Although going to school with peers and learning face to face with an instructor is considered effective and traditional, it is not always a viable option. Students may not be able to go to attend classes for various reasons, and distance learning by the way of online and video conferencing may be the only option. Distance learning by online and video conferencing can benefit the students by allowing them to access the educational content anywhere at many times throughout the day, It allows them to learn even if the students are unable to attend school, and more courses can be taught online.

The backbone of modern day society largely consists of what we all keep in our pocket, our phone. This device can connect to the world wide web at any time and retrieve information from almost anywhere. Teachers have become aware of this, and have started to assign online assignments more consistently. In the case that a student cannot attend school, they can still learn this way, whether they are across the globe or right at home. If a student needs to speak to a teacher, they can choose a time at any point throughout the day to conference, rather than just having one class to speak to the teacher and then holding on to questions until the next class.

There are many reasons why a student may not be able to attend school; they may be sick, traveling, or the school may simply be closed. This can cause many students to fall behind their peers if they do not receive the help they require. Teaching a student via online conferencing can be an effective way to counteract these problems. Teaching them online will allow students to learn without the having to leave their home.

At most schools, students are limited to the courses that teachers are trained and willing to teach. This may differ from the course the student wishes to learn. But because data can be sent and received from any point online, students are not restricted to only learning what the teachers at their local school are able to teach. A much wider variety of courses can be offered online as students could choose courses from teachers all over the county. Say a student wanted to learn how to code but there is no computer science teacher at their school. The student could conduct an online conference with computer science teachers from other schools regularly to learn the topic. If a student were to travel to another school just to take a class, it would not be nearly as time and cost efficient as learning via video or online conferencing.

As Northern Virginia prepares for a possible Coronavirus epidemic which could potentially close down schools across the county or even the state, and Generic_City has scheduled a day for teachers to solely learn the basics of online training, it has never been a more important time to discuss whether of not students would benefit from attending classes home by way of online or video conferencing. Some argue that learning online is not as effective as learning in class, but the benefits of online learning far outweigh the problems caused. Distance learning for students can benefit them by allowing them to access content anywhere at nearly any time throughout the day, It allows them to learn even if they are unable to attend school, and more courses can be taught online.