Worldwide Evolution of Distance Education

The United States has experienced great developments in distance education , particularly regarding technology for distance education However , much of the forerunners in distance education were in other countries . In 1969 , the British Open University was established . They were the first to use modern technology to augment traditional instruction techniques . The British Open University had no requirements for formal education qualification , thus making quality education available to a larger proportion of the population . Because of its success , many other countries adopted he model . Currently , the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU

) has universities in thirteen countries as members

The development of radio and television spurred the growth of distance education . The United States , however , was quite late in going into the distance education market . When the United States entered the distance education marketplace , which was a significant amount of time after distance education was already established in the United Kingdom , it developed its own model that suited its needs (the United States at this time was a relatively economically successful country . Distance education is currently less common in the United States than in several countries

The differences between distance education in the United States and in developing countries is the most pronounced . In the United States distance learning through the internet is the single most dominant form In developing countries , the radio still finds common use , as many do not have computers or easy access to the internet . In India , for example , the FM Channel is used by universities for various educational programs . The differences are gradually decreasing , however , as technology , particularly the internet , becomes available to a larger worldwide population...