Can we make it as good as the real thing?

I’ve started working on developing online education at The King’s College, where I also teach a few courses, including one online pilot course this semester.

I’ve always been a little ambivalent about online education, especially in the humanities, since classroom discussion and lecture is so important to learning. But though we can’t directly replicate the experience online, I think that something is probably better than nothing. TKC is very rigorous academically, and the online work is designed for high school seniors who might otherwise be at their local community college (and even the best community college will never be as rigorous as TKC, especially in freshman-level courses).

So I’m brainstorming ways to make this a more natural experience. My current course makes use of the student portal and WordPress blogs, but I’m sure there’s a lot I’m missing. Ideas? What technologies would be useful to explore? (Here in the States we have FERPA to deal with, but I’m sure there’s still a lot to know.) What technologies might help enhance learning in a way that doesn’t quite happen in the classroom? I want your thoughts.