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Caleb Phillips places an ad in the Boston Gazette as an instructor of a correspondence course. Phillips will teach students shorthand through weekly mailings.
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In 1833, German educator Alexander Kapp publishes a book called /Plato's Doctrine of Education as Pedagogy for the Individual and as State Pedagogy/. He puts forth a hypothesis that adults acquire knowledge differently than children, and comes up with the term "andragogy" to differentiate adult learning from "pedagogy." Loeng, S. and Omwami, E. (2018). Various ways of understanding the concept of andragogy. Cogent Education 5:1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02601370.2017.1363826
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In 1932, the University of Iowa becomes a pioneer in instructional technology when they begin to broadcast lectures via television and radio, seven years before television access was debuted for the general public at New York's World's Fair. The University of Iowa. (n.d.) Guide to University firsts. Retrieved from https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/archives/faq/faqfirsts/
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Dr. Malcolm Knowles earned his MA and PhD in Education through the University of Chicago, then moved on to Boston University for a teaching appointment in 1959. When there, he encountered the term "andragogy" through a colleague and began developing a framework to characterize adult learning.
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The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning was established in 1974 to support adults seeking higher education and/or career education opportunities. At their inception, adult learners were "overlooked within the 'first time, full time' mindset that prevailed then, they were expected to fit their schedules around what higher ed had to offer, not the other way around." CAEL. (n.d.) History, mission & vision. Retrieved from https://www.cael.org/about-us/history-mission-vision
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In 1966, the Adult Education Act was passed into law, providing for GED and ESL programs. Yet, it was not until Jimmy Carter came into office that the Department of Education was formed. Shirley Hufstedler was the U.S.'s first Secretary of Education; she created the Division of Adult Education under the DOE's auspices. U.S. Department of Education. (2013), Federal adult education: A legislative history, 1965-2013. Retrieved from https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/Adult_Ed_History_Report.pdf
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In 1981, Western Behavioral Sciences Institute began offering a low-residency degree program online; in 1985, Nova Southeastern University offered the first accredited online graduate program; in 1989, the University of Phoenix began offering bachelors and masters degrees online. Feenberg, A. (1993). Building a global network. Retrieved from [https://tinyurl.com/yyo6f9b2]
Travis, S. (5 Jan 2014.) NSU celebrating 50 years of innovation. Retrieved from [https://tinyurl.com/y4p687d5] -
In 1996, CourseInfo became one of the first proprietary LMS. In 1998, CourseInfo and Teachers Toolbox combined to form Blackboard, which, until 2018, was the largest LMS on the market, with over 8 million licensed users at its peak. In 2018, Instructure Canvas overtook Blackboard Learn's market share, though BB is still used by more schools in total. Edutechnica. (2020). 8th annual LMS data update. Retrieved from https://edutechnica.com/2020/12/09/8th-annual-lms-data-update/
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Beginning in 2008, Minnesota, Alabama and South Carolina are the first of 19 states to pass laws in support of prior learning programs. The American Council on Education published findings in 2013 that 92% of higher ed institutions supported prior learning programs, though best practices have yet to be established. The American Council on Education. (2013). Credit for prior learning from the student, campus, and industry perspectives. Retrieved from [https://tinyurl.com/y5r9lvof]
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In 2009, UNESCO began their research on adult learning and education (ALE) around the globe. Their 2019 Global Report on Adult Learning and Education surveyed 159 countries about ALE aims, calling "for a major change in the approach to ALE, backed by adequate investment to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access" ALE, setting a benchmark for 2030. UNESCO. (Jan. 2020). 4th global report on adult learning and education. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372274
