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The United States Postal Service is established. (USPS, n.d.). -
Anna Eliot Ticknor founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home. This was the first organization to offer correspondence courses. Teachers and students mailed coursework to each other which was the first form of asynchronous distance learning. (Caruth & Caruth, 2013). -
Reginald Fessenden sent the first long-distance radio transmission of human voice and music. (PBS, n.d.). -
Pennsylvania State University is the first college or university to broadcast courses over the radio. (Ferrer, 2019). -
The first TV was invented by John Logie Baird in England. (Ferrer, 2019). -
Colossus, the world's first electronic computer was assembled. (National Museum of Computing, n.d.). -
WOI-TV of Iowa State University broadcasts the first educational programs on TV. This allowed the first kind of synchronous distance learning. (ISU, n.d.). -
The University of Illinois created an intranet system named PLATO (Progammed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations). This was a group of linked computer terminals that allowed students to access course materials and lectures outside of the classroom. (Coursera, n.d.). -
Charley Kline transmitted the very first internet signal. (Ferrer, 2019). -
Coastline Community College is the first virtual campus to be founded. It offered the first ever degree program through telecourses using telephone, television, radio, records, and tapes. (Ferrer, 2019). -
The very first portable computer is released and named the Osborne 1. (Old Computers, n.d.). -
Soft Arc introduces the very first learning management system (LMS) named FirstClass. LMSs are now software that deliver and/or create educational online. -
Tim Berners-Lee creates the first website and the World Wide Web (WWW) opens to the public. (Ferrer, 2019). -
The Computer Assisted Learning Center Campus (CALCAMPUS) offers the first online college courses with real-time classroom instruction. This was the very first time synchronous learning happened online. (CALCumpus, n.d.). -
Udacity launches the first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs offer global education that is free, requires no prerequisites, is easily accessible, and highly flexible. (Kady & Vadeboncoeur, 2019). -
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) finds that about over 6 million students are enrolled in distance education courses. Additionally, 98% of public universities and colleges offer some form of online programs. (Ferrer, 2019). -
In March of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced a global shutdown. Schools from Kindergarten through college were forced to facilitate learning online. This highlighted the need for online education better than ever before. -
Today, online learning has become a staple in education. In the future we can expect to see increased enrollment in online classes from K through college, advances in online instruction, and the growth of MOOCs.