Distance education—also known as 'distance learning'—refers to the education of students who cannot always be physically present at school, or where there is a gap in both time and distance between the learner and the teacher. Today, this typically encompasses online education (also referred to as online learning, remote learning, or remote education), which is delivered through an online school. Any distance learning program may be entirely online, or it may take a blended form—known as 'hybrid' or 'blended learning'—which combines both online instruction and traditional face-to-face (also called 'offline') classroom instruction.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)—which offer large-scale interactive participation and open access via the World Wide Web or other network technologies—represent a new medium of instruction within the field of distance education. Several other terms (such as distributed learning, e-learning, m-learning, virtual classrooms, etc.) are also used, more or less, as synonyms for distance education. E-learning has proven to be a valuable educational tool. E-learning should be an interactive process that offers diverse learning modalities to all students, regardless of their individual proficiency levels. The distance learning environment is an incredibly exciting space for acquiring new knowledge, collaborating with others, and developing self-discipline.
Historically, this mode of education involved correspondence courses, through which students maintained contact with their schools via postal mail; however, with the advent of various technologies, it now also incorporates features such as video conferencing, television, and the Internet.
History
An advertisement for one of the earliest efforts in distance education was published in 1728. This advertisement appeared in the "Boston Gazette" for "Caleb Phillips, Teacher of a New Method of Shorthand"; he was seeking students who wished to learn this skill through weekly lessons sent via mail.
The first distance education course in the modern sense was launched in the 1840s by Sir Isaac Pitman. He adopted a system for teaching shorthand in which he sent lessons via mail—written in shorthand on postcards—and, in return, requested that his students send back their written exercises (transcriptions) for correction. The element of "student feedback" in Pitman's system constituted a highly significant and innovative step. The introduction of postage stamps made this distance education scheme possible; furthermore, the implementation of uniform postal rates across England in 1840 facilitated the expansion of these initiatives.
This early endeavor proved to be immensely successful, and exactly three years later, the "Phonographic Correspondence Society" was established with the aim of providing a more formal foundation for these courses. This Society subsequently paved the way for the establishment of "Sir Isaac Pitman Colleges" across the country.
The first correspondence school in the United States was the "Society to Encourage Studies at Home," founded in 1873.
Established in 1894, "Wolsey Hall, Oxford" was the United Kingdom's first distance education college.
University Correspondence Courses
United Kingdom
The University of London was the first university to begin awarding degrees to anyone capable of passing its examinations; it launched its 'External Programme' in 1858. It was established in 1836 as an examining and degree-granting body for affiliated colleges. Initially, it comprised only University College London and King's College London, but over the following two decades, many more colleges joined its ranks. Affiliated colleges would certify that a student had completed a specific course of study. A new charter introduced in 1858 abolished this requirement, thereby allowing men—and, from 1878 onwards, women as well—to sit for examinations and obtain degrees, regardless of whether they were studying at an institution or studying independently. Charles Dickens dubbed this 'External Programme' the "People's University," as it facilitated access to higher education even for students hailing from less privileged backgrounds. Throughout the late 19th century, enrollment figures continued to rise steadily, and this model was widely adopted elsewhere. However, since the University merely conducted examinations and provided no instructional materials, academics argue that "the early degrees conferred through UOL's External Studies did not constitute a form of distance education."
This 'External Programme' is now known as 'University of London Worldwide' and encompasses postgraduate and undergraduate degrees developed by the member institutions of the University of London.
Australia and South Africa
Due to vast distances, Australia became particularly active; the University of Queensland established its Department of Correspondence Studies in 1911.
United States
William Rainey Harper, the founder and first president of the University of Chicago, championed the concept of "Extension Education." Under this concept, a research university would establish satellite colleges (branches) in other parts of the region.
