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Correspondence classes utilizing the U.S. Postal Service were the first form of distance education. The Pittsburgh Shorthand Training program was one of the inaugural programs.
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The University of Chicago introduced the first college-level distance education program.
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Radio technology was the impetus for the next phase of distance learning. Educational radio licenses started to be granted to universities for the purpose of providing more efficient teaching and learning.
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Television technology revolutionized distance learning by adding video to the learning process. The University of Iowa broadcast the first courses via this new medium.
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The University of Wisconsin (with funds from the Carnegie Corporation) created the Articulated Instructional Media Project (AIM) to develop best practices for the burgeoning field of distance learning.
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The British Open University began operation. This government-sponsored entity has since served as a model for similar programs throughout the world.
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Satellite technology allowed those living in remote areas to access education easily. Learn/Alaska was the first state-sponsored satellite educational system. It provided distance learning to 100 isolated villages.
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The University of Phoenix -- a primarily online, for-profit institution -- was established to meet the needs of working professionals looking to advance their careers and job skills. The emergence of the internet is largely responsible for PU's success.
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The Information Superhighway was able to link computers worldwide and enabled distance education to grow dramatically.
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The webcam was invented by scientists at the University of Cambridge to check coffee levels to ensure they didn't make an unecessary journey to the breakroom, only to find an empty coffee pot. This humble invention is having a huge impact on distance learning, allowing for increased interpersonal communication between students and instructors.
