Students can raise their hand to get the teachers attention. Or, students can ask questions by using text chat. The teacher can have student answer a question by talking to the class or writing on the whiteboard. So, the virtual class is fully interactive. Students can also interact asynchronously with the teacher or their classmates by using email.
Certified teachers are integral to the educational process.
The knowledge and experience of the teacher facilitates the learning process by making the material easier to understand. A live, on-line teacher is able to answer a question unexpected by an author or to relate ancillary material to the topic at hand. The traditional brick and mortar school will be not replaced. It may be better to have students and instructors in the same room at the same time, sharing a common interest in a subject. A special synergy develops in a properly run classroom with every student benefiting from the interchange between the teacher and the class as well as between class members.