This invited article provides a comprehensive overview of the history and development of distance learning in Aotearoa New Zealand's school sector over the past century. It begins with a discussion of creating a common language to describe distance learning. The article then transitions to its main focus on the history of distance…

The purpose of this study was to examine correspondence schools of music in the early twentieth century. Advertisements in widely circulated household and music periodicals and archival copies of courses from Siegel-Myers Correspondence School of Music, United States School of Music, American College of Music, and others were examined. Research…

Tracing the correspondence composition courses taught at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill from 1912 to 1924, this essay argues that examining distance education in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries can reveal possible problems or solutions to issues composition instructors face in twenty-first-century debates about moving…

A few years ago, the author saw a video of a pop concert. It looked just like concerts of his youth: a well-lit stage amid a darkened crowd flecked with small wavering lights. He laughed when he realized, however, that the swaying glow was coming not from cigarette lighters but from LCD screens. This juxtaposition of old flames and new beacons…

In this paper, I examine the provenance of distance education or "teledidactics" in Australia. I take as my case studies the New South Wales Correspondence School and the School of the Air and suggest that their emergence was underpinned by a desire on the part of educational and broadcasting bureaucrats to increase the equity of school…

In large continental landmasses such as Australia, forms of education, including correspondence schooling, emerged in the early twentieth century that allowed children in remote regions to access education. To make such schooling possible, other "technologies" of state provision were mobilised such as the postal system, rail network, and…

As enrollments in correspondence schools soared in the early twentieth century, unethical practices marred the reputation of this type of learning. Prominent schools created the National Home Study Council in 1926 to combat the proliferation of sham schools. At the same time, council members knew that the better schools also needed to change their…

The first round of attempts to extend the access of working people to higher education began in 1873 with an imitation of the University of London on the prairies of Illinois. For all practical purposes, it ended in the legislature of the State of New York in 1892, although it took more than a decade to formally close all of the external degree…

Each school, district, or state has a unique set of circumstances and obstacles to deal with in implementing a one-to-one laptop program. That is especially true of Denali Borough School District in Alaska. Located in the Alaskan interior, it encompasses Denali National Park (with North America's tallest mountain), covers more than 12,000 square…

This article demonstrates the parallels between development of technology and the increased acceptance of distance learning. First, definitions of distance learning are provided. Second, the history of distance learning and its use of technological innovations are presented. Third, an overview of the academic institutions that are offering…

Two-way radio lessons and home visits are used to supplement correspondence courses in Australia's School of the Air. Problems and benefits of this system and future plans are discussed. (DF)

This survey examines the perceptions of students enrolled in one or more independent-study courses offered by the Division of Independent Study of the National University Continuing Education Association. The survey's purpose was to determine students' attitudes, opinions, and perceptions toward correspondence instruction and to determine the need…

Introduces the definition and conventions of distance education, otherwise called correspondence coursework, as it has developed over the last several decades. Characterizes the movement of distance education from peripheral to central prominence in many educational systems, particularly as relates to the challenges and opportunities in the…

Each year an estimated 5 million Americans pursue education or training through what is known as distance education. Distance education, which is also known as distance study, e-learning online education, correspondence study, home study, independent study, and other various terms, has existed in America for more than a century. Yet, few teachers,…

The New Zealand Correspondence School is a large, state-funded, national institution teaching at preschool and elementary-secondary school levels. Like the regular education system, it long has been tightly controlled, with a national syllabus, national grading and examinations, and national guidelines for interpretation of the syllabus. The…