The First Wave of DE Do these same principles hold today?

According to Holmberg (2008), the driving force for greater student opportunities for post-secondary education still holds true after the first wave of DE. Holmberg (2008) said that DE has developed globally, and it is essential to all societies because it has proven successful. The early characterization of DE learning was by mail delivery. Education organizations providing students printed course materials. Students did their lessons, and delivery to teachers was by postal medium. The first wave of DE was correspondence course material. In the 1960s and l9970s, correspondence DE evolution integrates in learning by radio and television. By the late 1980s and 1990s, computer technology revolutionizes distance education learning. The evolution of DE enables teaching institutions to provide masses of students higher education opportunities.

Is DE still serving the needs of the educationally disadvantaged?

Literature indicates DE is still serving the needs of the educationally disadvantaged in developing as well as under developing countries. Stephen Ruth and Min Shi (2013) educators at George Mason University, Virginia, wrote in an article, Distance Learning in Developing Countries: Is Anyone Measuring Cost-Benefits? DE is becoming a major issue in education and in strategic planning for regional development (http://www.techknowlogia.org/tkl_activepages2/CurrentArticles/t-righ...).

What is the responsibility of DE to serve underserved populations?

The Ruth and Shi (2013) wrote that multinational organizations such as the United Nations Development program (UNDP) and the World Bank could help provide education to some of the most disadvantaged countries. The article explains DE in the realm of developing countries. Ruth and Shi agree that information communication technology (ICT) is critical to DE learning in developing countries because ICT can deliver education to the poorest countries, and it is a metaphor because its capabilities are for noble causes. (http://www.techknowlogia.org/tkl_activepages2/CurrentArticles/t-righ...). The scholars point out that even Africa, one of the poorest regions in ICT development and Internet, distance learning are prevalent. In under developing countries, DE learning includes correspondence courses, radio, television, telephone, Internet telecentres, CDROM, and satellite broadcasting (http://www.techknowlogia.org/tkl_activepages2/CurrentArticles/t-righ...). As Deb (2011) wrote, developing countries still face many challenges in developing multimedia technology and Internet capabilities. Many countries still cannot take advantage of technology mediums due to lack poor telecommunications infrastructure and satellite services (p. 33).

References Deb, S. (2011). Effective distance learning in developing countries using mobile and multimedia technology. International Journal of Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering, 2(2, 33-40. Retrieved from http://http://www.sersc.org/journals/IJMUE/vol6_no2_2011/IJMUE%20ToC%20APRIL%20 2011.pdf Holmberg, B. (2008). The evolution, principles, practices of distance education [DX Reader version]. Retrieved from http://.unioldenburg.defileadmin/user_upload/c3l/master/mde/download/asfvolume11_eBook.pdf.. Ruth, S., & Shi, Min. (2013). Distance learning in developing countries: Is anyone measuring cost-benefits? Technologies at Work. Retrieved from http://www.techknowlogia.org/tkl_activepages2/CurrentArticles/t-r