Online shopping is a boon for many reasons: it’s fast, convenient, and doesn’t require leaving the house. But sometimes, as e-commerce outlets like Bonobos and Warby Parker have discovered, consumers just want to physically try something on.

The same is true for online education—although it’s a good alternative for students who can’t attend a physical campus for one reason or another, educators realize that having a “real life” component is important, too. E-commerce retailers have solved this problem by opening up brick and mortar spots so that consumers can experience their wares firsthand, and officials are taking note.

As of 2016, there were more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course, reports The Atlantic, and efforts to keep them engaged and happy have created interesting new models. An online-degree provider called 2U is one example, creating a partnership with WeWork to let students study and take tests at their locations. Think of it as the storefront for the university,” Richard DeMillo, the executive director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told The Atlantic.

The reverse is also happening: Some students on physical campuses are taking online courses to supplement their course loads. At the University of Florida, Orlando, for example, 75 percent of the 56,000 undergraduates took at least one online class at the school last year.

It’s clear that students have a desire for both types of learning. How colleges will fill this need is yet to be determined. But for now, offering a hybrid experience seems to be the education model of the future.