Long before online courses, video lectures, and virtual classrooms became part of everyday education, American universities were already considering whether new technology could bring lessons directly into the home.
In 1924, members of the National Extension Association planned to discuss the possibility of creating what newspapers called “air universities,” educational programs in which classes would be taught over the radio. The subject was scheduled to come before the association during its April meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, according to Allyn G. Smith, chairman of the University of California’s extension division.
At the time, radio broadcasting was still a relatively young technology, but its potential was becoming increasingly obvious. A lecture no longer had to be delivered only to students gathered inside a classroom. With a transmitter and enough receiving sets, a professor could theoretically speak to hundreds or even thousands of listeners scattered across cities, farms, and rural communities.
For university extension programs, which were already designed to bring education to people outside traditional college campuses, radio offered an especially intriguing possibility. Students who lived too far from a university, worked during normal class hours, or otherwise could not attend college might still have access to lectures and instruction.
The brief 1924 newspaper notice reads almost like a prediction of education to come. The technology would change dramatically over the following century, but the basic idea behind the proposed “air university” remains remarkably familiar: use the newest form of communication to bring the classroom to the student, rather than requiring the student to come to the classroom.
May Establish Classes By Radio
Establishment of possible “air universities.” Or classes taught by radio, will be discussed at the meeting of the National Extension Association at Madison, Wisconsin.
It was announced by Allyn G. Smith, chairman of the University of California’s extension division that the meeting will begin on April 24, 1924.
Source: The Beatrice Daily Express.Beatrice, Neb. February 1, 1924.
