Although I work for a competitor, I have to really hand it to Western Governors University as to how they handle coaching in their programs.
Similar to the Westminster College Project-based approach, WGU evaluates student projects against a set of competencies rather than have them listen to lectures and take tests.
One of the strengths to their model is the frequency of their learner contact. they were contacted once a week to see how things are going. The students were a lot more reliable about turning in projects with frequent contacts.
Westminster still seems to be the only school that offers professional coaching with their programs.