| The history of distance learning can be traced back | | | | name suggests, used to be delivered through |
| to the 1890's. Distance education was then known as | | | | television with the program being beamed into the |
| correspondence course. The University of Wisconsin | | | | households where the students would take the |
| was the pioneer in this venture supported by other | | | | courses. The assignments were sent by regular mail, |
| universities. This was the era when there was no | | | | and returned by the same mode. It was a |
| concept of "media". There was no television, and the | | | | time-consuming process. |
| internet was too distant a dream. Sending paper | | | | Arrival of Cable TV |
| through regular mail was the only "medium" of | | | | Cable TV changed the way Americans lived. The |
| instruction. Correspondence courses ruled the roost | | | | year 1987 saw the launch of an education channel |
| until the time television came to life. Television was | | | | called M/EU. This was an abbreviated form of Mind |
| perceived to be an excellent medium for spreading | | | | Extension University. Hendricks brought in the |
| education. Even today, this has remained a dream. | | | | Discovery Channel as a mode of spreading education |
| Post World War II | | | | through entertainment. The history of distance |
| World war II brought major changes to the lives and | | | | learning is littered with experiments done by |
| styles of citizens. The history of distance learning got | | | | enthusiasts and educationist of various hues. The |
| a shot in the arm when extension courses became | | | | distance learning world changed dramatically with the |
| popular. While this idea had been popular in the UK for | | | | entry of the internet. |
| over 50 years, the USA did not discover it until the | | | | The internet is responsible for changing the way |
| early 50's. American universities borrowed the | | | | people perceived life, it brought in the element of |
| concept from the universities of Cambridge and | | | | interaction for the first time in the history of distance |
| Oxford in the UK. This included developing an | | | | learning. Earlier attempts in distance education were |
| off-campus system for university programs. | | | | limited to one-way monologues. The internet changed |
| The mid 60's also saw the launch of what was then | | | | this to a dialogue between two or more people |
| the largest classroom for physicians. This was set up | | | | simultaneously. Earlier versions of the internet were |
| through telephone networks in Wisconsin. In the late | | | | restricted to text only message exchanges. These |
| 60's, a Carnegie funded program termed AIM, | | | | modes are slowly being replaced with hi definition and |
| Articulated Instructional Media, was developed. The | | | | hi resolution video streams. The internet, it seems, |
| early 70's were witness to many telecourses | | | | was made for distance learning. |
| developed by various universities. Telecourses, as the | | | | |