AT a time when millions of school children around the world are homebound and studying remotely, it’s a good time to look back at the beginnings of distance learning. And we will be surprised to know that while technology and the pandemic has made this seem like a modern concept, long-distance correspondence actually began in the mid 19th century when the US Postal service was developed.
According to an article in Visual Academy, this led to the development and implementation of what were called commercial “correspondence colleges” which were distributed by the US postal service between students and professors.
Since that time, a few significant advancements have shaped and pushed distance learning. In 1873, the first official correspondence educational program, called the Society to Encourage Home Studies, was established in Boston, Massachusetts by Ana Eliot Tucker.
In 1953, the University of House made distance learning history when it began offering the first televised college classes on KHUT (today called Houston PBS), which was the first public television station in the United States.
After television, “the personal computer and personal web were the next major inventions to revolutionize distance education.” In 1989, the University of Phoenix became the first institution to launch a fully online collegiate institution that offered both bachelors and master’s degrees. In 1996, entrepreneurs Glen Jones and Bernand Luskin launched Jones International University, which became the first accredited and fully web-based university. Since that time, distance learning has continued to grow in different directions.
As we can see, distance learning began with older students, it’s just that circumstances have brought younger students into the mix. Fast forward to 2021, as Jessica Stillman writes in Inc.com, “millions of students around the world are being forced to study remotely.” At the same time, she notes that “huge numbers of adults have found themselves stuck at home with time on their hands. No wonder online courses have been so popular this year.”
In fact, Class Central, a clearing house for information on online courses. “saw traffic double since the pandemic began.” It also released a roundup of the most popular courses of the year.
Which classes are all these new students flocking to? Stillman lists them in her article “The 30 Most Popular Online Courses of 2020,” which include “Covid-19 related courses on topics like contract tracing and moving lessons online,” as well as some gems suited to entrepreneurs and other professionals looking to expand their skills and improve their lives.”
Here are the top 20, which PR pros may want to look into. Some come from universities like Harvard and Yale, others from big tech like Facebook and Google, others from companies like IBM, and even one on Chinese philosophy.
1. How to Learn Online from edX. “Learn essential strategies for successful online learning.”
2. Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1 from University of Colorado Boulder. This course is “aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of the Excel spreadsheets by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with the Visual Basic for Applications [VBA],” explains the course description.
3. Crash Course of Python from Google. “This course is designed to teach you the foundations in order to write simple programs in Python using the most common structures.”
4. Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life: Living for What Matters Most from University of Michigan. The course title pretty much says everything you need to know.
5. Everyday Excel, Part 1 University of Colorado Boulder. A more basic Excel class for learners “who want to learn Excel from the ground up.”
6. Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles from Harvard University. “Mobilize people to tackle tough problems and build the capacity to thrive through the dangers of change.”
7. Introduction to Business Management from King’s College London. “Discover how to manage people, money, and information, and gain confidence and insight into your own management style.”
8. Computer Programming for Everyone from University of Leeds. “Discover the art of computer programming and learn what code can do.”
9. Data Analytics for Decision Making: An Introduction to Using Excel from Bond University. Another opportunity to become and Excel master.
10. AI for Everyone: Master the Basics from IBM. “Learn what artificial intelligence [AI] is by understanding its applications and key concepts including machine learning, deep learning, and neutral networks.”
11. Introduction to Social Media Marketing from Facebook. “This course lays the foundation to social media marketing.”
12. Introduction to Data Science from IBM. “Learn about the world of data science first hand from real data scientists.”
13. Learn to Code for the Web from University of Leeds. “Ever wonder what’s behind your favorite web sites and apps? Get to grips with the basics of coding from HTML, CSS, and Java Script.”
14. Understanding Medical Research: Your Facebook Friend is Wrong from Yale University. A timely one that answers an important question” “How can you tell if the bold headlines seen on social media are truly touting the next big thing or if the article is worth the paper it’s printed on.”
15. Write Your First Novel from Michigan State University. In case you want to unleash your inner author in 2021.
16. Project Management: Beyond the Basics from The Open University. “Build your existing project management knowledge and develop the skills to manage teams and deliver effective projects.”
17. Writing and Editing: Word Choice and Word Order from the University of Michigan. “This course will teach you how to use your written words to become more persuasive.”
18. Creating a Great User Experience for Mobile Apps from the University of Leeds.
19. Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty from the University of Pennsylvania. Another timely offering.
20. The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life. “Explore ancient Chinese philosophy, ethics, and political theory to challenge your assumptions of what it means to be happy, live a meaningful life, and change the world.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
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