As someone who has been involved with online education in its very early iterations, I have seen the process evolve and was, and remain, a big fan overall. 

It is important, however, to note that, although replicating the face-to-face classroom experience as much as possible in the online setting is optimal, there are some obvious disadvantages that will not go away.  

One of them is overcrowding - not just of classes, but of faculty. It is very hard to maintain quality control, and too often, the emphasis is not on actual teaching ability, but rather on satisfying administrative minutiae. 

Yes, the bells and whistles are fine. Yes, it's great to infuse social media into the picture. But how many professors really take the time to talk about writing papers from the beginning?  To dissect all of the bad habits a student will be tempted to succumb to when left to his/her own devices, Internet devices, that is.

Too many students think that simply by avoiding plagiarism makes for a good paper, and it has not been instilled in them to:  1) read, read, and read some more;  2) DO NOT, under ANY circumstnaces, use the "click and paste" feature; 3) walk away from the computer after reading;  4) think about what you read for a good long while;  5) practice saying what you read out loud, as if you are explaining it to a friend (or, better yet, actually explain it to a friend); 6) sit down and write about what you've been thinking, in your own words, without looking up anything; and 7) then, and ONLY THEN, look at your sources and sprinkle them in.

Not enough of that goes on in these online classes. Sure, some instructors do this - and use even better techniques. But not enough do. And it is vital in an online learning environment.