History of Distance Learning

by Tracy Montgomery & many wonderful sources, of course

July 5, 2016

Distance learning

Older generations always bragging about the miles of

distance they traveled.

From PHYSICAL distance

to VIRTUAL distance

But, lets take a stroll

through the world of
Distance Learnings
History

From the
Written Era

1728: Worlds 1st distance learning

course is established in Boston,
with lessons sent by mail
1840s: Sir Isaac Pitman teaches
shorthand via correspondence in
Great Britain
1858: The University of London
becomes the 1st university to offer
distance learning degrees
1892: Term Distance Education
first used in a university pamphlet

Whats that
sound?

1906: University of
Wisconsin begins
recording lectures, and
sending them to
e
k
i
l
s
students in
d
n
ou
e
c
S
i

r
p
phonograph form
h
!
g
n
i
e
h
th
a
k
c
a
b
r
fo
1922: Penn State begins
offering courses
through the radio

Television Era

1968: Stanford University offers instruction for part-time

engineering students through their own network
1969: Establishment of Open University, 1st to deliver only
distance learning
1969: U.S. Department of Defense creates the Internet
(ARPANET)

Online Era

1971: Ivan Illichs Deschooling

Society describes computer-based
education
1976: University of Phoenix
founded
1989: Tim Berners-Lee proposes
development of an online
document sharing system, which
becomes the World Wide Web
1999: The term eLearning is
coined

Modern Era

2003: 81% of colleges have at least 1

online class
2002-2008: 187% increase of students
taking online classes
2010: 83% of CEOs & small business
owners in the U.S. consider online
degrees as credible as traditional
degrees
2012: 96% of traditional universities offer
online courses
2016: Tracy Montgomery creates her 1st
multimedia presentation for a distance
learning course

Whats the PRICE of everevolving Distance Education?

Advantages:
High Profits for a Low Price

Flexibility

Commutingor, lack thereof

Numerous Choices

Meal plan, moving expenses, extra living expenses

GONE!
Learn while working

Disadvantages:
Whats the high price to pay,
though?

Requires Adaptability to New Technologies

Format isnt ideal for all learners

Lack of Social Interaction

Some employers don't accept online degrees

Do you want a surgeon with an online degree?

Distance Education Today:

Not-so-Distant

Changing the definition of education

Not just a factor in education; Its REALITY

Keep up, or fall behind

FINAL THOUGHTS

Some of those wonderful sources that assisted me with this beauty

A Brief History of Online Learning [Infographic]. (2014, November). Retrieved July 24, 2016, from
http://www.straighterline.com/blog/brief-history-online-learning-infographic/
Distance Learning: A History of Flexibility [Digital image]. (2013). Retrieved July 01, 2016, from
https://elearningindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-History-of-Distance-Learning-Infographic.jpg
Horn, M. (2015, July 23). Disruptive Innovations in Higher Ed Emerging from Outside Mainstream. Forbes. Retrieved July 02, 2016, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2015/07/23/disruptive-innovations-in-higher-ed-emerging-from-outside-mainstream/#6e3cc7bf13bd
International Association for Distance Learning [IADL]. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning. Retrieved July 05, 2016,
from http://www.iadl.org.uk/Article20.htm