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The Creation of Intranet
Not to be confused with the Internet, Intranet was created in 1960 by the the University of Illinois for their students. The college establish a system of linked computer terminals where students could access course materials and listen to recorded lectures. Interestingly, the system University of Illinois created evolved into a platform known as PLATO. PLATO served as the foundation for many social media concepts that are present today, such as message boards and screen sharing. -
Coastline Community College
Coastline Community College becomes the first college to fully operate via distance learning without a physical location. Though they were the first virtual college, it was established before many of the evolutionary changes of online learning and technology. -
Electronic University Network (EUN_
Founded by Ron Gordon, the Electronic University Network was launched with the mission of helping colleges and universities expand the availability of online courses. In order to use EUN, students had to have access to a Commodore 64, IBM PC/PCjr, or Apple II series computer and a modem. Tuition was also affordable, ranging from $12 for a seminar to $295 for credit-based university courses degree. -
Internet Was Born
Programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) created the Internet society uses today. ARPANET, a DOD program, created TCP/IP and from there researchers began to assemble the “network of networks” that became the modern Internet. The online world then took on a more recognizable formate in 1990, when the World Wide Web was invented. The web is just an navigation feature of modern day Internet. -
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix was the first institution to launch a fully online collegiate institution that offered both bachelors and masters degrees. At this point in time, students enrolled in University of Phoenix had access to online learning primarily via the Internet and early technology such as the first portable computer, The Osborne 1. -
www.WorldWideWeb.com
The World Wide Web was originally developed by Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world. -
The World Meets Google
1997 was a great year for online learners as they were also gifted with Google, a game changing search engine. It uses a proprietary algorithm that's designed to retrieve and order search results to provide the most relevant and dependable sources of data possible. Google's stated mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. It is the No.1 search engine in the world. -
Interactive Learning Network
Interactive Learning Network was established as the first eLearning platform. Networks like PLATO had a help system, a rudimentary spell checker was included in the system, a student comment page with record of response, an instructor page that allowed the instructor to communicate with a student, and a record of each button the student pushed and the time at which he or she pushed it. Today, Blackboard is used and shares a very similar interface and purpose but with many more modern features. -
The 2000s
"The 2000s led to an explosion in the development and use of online technologies to deliver educational content. Access to the Internet continues to become more widely available and new platforms are still being developed. As a result, the number of distance learning universities is expected to grow, is are the number of traditional universities making use of online technology" (Miller, 2014). The 2000s brings us Youtube, Wikipedia, and the birth of Apple products. -
Today
As of 2018, 98% of public universities and colleges offered some form of online program. -
The Future
"With the advent of online learning, more people than ever before are able to connect, learn, and grow on their own terms, without many of the obstacles that are associated with traditional, on-campus education. While online colleges may never totally replace the traditional experience, it is undeniable that online education has had a major impact not only on how we pursue formal education, but on how we teach, learn, and perceive knowledge" (Ferrer, n.d.).
