Online courses - good or bad

I am working through a letter that I received from a government agency regarding a grant we have. It appears that some do not think online courses are of value. In the opinion of one individual, if one were to work in safety, the student must take at least two years of science courses before even considering safety studies. And it is a definitely a bad thing that BCSP allows a two year degree to be accepted in order to set for the ASP/CSP.
The students that I have worked with since I began teaching back in 92 are individuals that are working adults or non-traditional students. Not every student can stop working and go to a university and sit through 4 years of lecture classroom to be better off. It would be nice, but how do you tell someone that is working in the safety arena and has been for 15 years that is making 125,000 a year that the only way you can get an education is to stop what you are doing and go to XX university? My education has been all non-traditional, from my 4 associates, 1 bs, 2 masters, and now my doctoral studies - with the PdD being all online. Would have a classroom been a blessing, especially working through SPSS, but...

Now about that cup of coffee this morning, someone forgot to put some grounds in the filter.