Distance Education Innovations and New Learning Environments: Com ...

these new technologies are paving the way for sophisticated applications of distance and blended learning environments.

First Generation Distance Education

First generation distance education usually consisted of correspondence study, where an instructor would mail reading and homework assignments to students who would then complete and return the assignments to the instructor for grading. No interaction between instructor and learners occurred beyond the messages delivered through the mail.

Second Generation Distance Education

In the second generation of distance education, the instructional use of media advanced in sophistication and capability during and after World War II. In part, this was due to the sponsorship of $1 billion spent by the U.S. government on instructional films to support the war effort (Reiser, 1987, p. 2). After the war, “the German Chief of General staff said: ‘We had everything calculated perfectly except the speed with which America was able to train its people. Our major miscalculation was in underestimating their quick and complete mastery of film education’ (cited in Olsen & Bass, 1982, p. 33)” (Reiser, p. 15). Perceiving the success of instructional media, private and public institutions poured additional funding and research efforts into improving instructional media during the postwar years. Though tested for their instructional uses before this time, it was during the period of 1940-1980 that the instructional potential of radio and television formats were vigorously investigated and implemented. These efforts were supported by the National Defense Education Act of 1958, which committed over $40 million to