tracing the evolution of distance education and its impact on graduate health administration programs

Technology has become an integral part of the American higher education system [1]. For universities to offer online courses and entire programs via the Internet is now part of the fabric of college and university life, in the United States and other developed economies [2]. Abramenka (2015) [3] noted that students are increasingly being offered online education experiences, whether through hybrid or blended/learning environments or greater use of technology, even in the traditional classroom environment. According to Allen and Seaman (2014) [4], programs which have 30% to 79% of course content delivered online (syllabus/class assignments) with class meetings all conducted face-to-face are considered hybrid/blended. Burns (2013) [5] stated that the trend of students opting to take online courses over traditional face-to-face classes has led to an increase in the literature related to online learning. Most of the current research on online learning focuses on student learning, student satisfaction, students’ preferences for online courses, and improving engagement or social situations online [5]. Albert (2014) [6] explained that the proliferation of online education has transformed higher education in the last two decades. The amount of flexibility provided by online education options has rendered distance learning as a viable method for students, especially adult students, of obtaining further education [6]. This shift in the delivery of graduate education has led to the need for extensive research into student needs and desires [7]. History of Distance Education To understand some of the problems that students experienced or faced with online education early in the introduction of this type of learning system, it is important to trace the history of distance education and its evolution to online learning. Distance education is defined as a method of teaching in which the student and teacher are physically separated [8]. Distance education can utilize a combination of technologies, including correspondence, audio, video, computer, and the Internet [9]. Today’s version of distance education is online education, which uses computers and the Internet as the delivery mechanism with at least 80% of the course content delivered online [4]. Kentnor (2015) [8] observed that online education is no longer a trend but rather a mainstream phenomenon. According to Allen and Seaman (2016) [4] in the fall of 2012, 69% of chief academic leaders indicated that online learning was critical to their long-term strategy. Of the 20.6 million students enrolled in higher education, 6.7 million were enrolled in an online course (USDOE, 2016) [4]. The roots of the modern-day Internet-based online learning in the United States go back to the paper-based correspondence study in Boston in 1728, when Caleb Phillips advertised a correspondence course in the Boston Gazette newspaper [10]. In the 1800s, access to higher education was very limited because of geographic distance between potential learners and educational institutions until 1892, when Pennsylvania State University introduced a correspondence study program (Banas & Emory, 1998). According to Pappas (2013) [11], the term distance education was first used in the United States in 1892 in a pamphlet by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University of Chicago became the first institution of higher education to broadcast courses over the radio in 1922 [12]. Three decades later, in 1953, the University of Houston offered the first televised college classes. The transition from the “old” mode of education to the modern version of online learning took Citation: Roopnarinesingh U, Whiteman AS (2020) Tracing the Evolution of Distance Education and its Impact on Graduate Health Administration Programs. Rep Glob Health Res 3: 118. DOI: 10.29011/RGHR-118.100018. 2 Volume 3; Issue 02 approximately four more decades and was fueled by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Arpanet in 1969 and later the Internet [12]. Published reports show that the University of Phoenix was established in 1989 to become the first privately owned academic institution to offer degree programs via a synchronous online mode of delivery [8]. Correspondence: Parcel Post Kentnor (2015) [8] explained that correspondence education is a form of distance education, given that the teacher and students are physically separated. Lessons and assignments would be sent through the postal service to the student, and the student would complete and resend the assignments to the instructor for grading. Records also show that summer institutes were first formed in the late 1800s, in which readings and assignments were sent through postal mail for individuals to complete “at home,” with the expectation for assignments to be discussed during the summer institute [8]. Isaac Pitman, recognized as the pioneer of distance education, began teaching shorthand by correspondence in 1840 in Bath, England [13]. Pittman mailed postcards to students and instructed them to transcribe passages from the Bible into shorthand and to return them, by post, for correction [13]. The Chautauqua Movement of the 1870s is responsible for the onset and acceptance of correspondence education for adults [14]. Chautauqua University, formed in 1883, introduced extension and correspondence courses, as well as summer terms, until it closed in 1892 due to lack of resources [14]. That same year, William Harper Rainey used Chautauqua University’s model and offered college-level correspondence courses at the University of Chicago (Scott, 1999). The correspondence division at the University of Chicago was successful in terms of enrollment, with 3,000 students in 350 courses with 125 instructors [15]. The need for correspondence education continued to gain strength in the late 1800s and early 1900s as the desire for a college degree grew. Correspondence education rather than attendance at a traditional university grew especially because of increased barriers for many students, such as familial obligations, financial limitations, and geographic constraints [13]. For many reasons, such as educating students for degrees, updating of professional knowledge and skills, or training new soldiers, the goal of correspondence education was to provide a quality education and enable all to expand their intellect and knowledge [8].