Early Correspondence Courses: How Distance Learning Started and Why It Still Matters

When you think of online learning, you probably picture video lectures, discussion boards, and apps like Khan Academy. But long before the internet, there was early correspondence courses, a system where students received lessons by mail and submitted assignments the same way. Also known as distance learning, it was the first real way people outside cities could study without stepping into a classroom. These courses didn’t need Wi-Fi—just a postage stamp. In the late 1800s, people in rural areas, working adults, and even soldiers overseas used them to earn certificates, learn trades, or even get college credit. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked.

What made these courses different wasn’t the technology—it was the idea. Someone, somewhere, believed you didn’t need to be in the same room as a teacher to learn. You got a textbook, a set of questions, and instructions. You studied on your own time, mailed back your answers, and waited weeks for feedback. This was self-paced learning, a method where the learner controls the speed and schedule. It’s the same principle behind today’s MOOCs and certificate programs. Back then, schools like the University of London and the International Correspondence Schools in Pennsylvania ran these programs at scale. By the 1920s, over half a million students in the U.S. were enrolled. No smartphones. No Zoom. Just paper, pens, and persistence. These courses weren’t easy. There were no deadlines you could set on your phone. No reminders. No chat support. If you missed a lesson, you had to wait for the next packet. But for people who couldn’t quit their jobs, move to a city, or afford full-time school, it was the only option.

And here’s the surprising part: the core design of those old courses is still alive. Today’s online degrees borrow their structure—structured modules, written assignments, graded feedback loops. Even platforms like Coursera and edX use the same basic rhythm: learn, practice, submit, repeat. The only difference? It’s faster now. The real legacy of early correspondence courses, the original form of adult education for non-traditional learners isn’t in the envelopes—it’s in the mindset. Education doesn’t have to happen in a lecture hall. It doesn’t need to follow a school calendar. It can fit into your life, wherever you are.

That’s why the posts below matter. They don’t just talk about modern online degrees or quick certifications—they show you how today’s learning tools evolved from those slow, stubborn, mail-based systems. Whether you’re looking at the best learning apps, fast-track degrees, or how to study without coaching, you’re seeing the same idea: learning on your terms. The tools changed. The goal didn’t.