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Caleb Philipps offered shorthand lessons through mailed assignments, marking the start of distance learning. -
Sir Isaac Pitman began a correspondence course in England, teaching shorthand by mailing transcriptions on postcards and receiving student work for feedback. -
The University of London launched its External Programme, offering remote degree opportunities. -
The first correspondence school in the U.S. provided women with educational opportunities through mail-based courses. -
The University of Wisconsin formally adopted the term "distance education" and began offering correspondence courses. -
Educational courses were broadcast over the radio, expanding access to learning resources. -
The organization Recordings for the Blind (later renamed Learning Ally) began producing audio recordings of textbooks to support visually impaired students. This marked a significant advancement in making education accessible to all. -
The University of Houston offered the first college courses via public television, pioneering telecourses. -
NET was established as a precursor to PBS, producing and distributing educational programs to public television stations across the United States, marking a significant step in the use of television for distance learning. -
"Sunrise Semester," an educational television series in collaboration with New York University, aired on WCBS-TV, providing college-level courses. Distributed on CBS affiliates until October 1982. Shown here is the late 1970s opening logo. -
Originally founded at National Instructional Television (which later became the Agency for Instructional Technology), produced and distributed dozens of educational television programs/telecourses for NET and later PBS. Opening logo shown here is from 1982. -
The Open University was established in the United Kingdom, offering flexible distance learning opportunities for adult learners through a combination of correspondence, broadcast television, and in-person tutorials. -
PBS replaced NET as the primary distributor of educational television in the U.S. It played a major role in delivering telecourses making educational content accessible to millions. Shown here is the 1984 logo, the third ident logo in PBS history. -
From the advent of the changeover from NET to PBS, the Kentucky Network (KET), started telecourses for the GED test. These shows (in various subjects for subtests) ran (even in repeats) from 1970-2005 nationwide. Shown here is the original 1970 opening logo. -
Cable channels like The Learning Channel (TLC) and Discovery Channel began offering educational programming aimed at both general audiences and students. These channels expanded access to specialized educational content, such as science, history, and cultural programming, marking a shift in distance education by leveraging cable networks. -
The Annenberg-CPB Project created telecourses for foreign language, based upon the "immersion-language" theory, first with Pierre Capritz and his Yale course (with the show being called "French in Action") in 1987 (which ran in repeats on PBS until 2016. Later on Annenberg/CPB (along with PBS affiliates [like WGBH]), helped create Destinos (for Spanish, based on a course from the University of Illinois) and Fokus Deutsch, two similar language immersion programs. -
In late 1985, the State of Michigan adopted literacy training. Broadcasted from WXYZ in Detroit (at first), the Kentucky Network (in 1987) wanted to take the show nationwide on PBS. Hosted by famed cookie magnet Wally Amos, the program offered those willing to learn how to read (adults, and even children [like myself (to expand what I needed to know)] an opportunity to better their lives. This program ran in repeats for decades, and helped an estimated 18 million people over a 30 year course. -
The advent of the internet revolutionized distance learning, with institutions adopting online platforms for course delivery. -
MIT introduced OpenCourseWare, providing free access to online course materials, fueling the open education movement. -
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were introduced, allowing for large-scale participation in online learning. -
Platforms like Coursera and edX partnered with universities to offer diverse, globally accessible courses. -
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a rapid shift to online education, significantly advancing distance learning technologies.