The advent of widespread, fast, and reliable internet connectivity has enabled the creation of entirely new industries and collaborative efforts. However, in a world where millions of people earn their living sitting in front of a computer screen at home, it is surprising that the education system has largely failed to follow. Many classes already contain significant online elements which are able to be completed at any computer, yet schools still require students to complete that work on in-school devices. Students would greatly benefit from being able to attend classes online at home due to the improved work schedule, more relaxed learning environment, and potential health benefits.

The most immediate benefits of online classes are related to the improved time schedule that they allow a student. With the current in-school system, students' class times are limited to the those set by the school in an attempt to best serve the huge variety of courses and needs of each student, all using the same bell schedule. Some students are inevitably ill-served by this uniform schedule, such as those that have other commitments late at night which cause them to lose out on sleep due to the early start times of school, or students that simply work better at certain times of the day. Additionally, different courses require different amounts of work, meaning that in the traditional block schedule, students may find themselves simply wasting time after completing their work for the remainder of one block, while they may be scrambling to finish their work by the end of another block. With online classes, students may also find that they can participate in daytime activities which they were previously either unable to attend while in school, or had to reserve for the weekends, having chosen to complete their classwork later in the day.

Another benefit of an online course program is the potential for a more relaxed learning environment. The classroom is not always the ideal place to learn or work, and by removing the need for students to physically enter a school building, they are enabled to choose whichever place works best for them to complete their work, whether that be in the comfort of their home or the solitude of a public library. This can increase productivity by allowing students to move away from distractions and set up their work spaces however they wish. In addition to this, the ability to work anywhere could also help to reduce stress, a major problem for students, especially those at higher levels. This is the result of giving students the freedom to pick who, if anyone, they want to work with, reducing social pressures that many students are negatively affected by, and allowing them to work on a less strict time schedule.

A final major perk of in-home learning is the potential health benefits for students. As they are, schools become breeding grounds for germs, as evidenced by the tremendous number of students who become sick each year during Flu season, or the waves of absences caused by a stomach bug. For many students, and even teachers, these illnesses would be entirely preventable, if they were not required to interact with hundreds of other people in close quarters, as would be the case if distance learning were implemented. This bonus would be especially helpful during outbreaks of rarer, stronger illnesses, such as the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. Schools are under threat to be shut down during these outbreaks, causing major disruptions to student learning; disruptions that would be almost unnoticeable to students taking online courses.

The internet is a powerful tool, which could easily allow many courses to convert to an online-only experience, eliminating the need for students to physically attend school. Were this to become a reality, the time, mental health, and physiological health benefits would greatly affect students, and enable a myriad of new opportunities.                    