To ensure student participation in online group projects, I would probably assign people to certain groups, and make sure that the group project has enough components where each person in the group should be delegated a specific part of the project.

In a traditional classroom setting students have trouble meeting to work in groups, or the usual one person does all the work and another person does nothing, but expects credit. I have never taught an online course yet, but looks to me as though an online course would force the students to somehow interact with each other since they never met, and need to know what others in their group are doing.

How essential is it to create an online course to an on ground course for first time college students since they are familiar with on ground contact with instructors?