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The first correspondence course surfaced in the 1700s.
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Issac Pitman, in the UK, offered the first shorthand course via mail postal service (Kentnor, 2015). Pittman translated the Bible and mailed the transcriptions on postcards (Kentor, 2015). -
The University of London was the first institution of higher education to offer college degrees via correspondence (Debtor, 2014). -
Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio in 1894, leading educators to communicate and reach out to their learners (Kentnor, 2015).
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The University of Wisconsin dedicated the first radio station to education (Kentnor, 2015). -
Iowa State University launched the first televised education program (Kentnor, 2015). -
The mid-1990s through the Present America is continuing to experience a digital revolution.
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PLATO or Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations, developed by the University of Illinois, was the first computer-based system that offered educational learning to students from K-12 through college (Etherignton, 2017). -
The beginning of the Internet Age
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This time period was characterized by enormous growth in the use of computers for learning. The University of Pheonix started to use CompuServe, the first online service for consumers. (Kentnor, 2015)
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The mid-1990s through Present
Starting in the mid-1990s, America continues to experience a digital revolution - Wikipedia -
The invention of the World Wide Web was created which made higher education available online (Kentnor, 2015). -
The Computer Assisted Learning Center or CALCampus was the first complete online school offering instruction in realtime (Tom, 2017). -
Blackboard software was launched to manage online educational environments centralizing online learning tools (Ferrer, 2019). -
YouTube/EDU brings the video element to millions bringing college courses to over 5 million (Ferrer, 2019). -
Massive open online courses (MOOC) are online courses that offer unlimited participation and open access via the web. This availability will continue to change the methodology of online education in the future.