Distance Education in the United States: Past, Present, Future

11 growth in recent years, and reflects on some future trends, the outline of which are already evident. Given the relatively long history of the field in the US, it is impossible to give a comprehensive historical account in this article. Therefore, only selected foundational concepts and events that have been instrumental in developing the contemporary theory and practice of distance education are highlighted. Numerous practitioners have an active role in developing distance education in many other countries of the world, ranging from Canada and Mexico on our borders to the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Australia, to name just a few. This brief article cannot do justice to describing the important role of distance education in countries other than the US. Therefore, it will be limited to the past, present, and future of distance education in the US. The author reflects the most recent developments in the field in the US as well as elsewhere in the world at http://distance-educator.com each day. Visit this Website for ongoing and comprehensive coverage of practice, research, and theoretical developments in the US, as well as in other countries.