Somehow, I have difficulty imagining Socrates et al discoursing via email or electronic chat. Perhaps the Oracle at Delphi could have screened his messages in order to dilute his influence and schedule his appointments. I sincerely hope not. Better to have 1 professor who can maintain minimal contact with the 250 than to have 1 professor who can effectively inspire the 15. The hallmark of the liberal arts education is learning to reason analytically and critically.
Nothing fosters the ability to reason more than the opportunity to question.
It is the dialogue which results as part of the questioning and answering that prompts true analytical reasoning. Consider too the broadcasts for which questions are solicited before the program even starts only to be answered at the end of the program if time permits. In short, you get Linda Ellerbee reading the prepared notes of the professor. You maybe able to convey technically graphic instructions via a televised distance learning program employing professional presenters, but I truly question how effectively John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding or Plato's Laws can be presented over distance via the ether waves. My corporation employs distance learning and we utilize and endorse it for one reason only - decreased costs.