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Chautauqua Correspondence
Founded in 1881, Chautauqua Correspondence College offered instruction via mail in liberal arts, home schooling and various vocations. By 1883, the college earned full recognition as a degree-granting institution from the State of New York. This is an important milestone in that it legitimized distance delivery as a viable means of educating those without access to a formal university education (Moore, 2003, p. 6). -
Extension Department at the University of Chicago
Emboldened by the likes of Chautauqua College of Liberal Arts and influenced by British academic Richard Moulton, William Rainey Harper establishes the Extension Department at the private University of Chicago. It is the first true university based distance education program in the world. Acceptance of distance education grows (Moore, 2003, p. 6). -
NUEA Formed
As university extension departments grew in number, the National University Extension Association (NUEA) is formed with two goals: establishing guidelines for credit transfer between universities and colleges and setting standards of quality in distance education (Wang, 2014, p. 311). Precursor to accrediting bodies that now dictate how a degree is recognized upon completion. -
USAFI Provides Educational Access to All Service Branches
Founded as an education institute for members of the United States Army in 1941, the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) is created, serving members from all branches of the Armed Forces. Until 1974 USAFI serves members domestically and abroad. Contributions to distance education include “computerized distribution and marking of assignments, a 24-hour phone-in counseling service for students and the use of group study classes linked to the correspondence curriculum” (Moore, 2003, p. 7). -
AIM Forges New Ground in Distance Education
Influenced by his experiences with USAFI, Charles Wedemeyer moves forward with his Articulated Instructional Media (AIM) project "to study the best use of technology" (Casey, 2008, p. 47). AIM proves to be a groundbreaking undertaking providing the framework for specialists such as “instructional designers, technology specialists, and content experts” (Moore, 2003, p. 8). AIM also revolutionizes the use of multiple forms of media, allowing it to reach students with different learning styles. -
Higher Education Act of 1965 Passes
Arguably, nothing has helped distance education more than the availability of funding from the federal government. With the passing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the associated Title IV funds, millions of Americans now have access to approved distance education programs from universities all over the country. -
Open University Established in the UK
A model of accessibility, Open University is established in the United Kingdom. Two things stand out with OU. First, it has an open admissions policy, allowing countless students the ability to earn a university education. Second, it took the ideas of Charles Wedemeyer (content specialists, instructional designers, etc.) to the next level, incorporating learning theory and technology into content delivery so that a quality education was scalable to vast numbers of students (Moore, 2003, p. 10). -
DANTES Replaces USAFI
The direct instruction of correspondence courses by USAFI is discontinued when the Department of Defense creates Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) and, in effect, outsources teaching to public and private institutions. In addition, DANTES offers credit-by-exam (CLEP, DSST) wherein service members test out of certain courses based upon the knowledge they’ve acquired through military activity. -
Mosaic Launches
Marking the dawn of a new era in distance education, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign releases Mosaic to great acclaim. Compatible across four operating systems (Mac, Amiga, Unix and Windows), Mosaic revolutionizes how information is accessed and takes correspondence education into uncharted territory. Instructional design will never be the same. -
Khan Academy
Founded by Salman Khan in 2006, Khan Academy went from a one-man show posting videos on YouTube to become a marvel in distance education. With lessons ranging from multivariable calculus to art history, Khan Academy informs students from elementary school through post-retirement. The delivery method has evolved from simple doodles to interactive exercises that enforce the components of the Common Core (Namahoe, 2014). -
The term MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) makes its first appearance
In 2008, at least four "experiments" were undertaken to guage the value in massive courses taught in an open environment wherein students from all over the world could particpate in a free course. Most notable was the course Connectivism and Connective Knowledge taught by Stephen Downes and George Siemens through the University of Manitoba. All told, 24 students received university credit for the course while over 2,000 other students took the offering for personal enrichment (Young, 2008). -
YouTube EDU Launches
Centralizing the content of over 100 universities and colleges, YouTube EDU launches, exposing the world to course content from prestigous institutions, including Stanford, Yale, UCLA, MIT and others. It has since grown to include content for those in primary school and lifelong learners (Open Culture, 2009). -
Coursera Launches
Founded by Stanford’s Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, Coursera takes massive open online courses into the private sector. Specifically, Coursera recently pivoted to a model that embraces professional development and job-specific instruction through certifications. The intent is to increase marketability through content developed in cooperation with “private sponsors” rather than solely through university channels (O’Connell, 2015).
