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From Classroom to Cloud: The Rise of Online Learning
A plain timeline of how learning moved from classrooms to the internet, from postal courses and broadcasts to the web, open resources, MOOCs and remote teaching.
Online Learning
How online learning grew from early courses to MOOCs and beyond.
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A plain timeline of how learning moved from classrooms to the internet, from postal courses and broadcasts to the web, open resources, MOOCs and remote teaching.
How universities moved from correspondence study to online modules and full online degree programs, and how students and staff experienced the change.
How learning management systems and course platforms developed from early course-website tools into the cloud services used by schools, colleges and employers.
Why online learning shifted toward short, focused lessons, what microlearning modules are good at, and how they compare with full-length courses.
A comparison of course-based MOOCs and reusable open educational resources, how they differ in purpose and permissions, and how the two fit together.
A sober survey of newer online learning tools such as mobile learning, simulations and adaptive systems, with notes on which are well tested and which are still early.
What happened after the early excitement over MOOCs: low completion, paid certificates and credentials, degree pathways and the shorter formats that followed.
How open licensing affects online courses in practice: what reuse, remixing and sharing allow, how free enrollment differs from open licenses, and the limits.
What MOOCs are, when they appeared, how they spread after 2008, and what they changed in education and what they did not.
What growing online enrollment means for schools, colleges, funding and staffing, with attention to costs, workload, equity and the limits of the evidence.
The practical benefits of online learning for learners, including flexibility, reach, choice and cost, set against honest trade-offs such as isolation and access needs.
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