Charles A. Wedemeyer (1911–1999) was a pioneer in the field of independent and

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

. He challenged university administrators to expand access and opportunity to autonomous learners. "Educational change is evolutionary, and its tempo is glacial," he wrote.

Early years

Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, in 1911, to parents of modest means, Charles Wedemeyer developed a sense of excitement for what he described as “self-initiated” learning. His parents, Adrian August Wedemeyer and Laura Marie Marks Wedemeyer strived to provide books and magazines and an environment conducive to learning. An avid reader, the young Wedemeyer made great use of his local library in his quest for knowledge. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a major in English, later pursuing a master's degree in English, both from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. As a young educator, he taught English and Science to disadvantaged youth. It was at that time that he began to formulate his progressive ideas on extending educational opportunities as integral to the democratic project.

Career

1954-1964

Wedemeyer considered that "independent study in the American context is generic for a range of teaching-learning activities that sometimes go by separate names (correspondence study,

open education Open education is an educational movement founded on openness, with connections to other educational movements such as critical pedagogy, and with an educational stance which favours widening participation and inclusiveness in society. Open educa ...

, radio-television teaching, individualised learning)." A lifelong advocate for independent learning, his best known project was the Articulated Instructional Media initiative, which proved influential in the establishment of Britain’s

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

, now known as the UK Open University.Watkins 1991, p. 47.

Notes

References

* Keegan, D. (1990). ''Foundations of Distance Education''. New York: Routledge. * Watkins, B. L., & Wright, S. J. (Eds.)(1991). ''The Foundations of American Distance Education: A Century of Collegiate Correspondence Study''. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. * Wedemeyer, C. A. (1981). ''Learning at the Back Door: Reflections on Non-Traditional Learning in the Lifespan''. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press.

Early years

Career

1954-1964

Notes

References

Further reading