It is a well-known fact that a continued education is a necessity for success in our fast-paced world. It is important for professionals to stay informed and stay educated in order to keep up with the rate at which technology is progressing. Obtaining an education virtually is one of the many options that students have when choosing to move forward in their education. There has been an ongoing debate as to whether an online education is as valuable or as creditable as the traditional way of learning. Some even believe that the traditional classroom will lose its demand due to the gaining popularity of online learning. Ryan Lytle address the critics that believe that online education is of a lower standard than the traditional learning method. A study performed by a nonprofit research company, Ithaka S+R, tested this theory. The findings from this study were that the students who participated in interactive online learning or hybrid learning produced equal or better results than the students who learned in a traditional environment. These results and others lead Mr. Lytle to believe that blending online learning with in-class learning may be a more effective way of learning that just one or the other. Johnson says, “Teacher quality is still a very important part of success in an online course, but so, too is the course design” (Lytle, 2012). Kathleen Kingsbury writes about the massive growth of online education, its affordability, as well as its value. The University of Texas, Harvard, MI, and the University of Southern California at Barkley have all began to offer free online courses called massively open online courses (MOOCs). These courses are not credit based so they do not lead to a degree, but only to an online certificate of completion. MOOCs have proven most valuable to those who already hold degrees or are trying to advance in their careers. “More and more employers are beginning to recognize the value of an online degree and don’t even distinguish from a more traditional path” (Kingsbury, 2012). Warren Bennis addresses the fear that online education will eventually cancel out the traditional face-to-face learning method. He believes that traditional learning will not become obsolete due to the increasing popularity if online education. He uses the Mona Lisa as an example. Millions of people travel across the countries to Paris in order to see the Mona Lisa with their own eyes instead of merely viewing a replication on television. This is because people still value the traditional experience. Online education is very convenient because it allows “one professor in Cambridge or Palo Alto to lecture hundreds of thousands of people around the world”, but students will still value the traditional learning experience (Bennis, 2012). He also used the example of how people feared the “printing press and widespread dissemination of books would make it unnecessary for students” to travel because they could just read about the traveling experiences of others. Student travel has yet to become extinct (Bennis, 2012). The University of Southern California chooses to only offer online education to its graduate students because they believe that the traditional environment is needed at the undergraduate level. As online education continues to improve, critics are beginning to recognize its value and creditability. It has proven to be very convenient to those that have busy lives as it allows flexibility in their schedules. No matter the style, traditional learning environment or online, it all depends on the teacher and the student to achieve success. Some teachers have a teaching style that can really get students involved in their studies whether it be online or in a classroom. Other teachers never make the experience personal or they fail to make it interesting for the students.