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Open University
The first distance education university, known now as the Open University (OU) is created in Great Britain by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. -
Coastline Community College
Back in the USA, college courses were created and fully televised for the first time by Coastline Community College. Coastline Community College was also the first college to not have a physical campus. -
Adult Education Association
The Adult Education Association’s Handbook on Adult Education includes a chapter on distance education. -
The National Technological University
The National Technological University starting using satellite transmission to provide courses in both continuing and graduate education. Material was either a live broadcast or a previously recorded video. -
The University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is founded allowing professionals to take courses to update their certifications and gain “instant gratification” without the pressure of needing to go to a campus. -
The Internet
The “information superhighway was born” which paved the way for new and versatile distance learning experiences to be developed. -
Jones International University
Online course offerings skyrocket with the introduction of Jones International University which provides five bachelor’s degrees and 24 masters degrees. -
The Distance Learning Education Demonstration
The Distance Learning Education Demonstration (renamed the Distance Education and Training Council years later) is established by the U.S. Department of Education to help regulate the best way to deliver high quality education through distance learning. -
Distance Education Courses
Roughly 6.1 million students took at least one distance education course. -
Massive Open Online Course
Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford University Professor, launched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) which allows anyone to enroll in free online courses. These courses range from computer science to the humanities.
