Classroom teaching versus blended learning: lessons learnt from the comparison

On-line learning drawing upon new technologies is often presented as the future of education. This article compares, from teachers' point of view, two Master programs delivering the same degree. One is based upon classroom teaching and face to face seminars, the other one relies on blended learning. Lessons learnt from the comparison are threefold. First, teaching simultaneously in both systems enabled cross-fertilization and enrichment of teaching methods. Second, a strong relational network, between teachers and trainees and among trainees, proved to be key success factor in the distance learning system. Third, the high quality of the blended learning program reflected in the excellent rate of success required a great deal of resources and is eventually much more expensive than the classroom training program.