My Dad used to say the more things change the more they really stay the same, and that’s certainly true of online education when you get right down to it.

People tend to think that online education and traditional learning are completely different from one another, but that is simply not true. Both modes of learning have quite a bit in common actually.

Online education, which grew 13% last year, continues to gain momentum as a widely accepted form of education throughout the marketplace. Once viewed as an Achilles heal, online education is now viewed as a favorable alternative to traditional classroom and setting and is the only way millions of Americans can earn their degree.

When I was enrolled in a couple of online degree classes last year with some fellow thirty something year old friends we all came to the same conclusion at the end of the semester. Geesh, that was easier than I thought it would be. But why is that?

I think the person who set the five class per semester / four year model to secure a bachelors degree was a glutton for punishment. Four years to get a BA or BS is just not very feasible these days. However, some students have turned to online education to help them stay the four year course.

A recent study on the benefits of distance learning issued by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), led Walden University President Jonathan Kaplan to publish an editorial in Inside Higher Ed, a premier higher education news source, on the benefits of online education.

The challenges posed by multi-state regulation of distance learning and online higher education will be the focal point of the October 13, 2009, session of The President’s Forum, a gathering of distance learning leaders from around the nation.

The lines have clearly been drawn between those who champion traditional learning and those who believe online education is the only way to go. However, the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. In this real world educational romance the Capulet’s and Montague’s can coexist quite swimmingly, if you allow yourself to see the big picture and appreciate what both offer.