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PLATO is Created
PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) was launched at the University of Illinois employing thousands of computer terminals worldwide and was the first computer-based network to be used in education (Grainger College of Engineering, 2020). PLATO functioned was operational for 46 years, offering computer-based learning management solutions from the elementary level to the college level. -
WBSI Goes Online
Western Behavioral Sciences Institute (WBSI) opens the School of Management and Strategic Studies in January of 1982, launching the first online educational program for business executives using computers as the primary communications medium (Feenberg, 1993). The exact date is not widely available so a marker date of January 1 was chosen. -
University of Phoenix Goes Online
University of Phoenix became the first collegiate institution to offer degree programs completely online in 1989 (Kentnor, 2015). The institution began its use of online learning using CompuServe and expanded quickly when the World Wide Web was unveiled. Other collegiate institutions would soon follow University of Phoenix into the online education market. The actual date is not widely available so a date of September 14 was chosen to align with the current school year. -
The World Wide Web Goes Public
The World Wide Web was invented in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and all intellectual property rights were waived on April 30, 1993 granting open access and use to the public (Grossman, 2018). This move signaled the beginning of the rapid consumption and expansion of web-based capabilities that have formed the basis for which online learning can be widely offered. -
Congressional Committee Urges E-Learning
The Web-Based Education Commission (2000) presented a report to the President of the United States and to the 107th Congress urging the new administration to make e-learning a strategic focus of the education policy. The report makes several calls to action based upon three promises that the internet can fulfill; to center learning around the student instead of the classroom, to focus on the strengths and needs of individual learners and to make lifelong learning a practical reality. -
New York University (NYU) Online Closes
NYU Online, a for-profit subsidiary of NYU, is officially announced to be closed on November 29, 2001 citing shifts in economic conditions (New York Times, 2001). NYU was the largest and most reputable nonprofit institution to attempt online learning to date. Its business model, rather than the economy, was likely the reason for its failure because it did not account for market segment differences (Wilner & Lee, 2002). -
Michigan Requires Online Learning
Michigan becomes the first U.S. state to establish mandatory K-12 online learning requirements via the Michigan State Board of Education’s adoption of the State Educational Technology Plan in March of 2006 (Michigan Department of Education, 2006). This policy requires students to take at least one online course. The exact date was not specified in the source document; however, the Michigan Board of Education generally meets the on second Tuesday of the month so March 14, 2006 was selected. -
COVID-19 Forces Rapid Shift to Online Learning
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of all U.S. schools and forced a shift to online learning. The pandemic was declared on March 11, but a district in Washington announced its distance learning plan due to CDC guidance (EducationWeek, 2020). All U.S. public school buildings were closed by March 25 and 80 percent of schools were engaged in some form of online learning by May 7. Content delivery, interaction, anxiety, and infrastructure continue to test feasibility(Firmansyah et al., 2021). -
A New Pedagogy Emerges
Contact North | Contact Nord (2020) presented considerations in how technology is changing the pedagogy of teaching. The report acknowledged that developments caused by COVID-19 sped up the process of rethinking pedagogy and teaching methods based upon changes in society, student expectations, and technology. New trends include opened accessibility, power sharing, and increased technology. -
Teachers Agree on Learning Loss
A study by McKinsey & Company found the vast majority of teachers in the U.S. rated remote learning between a one and three of ten with an average global score of five (Chen et al., 2021). The study indicated that teachers believe learning loss has taken place during online learning and that the effectiveness of instruction declined over time. Additionally, academic setbacks were inflamed by a decline in students’ mental health and physical fitness.