A study by 16 professors at the University of Illinois has found that the trend toward online classes in colleges can produce effective educational experiences, but only if they create strong bonds between professors and classes, the New York Times reports.

The group's Online Pedagogy Report -- released last week -- concluded that online education can be an efficient way to deliver classes, but only if class sizes are limited.

"The good news is that online teaching can be done with high quality," John R. Regalbuto -- chairman of the group -- told the Times. "But the bad news is that it is inherently more difficult to create and maintain the bond a professor needs to have with his or her class for good teaching to occur. The costs will be higher, and that will disappoint administrators eager to make a lot of money."

While the professors felt that seminars were ideal for online delivery -- using e-mail lists or chats to replace classroom discussion -- the interactive nature of undergraduate classes required more face-to-face encounters. As a result, the professors were critical of efforts to offer entire undergraduate degrees online, the Times reports.

Some of the advantages of online education involve requiring students write to participate in class, the report finds. Shy students are often more likely to "speak up" if they do not have others around, and written responses are usually more considered and articulate.

However, while recommending online education as a good thing, the professors would limit class sizes to about 20 students, to create the best learning experience. This conclusion goes against one of the main institutional advantages that have been proposed for online classes: cheaper costs through larger classes. One advocate has said that a professor should be able to teach 1,000-person classes through the Internet, the Times reports.

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