by Denise Feirtag By denisefeirtag 1858 University of London established External Programme to offer distance learning degrees Period: 1858 to 2020 higher education 1873 Society to encourage studies at home was founded in Boston 1911 University of Queensland Dept. of Correspondence studies 1953 University of Houston offered 1st. televised college credit classes on T.V. station 1989 University of Phoenix became the 1st. institution to launch an full online degree programs 1992 Phillips interactive and paramount worldwide video pioneered full motion video movies on CD 2009 Barrack Obama pledged 500 million in federal funds for creation of new online courses and materials. 2020 The covid19 pandemic forces nearly every college and university to switch to online learning rather than hold classes in person.