Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Distance education, defined as pedagogical delivery involving teacher-learner geographic separation, has become a widespread educational model. Even modern face-to-face course delivery includes some asynchronous elements, which illustrates the extent of the influence of distance education on education in general. Distance education, which has evolved from correspondence courses to digitally mediated, interactive learning environments that span continents and connect us globally, is inextricably intertwined with today’s educational systems. The pace is accelerating by rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. How has the centrality of distance education happened? This paper addresses that question by examining the history and future of distance education in Europe. Subsequent papers can examine this question in other locations to form a global understanding.
Author: M. Milligan
Institution: Troy University
Language: English
Topic: Online and Blended Learning
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7202209720