Many online classes are asynchronous, meaning that students and instructors interact---but not at the same time. A student might post a question on the class website's discussion board. The instructor, then, responds on his or her own time. A poorly timed response means that the student might not receive the feedback. He or she also might proceed with an assignment without reading the instructor's response. Therefore, the asynchronous online environment slows feedback and risks it being lost in cyberspace.
Students in online classes may never meet their instructors. Written feedback already poses a challenge because it may be difficult to determine tone. Feedback in online classes is no different. An instructor might not be pleased with a student's work but fears sounding too harsh. He or she may mix in words such as "strong" or "substantial" into an assignment's review. The student, then, may misinterpret this feedback as positive rather than critical.
Even when instructors provide feedback for online coursework, they cannot confirm that students properly absorb and apply it. When students in traditional face-to-face classes meet with instructors, the instructor knows that the student at least received it. However, when an instructor sends an email or discussion post, he or she cannot ensure that students read or applied whats was contained. Communication requires work from both parties in online classes.