The way that online classes are typically handled is... well, abysmal at best. Requiring a discussion post and replying to X number of classmates on each topic isn't going to get you anywhere near simulating an actual classroom environment. Personally, I think that the problems with the format lie in the fact that most instructors don't really know what to do with it, so they try to approximate a traditional classroom to the best of their ability.
An excellent example of online classes being executed poorly would be... well, every online class that I've ever taken. Most recently, I took a Teaching English Language Learners class online. It followed the same model that every online class I'd taken before then. Read a set of class notes each week, read an article or two, write a reflection, comment on three other people by the end of the week. There were also a few projects thrown in here and there, but this was the bulk of the class. Then the midterm came, and I failed it rather miserably. Why? Because this was not an effective method of learning. There was no actual teaching occurring, and it was too easy to just skate by without actually retaining any information.
However, I don't think that all hope is lost for the prospects of online education. There are a few factors that need to be properly addressed before it can be a valid method, though.
1) Subjects. Online education is just flat out inappropriate for some subjects. The most immediate example that comes to mind would be languages. Some subjects just need that face to face interaction and communication with an entire class that you could simulate with video chatting, but at that point, why bother?
2) Content delivery. Most online classes that I've seen provide content in a way that's simple for the teacher to produce, simple for the student to access, and just... too ineffective. Simple word documents aren't good enough. Content needs to be delivered in an effective manner that can address multiple learning styles, and it needs to do it in a way that only online education can do. Personally, I like the idea of interactive flash-game-type-contraptions that show how things work with a written and spoken explanation, along with questions as students work through it, with explanations for what they may have done wrong provided if they get the wrong answer.
However, the best uses of online education come not through fully online classes, but classes taught in person that are heavily supplemented through online tools. Now, any college student today has used Blackboard or Desire2Learn, and most instructors usually post grades and the occasional handout from class, but what I'm talking about is when it serves a purpose that either can't be served in person or can be served so much more effectively online.
The most prominent example is submitting assignments. Submitting papers and such through an online service of some sort eliminates most of the issues with losing homework between printing it and getting it to class, and it allows the instructor to provide feedback and engage in discussion over the assignment outside of regular class time.
Another example that works particularly well is posting notes online. Now, a lot of people are opposed to this because it encourages laziness, but providing the slides and allowing students to print them and take notes on important points from the lecture is kind of the best thing ever for a student. It allows for having all of the straightforward bits already available and encourages actually paying attention in class instead of just trying to rapidly copy down every word from the slides.
All things considered, online education will never completely replace traditional classes, but it will play a huge role going forward. The availability of online classes for those with limited schedules will increase, and as time passes, the methods of running these classes will become more effective through trial and error, and online components will become necessary at all levels to supplement the traditional classroom environment, all in the name of making the content more accessible to as many people as possible. John will be offering his views tomorrow, and then Pendleton will be wrapping up the week on Saturday.
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