Online learning

Timeline of Online and Blended Learning

By Irene F.
  • Caleb Phillips advertises shorthand lessons via mailed weekly lessons in the Boston Gazette.

    Caleb Phillips advertises shorthand lessons via mailed weekly lessons in the Boston Gazette.

  • Isaac Pitman begins teaching shorthand by correspondence in Bath, England, using mail to exchange assignments and corrections.

    Isaac Pitman begins teaching shorthand by correspondence in Bath, England, using mail to exchange assignments and corrections.

  • The Phonographic Correspondence Society, a precursor to formal correspondence schools, is founded by Isaac Pitman.

  • Anna Eliot Ticknor establishes the Society to Encourage Studies at Home in Boston.

    Anna Eliot Ticknor establishes the Society to Encourage Studies at Home in Boston.

  • The Chautauqua Movement begins in New York, focusing on summer training for Sunday school teachers and later expanding to correspondence education.

    The Chautauqua Movement begins in New York, focusing on summer training for Sunday school teachers and later expanding to correspondence education.

  • Chautauqua University introduces extension and correspondence courses.

  • Guglielmo Marconi invents the spark transmitter, advancing radio technology.

    Guglielmo Marconi invents the spark transmitter, advancing radio technology.

  • The University of Wisconsin-Extension is founded as a distance-teaching unit.

    The University of Wisconsin-Extension is founded as a distance-teaching unit.

  • Thomas Edison predicts motion pictures will revolutionize education, potentially replacing textbooks.

    Thomas Edison predicts motion pictures will revolutionize education, potentially replacing textbooks.

  • University of Wisconsin professors launch WHA, the first federally licensed radio station for education.

    University of Wisconsin professors launch WHA, the first federally licensed radio station for education.

  • Educational institutions begin obtaining radio licenses, with 176 institutions participating by the decade's end.

  • Herbert Hoover and Bell Labs conduct the first long-distance video transmission.

    Herbert Hoover and Bell Labs conduct the first long-distance video transmission.

  • The Ohio School of the Air and RCA's "Educational Hour" use radio for classroom instruction.

    The Ohio School of the Air and RCA's "Educational Hour" use radio for classroom instruction.

  • 1932-1937 University of Iowa experiments with using television for education.

    1932-1937 University of Iowa experiments with using television for education.

  • The FCC reserves 242 channels for educational use; this grows to 632 by 1966.

    The FCC reserves 242 channels for educational use; this grows to 632 by 1966.

  • The Public Broadcasting Act creates the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), fostering educational programming.

    The Public Broadcasting Act creates the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), fostering educational programming.

  • In the 1980s Corporations adopt computer-based programs for employee training.

  • The University of Phoenix launches one of the first online degree programs via CompuServe.

    The University of Phoenix launches one of the first online degree programs via CompuServe.

  • The World Wide Web becomes publicly available, enabling broader online education opportunities.

    The World Wide Web becomes publicly available, enabling broader online education opportunities.

  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation funds Asynchronous Learning Networks to explore online education.

    Alfred P. Sloan Foundation funds Asynchronous Learning Networks to explore online education.

  • More online universities emerge, while traditional institutions expand their offerings of online courses to make higher education more accessible and flexible.

  • Online course enrollment surpasses 1.6 million students.

    Online course enrollment surpasses 1.6 million students.

  • Enrollment in online education triples compared to 2002.

  • 65% of institutions report online learning as critical to long-term strategic plans.

    65% of institutions report online learning as critical to long-term strategic plans.

    Online education becomes a significant and permanent feature of higher education.
  • John Sener introduces "cyberization," defining it as adapting education to digital technology and culture.

    John Sener introduces "cyberization," defining it as adapting education to digital technology and culture.

  • Richard Levin, CEO of Coursera, anticipates universities being judged on the global reach of their teaching alongside research.

    Richard Levin, CEO of Coursera, anticipates universities being judged on the global reach of their teaching alongside research.

    Another prediction is that distance education will continue to focus on accessibility and use technology to motivate and inspire 21st-century learners.