Benefits for Instructors

Admittedly, live web courses do pose a significant additional burden on the instructor. But the greatest burden is the first time. And there are compensating benefits:

If you need to be out-of-town for some reason, you can pre-record your lecture and make it available at the time of the class using your TA. That allows you to take attendance, for example.
Being minutely prepared for class is not all bad. You can concentrate on getting the important points over to the class, rather than on writing on the blackboard and then checking and correcting this writing. This allows more attention on teaching instead of on algebra. In short, you will probably give a better lecture. And personally, I like it if my lecture looks appealing and professional.
Lectures are archived. So if you get sick, or if you have to miss class for some other reason, call in, and tell the TA which lecture (parts) from previous years to show.
Excuses like "I did not know since I was sick that day" are past history.
You can tell students to view important lectures, or parts of lectures, a second or third time.
You can use the archived lectures as advertisements for you elective classes.
If your graduate student really needs a class, send him/her to the archives.
You can add links to additional reference material, topics that are not covered, further explanations, etcetera, to the web page.
You may be able to use distance students to get a full class size for otherwise small classes.
For some elective classes, there may never be enough students at any given time. Teach it once and archive it, then offer it from the archives.
If you do not have a book for your class, you should feel more confident now that the students have access to copies of your ordered lectures notes (instead of their own messy, incorrectly copied, out-of-order notes.)
The program expands your possible student base to unlimited proportions. There might be some good students out there in companies, national labs, ...

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