education someone gets. I got my undergrad in person and a Masters online through AMU, and I can say that my most productive classes were a mix of both and had little to do with the medium used to finish them.
A world class in-person education is better than what one could achieve via distance learning only. Unfortunately, most people are never exposed to "world class" in person education and so it really comes down to what the student makes of it, whether online or otherwise.