A History of E-learning: Shift Happened

However, the very genesis of e-learning as based on human collaboration in knowledge work and innovation, can be traced to the development of network communication in the late 1960s, with the invention of e-mail and computer conferencing over packet-switched networks in 1971. Historically, these technological innovations introduced an unprecedented opportunity whereby people could communicate and collaborate despite differences in time and place, and they became key to a social, economic, and especially educational paradigmatic shift.

The telecommunications revolution both enabled and required fundamentally new forms of societal and economic activity, leading to the knowledge economy. The resultant demands and opportunities impacted and transformed education.

This chapter addresses that paradigmatic shift. It begins by presenting an overviewof the history of online education as a context and framework for understanding the state of the art of e-learning today, especially the use of network technologies for collaborative learning. The chapter outlines how the early pioneers contributed to the educational paradigm change and howthe theory and practice of learning has been advanced into new learning theories and models, modes of delivery, instructional roles, instructional designs, and learning processes and outcomes. The goal of the chapter is to provide an overview of the highlights of the early days of e-learning, a sense of the accomplishments, the challenges, and the adventure. The author recognizes that there are many more dots to be added and linked into creating a comprehensive history. I apologize to the many individuals, teams, and projects omitted. Let us keep working at documenting our history. The field and its future deserve it.