World Distance Learning Day on August 31 is a day to embrace the learning that takes place outside of the physical classroom. Whether it is a remote learning program that is delivered entirely at a distance, or a hybrid blend of in-classroom and at-home learning, the added flexibility and often more cost-effective option of distance learning is benefiting more students around the world than ever before. In recent times, the internet and the resulting surge of high-quality online curriculum and courses have completely transformed traditional education methods and given birth to the popular distance learning movement. With that in mind, today is a day to be thankful for the distance learning opportunities we have and the countless resources that are available to use.
History of World Distance Learning Day
Learning facilities haven’t always been a few clicks away. Back in 1728, Caleb Phillips was advertising his teachings on a new method of shorthand in the Boston Gazette, with the lessons to be delivered via mail on a weekly basis. Sir Isaac Pitman took the idea one step further in England in the 1840s. He was also teaching shorthand via mail, but his students would send him a postcard containing their own efforts, which he would correct and send back to them. Pitman’s course swelled in popularity and within a few years, the Phonographic Correspondence Society was established to formalize the courses on offer. This society led to colleges and by 1873 the first correspondence school to operate in the U.S was founded.
Universities began offering distance learning options and the idea was driven forwards by the Open University in the 1960s. They offered a respectable alternative to traditional learning methods and have been at the forefront of developing new technologies and teaching methods ever since their inception.
The internet revolutionized distance learning, making it easier, faster, and cheaper for students to learn. The first completely online course arrived in 1984 and both the resources available online and the number of students taking part have developed at a rapid pace ever since. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to widespread school closures, which in turn meant that more students than ever turned to distance learning.
World Distance Learning Day was established to raise awareness of the learning resources and options available to students and to celebrate how far the concept of distance education has advanced over the years.