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Shorthand Correspondance Classes
Issac Pitman began teaching shorthand classes through correspondance mail in 1840 in Englans. He had students copy short sections from the Bible and send it to him to be graded using the penny post. -
New York Chautauqua Assembly
A series of liberal arts teaching circuits were put together based on the original Chautauqua and traveled the country until the 1920's bringing education to those who were typically far from it. -
International Correspondence School
Correspondance classes grew in popularity to the point that in 1880 the International Correspondence School was created. -
National University Extension Association
Distance education had become a big enough industry that it needed accreditation. This happended in 1915 with the National University Extension Association -
Radio Education
In the 1920's the use of the radio facilitated a whole new audience of educational programs and even classes. -
Television
In the 1940's television was the new technology. As soon as technology is invented educators are thinking of was it can facilitate learning. -
University of Wisconsin's Correspondence Study Unit
a UWCU report stated that the correspondence unit:-Offers nearly 450 courses in nearly 150 areas of learning-Teaches 12,000 active students annually-Gives personal instruction on more than 80,000 written assignments-Cooperates with the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State to teach Immigration Law & Visa Operation to foreign service officers
-And contracts with the U.S. Armed Forces Institute to develop and teach 200 correspondence courses on the high school and universi -
Teleconferencing systems
Teleconferencing systems in the 1980's almost made the distance educator and classmates tangible resources. It enabled students to hear and interact with instructors and other students in real time. -
World Wide Web
The internet has proven to be the ultimate connector in distance education. Students are able to participate in virtual classrooms for everything from paper and book classes, to learning labs and colaborative projects. -
Current popularity
Reports indicate that in 2010 as many as 6.1 million students took at least one online class!
