There are a lot of great resources out there, at least in the electrical engineering.  In addition we are fortunate to have a very progressive administration that has funded the development of some fairly sophisticated online lab tools.  Having the institutional support in terms of instructional designers, lab managers and so forth is very important, in my opinion.

We use Multisim and Labview (among others).  The key seems to be very well-develop laboratory procedures, video demonstrations, a lab report template, and timely sharing of the solutions by the faculty.

In my field, electrical engineering, there have been a lot of advancements in the area of online labs.  There are a lot of great tools out there.  The challenge is creating awareness so that they can be included in the courses.

I am developing both synchronous and asynchronous courses.  This material is useful in helping to establish the differences in design parameters between the two.

Strategic incorporation of video to support the concepts.

Creating a thoughtful mix of learning activities and assessments.

That a well designed course can/should have a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities.

That courses need to be well designed, with good navigate, an appropriate structure, and opportunities for intellectual interaction.