Some schools are starting to offer online classes, that can be attended from home, to its students. While this is a great idea there are many downsides that still need to be fixed. Students would not benefit from attending class online, from home, because there is no social interaction, no honor code, and no system to help failing or struggling students.

Students would not benefit from attending class online because there is no social interaction. Generic_Name attended online classes for his entire high school career and now has difficulty collaborating and working with his co-workers. Having no experience in a group setting where he was required to interact socially, Generic_Name struggles to form connections and to work effectively with his team members. Generic_Name also has trouble collaborating with co-workers and team members, because he never had an opportunity to work and collaborate with a group in a school setting. Generic_Name has trouble communicating his ideas efficiently with other people even after attending four years of high school English online. During Generic_Name's four years of English he never had to vocalize and share his own ideas. Generic_Name did not develop an ability to share his ideas with others during this critical period. Social interaction with peers has the tendency to bring benefits in the future.

Students would not benefit from attending classes online because there is no honor code. Generic_Name takes physical education online over the summer, but drinks energy drinks instead of performing the exercises required to elevate his heart rate and pass the class. The lack of an honor code allows Generic_Name to cheat and be graded for it. Without this honor code Generic_Name cannot benefit from taking this class and is a waste of his time. Generic_Name takes physics online, and has one required learning assessment each day. Instead of showing her skill level she looks up the answers to every problem without having the actual knowledge needed to complete the assessment. This easy access to the internet allows students like Generic_Name to pass their classes without actually knowing how to complete the real problem. There is no benefit to anyone during this process. The honor code provides benefits to the student and brings credibility to the courses that would not exist without it.

Students would not benefit from attending online classes because there is no system to help failing or struggling students. Generic_Name has always had difficulty understanding new math concepts and now that he has started taking math online he has no way to obtain help. When Generic_Name went to traditional school he was able to stay after with the teacher until he understood the concept, but with no system of help in place Generic_Name is stuck in a rut or is unable to make progress or grow. Until there is a system of help put in place students will continue to fail or struggle their classes. Generic_Name recently had a concussion and could not perform any work for his online class without extreme difficultly and has now fallen so far behind he cannot catch up. At a traditional school there are procedures to bring concussed students back to a normal schedule at their own pace. Without anyone or any system to help Generic_Name catch up with the online class he will keep on failing his assignments. A system to help students who are struggling or failing is essential to allow everyone a chance to succeed.

Some schools are offering online classes to its students. Students would not benefit from attending class online, from home, because there is no honor code, no social interaction, and no system to help failing or struggling students. While the idea of online school has many great benefits, but there are still many problems that need to be solved to make it beneficial to all its participants.