I have been a part of classes with students that tend to dominate the learning environment. How do you discipline a (know it all) student in a nice way?

Does the instructor need to research to see what will need to be taught asynchronous or synchronous? I think so because I like to bring in 'real world' scenarios. I would introduce this material in a synchronous (chat) session.

I think of biographies as being the icebreaker for the class. What do you think?

Is success in online learning based on the instructor or student? Please list reasons for answer.