I believe having in-person meetings would definitely have made for a more efficient use of time. When you’re part of an online class where you may not necessarily be able to meet with your group members in person, it’s imperative to set up times for everyone to meet and discuss the project. Otherwise you get a situation where people respond whenever they’re able, which may be hours after you were looking for feedback, and then you’re having a conversation over a few hours which would have taken a few minutes in person. The instant response you get with an in-person discussion is essential to building cohesive projects.