History of Online Education

Online education, increasingly popular over the past few years, has had quite a history. As the Internet began evolving in the 1990s, learning institutions started developing ways of providing students with a virtual education experience.

Online education originally began through various companies and their training courses. When a new employee was hired, online training courses were used to prepare the employee. This type of training caught the attention of colleges and universities, and in 1994, CalCampus introduced the concept of a complete online curriculum. Over the next few years, several software programs including Mallard, Pioneer and WebCT, were established to give students easy access to more information that was available in the classroom. The concept worked well but the technology at that time was often slow and hindered the learning atmosphere.

As technology advanced after the year 2000, more colleges and universities started using web-based learning. Colleges began offering complete courses and degrees using online education capabilities. According to the survey Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning that was conducted in 2006, 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course. The popularity of online education is consistently growing and, as the survey states, institutions estimate more growth in the years to come.

American InterContinental University began using online education courses to help students gain knowledge in their particular areas of study. The online degree programs offered through AIU Online provide students with access to information that is not readily available in a classroom setting. Online courses also allow students to complete assignments and communicate with their teachers and classmates, all on their home computers.

AIU does not guarantee employment or salary.