I've been teaching university courses for six years, and the shift to online learning during the pandemic made me question everything about how we measure student progress. My own data shows that attendance in my hybrid classes is 30% higher than in-person, but the drop in critical thinking skills is noticeable when I grade essays. After implementing weekly peer-review sessions and requiring students to record their discussions, I saw improvement, yet I still worry that the convenience of remote education is masking a deeper lack of engagement. Can online learning really match the depth of in-person classroom interaction, especially for subjects that rely on spontaneous debate and hands-on collaboration?