Origin of Distance Education: How It Started and Why It Matters Today

When you think of distance education, a system of learning where students and teachers are physically separated and connected through materials, technology, or mail. Also known as remote learning, it’s not a new idea born from Zoom and laptops—it goes back over 150 years. The first formal distance education course wasn’t taught on a screen. It was sent by post. In 1840, Isaac Pitman, a British educator, began teaching shorthand through mailed lessons. Students would write their answers, send them back, and get corrections in the next mail. No internet. No video. Just paper, ink, and persistence. That simple exchange laid the foundation for everything we call online learning today.

By the late 1800s, universities in the U.S. and U.K. started offering correspondence courses in law, agriculture, and teaching. These weren’t fancy. No certificates from big platforms. Just structured lessons, deadlines, and exams. The goal? To reach people who couldn’t attend school—farmers, factory workers, women in rural areas. This wasn’t just convenience; it was equity. Fast forward to the 1970s, and radio and TV brought lectures into homes. Then came VHS tapes, CDs, and dial-up courses. Each step added a layer of tech, but the core stayed the same: learning without being in the same room. Today, we call it e-learning, the use of digital tools and platforms to deliver education remotely. Also known as online education, it’s the direct descendant of those first mailed lessons. The tools changed, but the need didn’t. People still need to learn while working, raising kids, or living far from campuses.

What’s interesting is how closely today’s platforms mirror those early models. You still submit assignments, get feedback, and take tests—just faster. The correspondence course, a structured learning program delivered through postal mail or digital files. Also known as mail-based education, it’s the ancestor of your LMS dashboard. Even SCORM, the standard that makes online courses work, is just a digital version of the old lesson packet. The real breakthrough wasn’t the tech—it was realizing education shouldn’t be tied to a building. That’s why distance education keeps growing. It’s not about replacing classrooms. It’s about making learning possible for anyone, anywhere. In the posts below, you’ll find guides on building platforms, choosing tools, and understanding how learning works when you’re not in a school. These aren’t just tech tips. They’re the next chapter in a 180-year-old story.