In 1892, to further advance education, Harper encouraged the use of "correspondence courses." This was an idea that, by the 1920s, had been adopted by the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, Columbia University, and several dozen other universities. The "International Correspondence Schools"—the largest private, for-profit institution of its kind, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania—witnessed a tremendous surge in enrollments during the 1890s. Established in 1888, the school's objective was to provide training to immigrant coal miners who aspired to become "State Mine Inspectors" or "Foremen." In 1894, 2,500 new students enrolled, and in 1895, 72,000 new students completed their studies (finished their courses). By 1906, the total number of enrollments had reached 900,000. The reason for this growth was that, instead of sending individual lessons one by one, they began shipping entire textbooks, and also enlisted the assistance of 1,200 enthusiastic door-to-door salesmen. There was a clear distinction in their teaching methodology:
"The objective of a typical technical school or college is to provide a broad-based education; in contrast, our aim is to educate an individual solely within a specific field. A college stipulates that an enrolling student must possess certain prescribed academic qualifications, and that all students continue their studies for approximately the same duration; upon completing their course, they are deemed qualified to work in one of the various branches of a particular profession. Conversely, our objective is to tailor our courses to the specific needs of the students undertaking them."
Education was accorded high priority during the 'Progressive Era'—a period that witnessed a tremendous expansion in American high schools and colleges. 'Night schools' were established for men who were older or heavily occupied with family responsibilities; one such institution was the YMCA School in Boston, which later evolved into Northeastern University. Private correspondence schools, situated outside major urban centers, offered a flexible and focused educational solution. Large corporations made their training programs for new employees more systematic and structured. The number of institutions affiliated with the National Association of Corporation Schools rose from 37 in 1913 to 146 in 1920. During the 1880s, private schools began to emerge across the country, offering specialized technical training to anyone seeking admission, rather than limiting themselves solely to the employees of a specific company. Beginning in Milwaukee in 1907, public schools also started introducing free vocational programs.
International Conference
The first meeting of the International Conference on Correspondence Education was held in 1938. Its objective was to provide individualized education to students at a low cost, utilizing teaching methods such as testing, recording, classification, and differentiation. Since then, this group has changed its name to the 'International Council for Open and Distance Education' (ICDE), with its headquarters located in Oslo, Norway.
Open University
In the United Kingdom, the Open University (OU) was established by the Labour government of the time, led by Harold Wilson. Based on the vision of Michael Young, the planning for this institution began in 1965 under the leadership of Jennie Lee, the Minister of State for Education. Jennie Lee devised a model for the Open University aimed at broadening access to the highest academic standards within higher education. To this end, she constituted a planning committee comprising university vice-chancellors, academics, and television broadcasters; this committee was chaired by Sir Peter Venables. At the time, James Redmond—then the Assistant Director of Engineering at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)—had acquired most of his qualifications through "night school" (evening classes). His innate enthusiasm for this project played a decisive role in overcoming the technical challenges associated with broadcasting educational programs via television.
The Open University revolutionized the scope of correspondence programs and helped create a new medium of learning that emerged as a respected alternative to traditional forms of education. The university has consistently remained at the forefront—not only in developing new technologies to enhance distance learning services but also in conducting research across various other disciplines. In January 1969, Walter Perry was appointed as the OU's first Vice-Chancellor, while Anastasios Christodoulou served as its Founding Secretary. Following the accession to power of a new Conservative government led by Edward Heath in 1970, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister), Iain Macleod—who had previously dismissed the concept of the Open University as "absolute rubbish"—implemented budget cuts. Nevertheless, in 1971, adopting a revolutionary "open admissions policy," the OU enrolled its first cohort of 25,000 students. At that time, the total number of students in the traditional universities of the United Kingdom was approximately 130,000.
Athabasca University, Canada's Open University, was established in 1970 and adopted a similar model, although it was developed independently. Inspired by the Open University, the National University of Distance Education in Spain (1972) and the University of Hagen in Germany (1974) were established. Today, there are numerous such institutions worldwide—including in Italy—whose names often incorporate the term "Open University" (whether in English or the local language).
Most open universities utilize distance education technologies as their primary medium of instruction, although some institutions require attendance at local study centers or regional "summer schools." The scope of some open universities has expanded to such an extent that they have evolved into "mega-universities."
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