Online learning has become one of the most common ways for students in Canada to take their courses, and many now complete entire subjects from home, watching recorded lectures and submitting work through a screen. While the debate continues over whether this represents a milestone in education or a step back from genuine classroom life, many observers are left wondering about the changes to how students and teachers now relate.

Olivia Tran, a history teacher at Maple Ridge Secondary School, recently noticed that several of her students had stopped attending the optional in-person review sessions she offered, choosing instead to message her at all hours through the course app. Uncertain how to proceed, Tran raised the issue at a staff meeting, discovered that colleagues faced the identical dilemma, and now the school's staff are conferring about whether to set clear limits on when teachers must respond to online messages.