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In 1920's universities use radio broadcasting as the medium to reach a broad audience with educational programming. Rural farming communities were specifically targeted because of the long distance commute to universities.
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In 1933, the University of Iowa became the first American university to broadcast TV for educational purposes.
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University of Chicago Round Table, which began as a local Chicagoland broadcast in 1931 ran nationally on NBC radio from 1933 until 1955. Three professors use a talk radio format in which they debated scientific subjects in a talk radio format that would be familiar to families today. This conversational format was more appealing to the audience instead of the one-person lecture.
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In 1935, New York University Professor C. C. Clark conducted a class using a shortwave radio transceiver (a radio that can both send and receive messages) from his home. Because the radio went both ways, Prof. Clark was able to take questions from the class.
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From 1964 to 1968, the Carnegie Foundation funded Wedemeyer's Articulated Instructional Media Project (AIM) which brought in a variety of communications technologies aimed at providing learning to an off-campus population.
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1970 -1972 Coordinating Commission for Higher Education in California funded Project Outreach to study the potential of telecourses. As a result, legislation allowed public funds for non-classroom instruction that led to telecourses and now online courses. The Coastline Community Colleges, The Dallas County Community College District, and Miami Dade Community College piloted telecourses for credit through The Adult Learning Service of the US Public Broadcasting Service.
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The first totally online courses for graduate and undergraduate credit were offered in 1985 by Connected Education through The New School in New York City, with students earning the MA in Media Studies completely online via computer conferencing, with no in-person requirements
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