Education has changed a lot in the last couple of years. All the progress technology has made has had an effect on other domains too, among which is education. The way we learn has changed drastically and new tools are beginning to be incorporated in this sector.
Thanks to the invention of the internet, learning, sharing files, and communicating with students, peers, or teachers has become increasingly facile. But today, you have lots of options. You can start learning a foreign language, you can hone your skills in a specific area, or you can even start a course on something you are genuinely passionate about. What is the history of developing online education? How did everything happen? Let’s find out together.
The Early Days of the Internet
Well, as you might already know, the history of developing online education started with the early days of the Internet. Even though at the beginning it was basic, the internet has developed considerably and offered new options and tools to people around the world. And universities were among the first to adopt these new changes. And implement them within their courses and classes.
At first, everything was pretty basic. Students were able to get the courses online, transferred by their teachers. Even though these were only text-based at the beginning, the progress was real. They could use the references and text for their research paper and essays. They were provided with examples, which made learning easier. Even though now the internet offers so many options to any student, such as finding essays and free examples on gradesfixer.com, this was not possible back then. So, the teacher comments for students’ writing were still received in physical format, as well as grading college papers. Sometimes, students might have had to spell for good grades. However, we should take a moment to applaud the initiative of Western Governors University, one of the pioneers of online education.
The Western Governors University
Western Governors University is one of the pioneers of online education, being the first university that offered courses solely online. Not all students were able to take part in all classes. Some already had jobs or even families to care for. So, the governors of 19 states founded this university in 1997 and they changed the way education is done. They offered high-quality education to students, steering away from the traditional way of delivering it in class.
They proposed and implemented new methods to assess the knowledge students have acquired. They had to complete assignments, not complete a set number of credit hours. Which helped students go through the courses at their own pace and get their degrees faster. The university is still here today and it expanded its horizons, offering graduate and undergraduate online courses to students from all 50 states.
Virtual Classrooms
However, technology has continued to develop tremendously over the years. Which made new tools available both to students and teachers. In the early 2000s, a lot of tools have been used to enrich the educational system and experience of students.
Virtual classrooms, video streaming services, discussion forums, or interactive simulations started being present within classes. Which made it possible for students to engage with their peers and teachers. But also to have conversations about the taught topics and expand their view.
Open Online Courses
One of the crucial milestones in education happened around the 2010s when open online courses became available to students from all over the world. Now, you could take part in a class taught in a different country. This opened a new horizon to anyone who wanted to learn more about a specific topic and delve deeper into their passions.
Most of the courses available online today are in English, which makes learning way easier. You now have access to courses taught by top professors from leading universities, which took education to the next level. You can find a course on any topic you are looking for. There are platforms that even offer courses for free or at affordable prices, such as Udemy or Coursera.
Final Thoughts
Online education has developed along with technology and the internet. Today, online education has become a mainstream way of learning. This is due to the global pandemic too, which forced universities around the world to shift to online teaching. Millions of students around the world are now pursuing degrees online, saving commute time.
And you can now find a course online on any topic you could think about. From business and computer science to photography and environmentalism, dozens of online platforms offer you this option. To pursue your passion from the comfort of your own home. This does not mean that these online courses have low quality. You can find many that are taught by top professors from leading universities and that will help you expand your view and hone your skills.
