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1728 - This advertisement was placed by Caleb Phillips in the Boston Gazette. It may be one of the earliest references to correspondence, distance learning.
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1873 - Illinois Wesleyan College was the first academic institution to to offer "in absentia" degree programs.
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1894 - Guglielmo Marconi invented the spark transmitter and obtained the first patent for a radio device. This lead the way to educators exploring new ways to communicate and reach out to their learners.
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1919 - WHA, The first federally licensed radio station dedicated to education, was started by professors at the University of Wisconsin.
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1928 - The Ohio School of the Air programmed was started offering such things as daily science, literature, history, and music programming. "The Music Appreciation Hour" was developed by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), introducing kids to symphony orchestra and music.
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1933 - The University of Iowa was the first to experiment with the use television broadcasting for education.
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1989 - The University of Phoenix began using CompuServe, one of the first consumer online services.
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1991 - the World Wide Web (Web) was unveiled, and the University of Phoenix became one of the first to offer online education programs through the Internet.
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1997 - Blackboard Inc. developed a standardized platform for course management and delivery that enabled many more institutions to come online.
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YouTube where the world goes to learn. Youtube the worlds university.
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I believe that in the future Google will offer low cost degrees, as they already offer free Certification that help you seek employment.
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virtual reality (VR) training could play an important role in automation, changing the learned skills that student need to perform in their careers.