Early Distance Learning: How It Started and What It Means Today

When we think of early distance learning, the first organized efforts to teach students who weren’t physically in the same room as their teacher. Also known as remote education, it began long before the internet—with postal courses, radio lessons, and televised classes. It wasn’t just a backup plan; it was the only way millions of people in rural areas, working adults, or those with disabilities could access education. This wasn’t fancy tech—it was simple, stubborn, and surprisingly effective.

Think about it: in the 1800s, people in Australia and the American Midwest sent handwritten assignments through the mail and got them back weeks later with corrections. By the 1920s, radio stations broadcast school lessons to farms and small towns. Then came TV in the 1950s and 60s, with entire school districts tuning in to catch math or science lessons. These weren’t just experiments—they were lifelines. And they laid the groundwork for everything we now call e-learning platforms, digital systems designed to deliver lessons, track progress, and connect learners remotely. The tools changed, but the goal didn’t: reach learners no matter where they were.

Today’s online courses might look like Zoom calls and LMS dashboards, but they’re built on the same idea: education shouldn’t depend on geography. remote learning, the practice of studying without being physically present in a classroom. It’s not new. What’s new is how fast it scaled. The pandemic forced schools to adopt it overnight, but the system behind it? That was decades in the making. And the people who designed those first postal courses? They were solving the same problems we face now—engagement, feedback, access, and motivation.

That’s why the posts here matter. You’ll find guides on building online learning tools, breaking into tech without a degree, and even how to teach yourself English from scratch. These aren’t random articles. They’re all connected to the same thread: learning happens wherever you are, not just where the school building is. Whether you’re a student in a small town, a parent helping with homework, or someone going back to school at 50—you’re part of a tradition that started with a letter and a stamp.