With the Internet serving as a new medium between educators and their students, new forms of online education began to surface.
The Early Days
Online education got its start in the corporate world. In the 1980s, companies started using computer-based programs to train new employees, but this practice was severely limited due to the technology of the time. It wasn't until the invention of the Internet that this practice began to grow in efficiency. Using the Internet, companies could train new employees who lived in in remote locations, and also chat with them online in order to answer any questions. As companies expanded this process, they found it cut costs: they didn't have to hire as many trainers because most employees were trained online.
In 1994, the distance learning organization CALCampus introduced the first entirely online curriculum. CALCampus was founded in 1982 as the Computer Assisted Learning Center for adults in Rhode Island, and it quickly integrated the World Wide Web into its mission. CALCampus now offers online high school and secondary school courses. Following CALCampus's lead, more and more colleges and universities began forming their own online education programs.
The earliest form of online education was not nearly as efficient as it is today. Course materials could be accessed via the Internet, where students would find lessons and lectures prepared by their instructors, but the online material was almost entirely text. There were few images, and almost all of them were tiny and poor quality. And while homework assignments could be posted online, most students were still required to print off their assignments and mail them in to the professor.
Recent Years
From the mid 1990s through the early 2000s, computer technology and the Internet grew by leaps and bounds. New forms of multimedia changed the way we use the Internet in order to communicate. Because of this, online education has become much more efficient and even more accessible.
With the invention of webcams, instructors are now able to record lessons and upload them to the Internet, while online streaming allows students to watch these videos online.
Another major development during this time was the increased use of external and internal microphones, which let students communicate with their instructors online.
In this day and age, online education allows students to access information and their instructors in a variety of different ways. Not only do they have access to text-based lessons, but also to images and videos that can be uploaded by the instructor. It's even possible to set up virtual classrooms where the instructor communicates with his or her class in real time by using a live feed webcam. Also, assignments can be done and submitted online, bypassing the need to print or mail anything.
Nowadays, there are many types of online education courses available for different learning styles and levels. Some courses are entirely online while others combine both online and in-class coursework. There are online courses available for college students, adult learners, and even K-12 students. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics estimates that the number of K-12 students enrolled in online distance learning programs increased by 65 percent from 2002 to 2005.
By all indications, online education will continue to grow as more colleges, universities, and public schools continue to utilize this technology.
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