History of Online Learning

Online learning is here to stay, based on various studies and available data. King’s Interhigh, is an online school, so knowing how online learning came to be and how it's been improved and implemented could be beneficial. Online learning offers the flexibility to study or teach from anywhere worldwide, reducing commute time and costs, which can be utilised elsewhere based on priorities.

Where did it all begin?

• 1728 was the origin of online learning and had begun with Caleb Phillips. He put an ad in the Boston Gazette offering weekly mailed lessons on shorthand to students anywhere in the country, one of the earliest attempts at distance education.

• Almost 150 years later, in 1873, the first correspondence schools in the United States were founded, called The Society to Encourage Studies at Home.

• The University of Chicago began offering correspondence courses, in 1892, becoming the first traditional educational institution in the U.S. to do so.

Over the first half of the twentieth century, a slew of new technologies emerged. This resulted in significant advancements in distance education. Distance education was available in several formats for a range of educational goals throughout this period.

• By 1906, primary schools such as The Calvert School in Baltimore began following suit.

• By 1922 the technology of radio broadcasting had become a viable means of transmitting the information. Pennsylvania State College took advantage of this by broadcasting courses over the radio.

• In 1925, the State University of Iowa began offering course credit for five radio broadcast courses.

• By 1953, broadcast television was becoming more prevalent, and the University of Houston responded by offering televised college classes for credit.

• Although the telephone was a long-established technology, the University of Wisconsin began a statewide educational program for physicians using a phone-based format in 1965.

• By 1968, one could obtain an accredited high school diploma via distance education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Independent Study High School.

• As early as 1976, the first “virtual college” with no physical campus was in operation. This virtual college, called Coastline Community College, offered a wide variety of telecourses.

Coastline Community College provided a complete educational experience remotely, which constituted a significant advancement in the field of distance education. Yet, one emerging technology, the internet, would soon become the primary conduit through which remote courses would be given.

• Despite the internet's foundation being laid in 1969, it wasn't until the 1980s that technology began to alter remote education.

• In 1981 the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute’s School of Management and Strategic Studies started an online program.

• By 1985, Nova Southeastern University was offering accredited graduate degrees through online courses.

Throughout the 1990s, educational institutions adopted a range of online technologies, both real-time and asynchronous, resulting in a tremendous expansion in remote learning universities. Various pilot projects were created, and separate firms attempted to provide ready-made templates for online course material distribution.

• In 1992, Michigan State University developed the Computer Assisted Personalized Approach (CAPA).

• Consequently, in 1994, Open University offered an experimental Virtual Summer School (VSS) to some of its Cognitive Psychology students.

• Also in 1994, CALCampus offered real-time education in its completely online school.

• The Jones International University became the first accredited fully web-based university in 1996.

• In 1997, several institutions adopted the Interactive Learning Network, an e-learning system that used a relational database as its foundation. Blackboard Inc., founded in 1997, developed a standardized platform for course management and delivery that enabled many more institutions to come online.

The development and utilization of internet technologies to distribute instructional information skyrocketed in the 2000s. Internet access is becoming more broadly available, and new platforms are constantly developing. As a result, the number of distance-learning universities and traditional colleges that employ online technologies is predicted to expand.

• In 2000, CourseNotes.com was launched at UT Austin. It offered many of the same features as Blackboard.

• By 2003, WebCT (Web Course Tools), another content management system, had more than 6 million student users at more than 1300 institutions in 55 countries.

• In 2005, YouTube launched, and by 2009, YouTube EDU offered thousands of free lectures online. In 2006, iTunes U began offering lectures for download.

• In 2012, the for-profit institution Udacity began offering massive open online courses (MOOCs). MIT and Harvard followed with the MOOC platform edX. The University of Wisconsin’s Flexible Option began offering competency-based bachelor’s degrees.

• In 2013, the first online-only public university in the United States, UF Online, was announced for launch in 2014.

Covid’s Impact on Online learning

Prior to the Covid breakout, only a handful of educational institutions were implementing online or blended learning methods. As time went on schools, universities, and ministries of education started implementing online learning gradually. The outbreak of Covid in 2019 prompted a boom in online learning. In fact, according to UNESCO, 191 countries in the world (98% of the global student population) switched to online lessons. The pandemic assisted individuals in understanding that, when correctly applied, people may successfully and effectively absorb information using online means.

There are some long-term trends that we continue to see with online learning after Covid. These include internet access, progressive reliance on online learning platforms, and increasing respect and trust for online learning. More funds have been allocated globally to reinforce and expand internet connectivity so that millions of children do not fall behind academically. Hybrid choices are also becoming more essential and playing a larger role in education from K-12 and beyond, and demand is predicted to rise rather than fall. As every institution and agency, including private schools, colleges, and businesses, has been acquainted with and acclimated to remote education services, they have gained more respect and acceptance than ever before.

In conclusion, it’s evident that more and more people are opting for online education. It is therefore important for institutions and organizations to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the online programs they offer. As students, it’s important for you to know how to be successful when doing online learning. This is why the article by Josephine Budiman about tips on successful online learning would be beneficial for you. Other articles under ‘Around the Campus’ can also help with school, regardless of whether or not you are in an online school, so do read them.

Bibliography

educations.com. (2022, December 30). 5 Reasons Why Online Learning is the Future of Education in 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from educations.com website: https://www.educations.com/articles-and-advice/5-reasons-online-learning-is-future-of-education-17146#:~:text=Online%20education%20enables%20you%20to,be%20spent%20on%20other%20priorities.

‌The EdTick Team. (2020, August 10). The Position Of Online Education Before And After The COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from EdTick website: https://www.edtick.com/en/news/the-position-of-online-education-before-and-after-the-covid-19-pandemic

‌Natallia Dmitrenko. (2020, August 21). What Is The Difference Between Online Learning And Online Education. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from Grinfer.com website: https://blog.grinfer.com/stories/what-is-the-difference-between-online-learning-and-online-education/#:~:text=The%20only%20difference%20between%20online,is%20something%20like%20Molecular%20Biology

School, I. (2021, June 21). The Future of Online Learning after Covid. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from Iconschool.org website: https://www.iconschool.org/blog/the-future-of-online-learning-after-covid

Thompson, D. (2018, September 15). A Compendious History of Distance Education | Saylor Academy. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from Saylor Academy website: https://www.saylor.org/2018/09/blog-a-compendious-history-of-distance-education/

The History of Distance Learning | An Online Education Timeline. (2021, April 30). Retrieved February 22, 2023, from World Wide, Learn website: https://www.worldwidelearn.com/articles/history-of-distance-learning/