From 1873 to Today: The Remarkable History of Distance Learning

Distance learning feels like a modern invention, but its roots stretch back more than 150 years. In 1873, Anna Eliot Ticknor founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home, an organisation that educated thousands of women by post at a time when formal higher education was largely closed to them.

By 1910, the University of California had joined the movement, offering correspondence courses that let working people study without stepping onto a campus. Decade by decade, what began as letters in the mail evolved through radio, television and finally the internet.

Today, distance learning is an established part of the educational world. Millions of working adults upgrade their qualifications every year without leaving their jobs, businesses or families, and employers increasingly recognise the discipline it takes to earn a degree this way.

At Saint Albert's International College, we stand in that proud tradition. Our fully online, self-paced programs carry the same spirit as Ticknor's society: quality education should reach you wherever you are, whatever your circumstances.

The classroom has changed shape many times since 1873. The calling behind it has not: to open doors for people the traditional system left behind.