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1852 Pitman Shorthand Correspondence Course
Using the United States Postal Service, self-taught secretaries would mail their exercises to the Phonographic Institute in Cincinnati, OH. -
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Distance Education History
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Correspondence University Created
Established in Ithica, NY following the authorization of correspondence courses by the State of New York after William Harper developed a program in Chautauqua, NY a year earlier. -
Colliery School of Mines is first International Correspondance School
Established in Wilkes-Barr, PA, the Colliery School of Mines developed a distance learning system to teach mine safey. -
University of Chicago Distance Learning Program
The University of Chicago legitimized distance learning by becoming the first college to offer such a program. -
Distance learning via radio braodcast begins
The University of Salt Lake, University of Minnesota, and the University of Wisconsin are the first schools to be issued radio broadcast license for distance education. -
First Televised Learning
The University of Iowa became the first college to broadcast courses via television. -
British Open University
Based on the American blueprint of distance education, the British Open University paved the way for a number of European countries to be actively involved in distance learning programs. -
First fully televised public courses
Coastline Community College was the first college without an actual physical campus. Their entire courses were offered via televised classes. -
Television networking becomes cost-effective
Due to satelite television becoming increasingly cost-effective, the National University Teleconferencing Netowork transmitted programs to 40 members. -
For-profit distance learning takes off
With the invention of the microprocessor in the early 1970's distance learning began a new era. By the late 1980's for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix began to make a significant impact in distance learning. -
Information superhighway
The World Wide Web created links to thousands of computers throughout the world and increased the potential for distance learning like never before. -
Explosion of application software
Enterprise software applications such as Blackboard provided enormous opportunities for the education industry.
