Not by Choice: Why Online Students Are Isolated by Design, Not Desire
Last week, we kicked off our new series by exploring why the future of EdTech must be both human-first and technology-enabled. This week, we’re addressing one of the most persistent assumptions holding that future back: the belief that online students want to work alone.
It’s often assumed that by choosing a virtual modality, students either don’t want to or don’t have time to engage with classmates, instructors, or the broader academic community. We tend to picture them as self-sufficient learners, focused solely on coursework and uninterested in anything beyond that. While this assumption may not have shaped the structure of online programs, it has left a gap in their design where community and belonging are overlooked.
But students don’t want to be alone. And the longer the isolation persists, the more students we risk losing.
Online Students Want Flexibility, Not Isolation
Today’s online learners aren’t traditional 18-year-olds transitioning straight from high school. They are working adults, caregivers, first-generation students, and career-changers. They are logging in from break rooms, living rooms, and long commutes. Their lives make in-person learning impractical, and flexibility is crucial to their success..
However, flexibility doesn’t mean a desire for isolation. Surveys responses from both Rio Salado College and Fort Hays State University confirm this. When asked what they wanted more of, students overwhelmingly pointed to connection. They were not asking for quick, scripted responses from chatbots or to be left to figure things out alone. They were asking for community, peer support, and opportunities to participate and engage on their own terms.
The Deeper Issue: A Digitally Transplanted Model
Most online learning models were adapted from traditional, residential college experiences. These systems were designed for students who live on campus, visit office hours, form study groups, and find support in the rhythm of campus life.
When learning moved online, the curriculum came with it. The community did not.
Institutions have done well to ensure access to content. But in many cases, they have not translated the social and academic networks that help students succeed. Prioritizing delivery but not design, especially when it comes to fostering connection in digital spaces.
Creating community online does not mean replicating what happens on campus. It requires rethinking how connection happens when students are learning from their kitchen tables and collaborating across time zones. The need for community is just as strong. It simply takes a different shape.
Institutions are Proving What’s Possible
Rio Salado College recognized that flexibility in online learning could unintentionally To better understand the needs of their online learners, Rio Salado College partnered with the College Innovation Network and InScribe to conduct a research study focused on belonging, connection, and engagement. The findings revealed that many online students were experiencing a lack of community, which often led to feelings of isolation.
In response, the college launched RioConnect, a digital community designed to give students a space to ask questions, connect with peers, and share advice—on their own schedules and terms.
In just six weeks, the results were compelling:
40% increase in students’ sense of belonging
14% improvement in peer connectedness
79% felt more connected to their peers
80% said it was easier to ask questions
Most said they would recommend it to others seeking support and connection
One student captured the impact best:
“I’m not a traditional student. It’s been years since I’ve been in school. But seeing others talk about the same challenges made me feel like I wasn’t starting from behind.”
Read the full research report.
Fort Hays State University recognized a similar challenge. While Rio Salado College’s research led to proactive community-building, FHSU uncovered the need in a different way—through an institution-wide survey for both online and in-person students. The results revealed a consistent gap: online learners reported feeling far more disconnected than their on-campus peers.
The difference wasn’t about content quality or deliberate inequity. It was structural. In-person students benefit from built-in opportunities for connection—passing classmates in hallways, attending office hours, or joining study groups. Online students didn’t have systems designed with those moments in mind.
So FHSU acted.
They launched Tiger-2-Tiger, a digital community purpose-built for online students to form relationships and access peer support on their own schedules and terms.
And the impact was immediate:
More than 1,000 students joined
287 discussions sparked over 45,000 views
Students used the space to share encouragement and ask vulnerable, deeply human questions—like “Am I too old to go back to school?”
That one question captured the heart of what was missing: a space where students could feel safe, supported, and seen.
The answers didn’t come from a chatbot or a help desk. They came from peers—fellow students who offered encouragement, shared resources, and reminded each other they belonged. Many said they stayed enrolled because, for the first time, they didn’t feel alone.
“I finally feel like I’m not doing this alone. It’s not just coursework. It’s connection.”
These are more than isolated success stories. They’re proof of a simple truth: students have always craved connection. The only thing missing was design that made space for it.
Isolation is a Design Flaw, not a Student Preference
When we treat online students as content consumers, we strip away the support systems that make learning meaningful. Assuming they don’t want engagement denies them the networks that drive persistence, confidence, and growth.
At InScribe, we’ve seen firsthand how intentional design changes everything: students show up, they support each other, and they persist.
Digital communities aren’t replacements for faculty or advisors. They amplify them. They create asynchronous, safe spaces to ask questions, share advice, and help each other through tough moments. Most importantly, they remind learners they aren’t alone, even when they’re far from campus.
The Path Forward is Clear
Online education was never meant to make isolation the norm. Students didn’t choose to be alone. They chose flexibility. Our role now is to ensure that flexibility includes connection, belonging, and support.
Let’s retire the misconception.
Let’s listen to students’ voices.
And let’s build systems that meet them where they are.
Coming up next in our series: We’ll explore how institutions are shifting focus from access alone to building social capital—the relationships, trust, and shared knowledge that help students succeed. You’ll see how Northern Arizona University and UMGC are creating peer-powered ecosystems that support persistence, reduce equity gaps, and give online learners something every student needs: a network they can rely on.