When I took the Idaho Bowhunter Education course, I was lucky enough to have been taught by T.J. Conrads and Larry Fischer. Even though these two archers are more traditional based in their style of hunting, I learned more in 4 days than I could have imagined. I was an older "beginner" but I thought it was worth going to. It was nice to see fathers with their young sons/daughters in the class as well. Showing their support for the young hunters was neat to see.
Of course the basics were covered but we were also shown how to serve our own strings, fletch arrows, correctly sharpen broadheads, and much, much, more.....
The online courses are fine, I'm sure, but I don't think you get what is essential to the sport without attending live classes. The interaction from those veterans and real life experiences in the field are ones I will remember for a long time. And hey, I got to hang out with T.J. Conrads for a few days and hear some stories I wouldn't have otherwise!