History of Distance Education

By ashfunkh
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    Chautauqua Correspondence College

    Founded in 1881, authorized by New York in 1883 to offer collegiate instruction by correspondence, awarding diplomas and degrees.
  • University of Chicago Extension Department

    University of Chicago Extension Department

    Establishment of Extension Department under William Rainey Harper, initiating formal university distance education inspired by Chautauqua.
  • First University Distance Degree Program - Madison, Wisconsin

    First University Distance Degree Program - Madison, Wisconsin

    Harper and Richard Moulton organized the first adult, university-level distance education degree program.
  • United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI)

    United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI)

    Provided correspondence courses to military personnel during and after WW2, offering over 200 courses and serving 7 million members.
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    Open University in United Kingdom

    A revolutionary model for distance education that democratized learning opportunities, paving the way for worldwide adoption of open learning.
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    Corporate Videoconferencing Boom

    Fortune 500 companies like IBM, Kodak, and Federal Express implemented large-scale videoconferencing networks to deliver employee training.
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    First American Symposium on Research in Distance Education

    U.S. leaders convened to review and discuss the state of distance education research, setting the foundation for a new wave of studies.
  • Electronic University Network

    Electronic University Network

    One of the first computer-based distance education systems, offering courses designed at multiple universities with accreditation by Thomas Edison College.
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    Web-Based Education

    Universities such as Penn State began offering online degree programs, with over 80% of public universities adoption web-based courses by end of the decade.
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    Emergence of Virtual Universities

    Virtual universities like Jones International University and the University of Phoenix Online became popular, catering to working professionals and offering flexible online programs.