to AI]] - [[Making Asynchronous Learning Less Lonely]]