Quality of content overrides personality or charisma. A text-based system has an equalizing affect. Since students cannot see one another, they're less inclined to typecast them. The only thing that counts is the quality of the student's ideas. The amount of time available to each student is increased because it is not confined to the traditional class hours.
Most schools require that students and faculty log on five days each week.
When real time interaction is necessary, students and faculty use the telephone or audio conferencing. In this mode a number of smaller assignments is due each week. All assignments are posted to mailboxes which are open to the class. Students react to one another's assignments by critiquing the assignment, making additional suggestions, providing other information, or asking for additional information. This process contributes to higher developmental levels of understanding and their collaborative work skills are honed by the requirements of the course.