DeVry Celebrates 100 Years of Distance Learning

Most people associate DeVry with their online learning courses. But, it turns out they’ve been in the distance education game for a century, although it wasn’t always like this.

Instead of a single student logging into a computer, in 1912 Dr. Herman DeVry reached rooms full of students with his famous Model E 35mm portable movie projector. This was the first time the full educational potential of film was explored, as it brought moving images from across the country to his students.

“For the first time, moving images, whether of foreign societies in motion or step-by-step instructions for complex tasks, could be distributed to audiences regardless of their location. His projector definitely opened the gateway to the concept of distance learning,” explained Michelle Delaney, director, Consortium for Understanding the American Experience at the Smithsonian, of Dr. DeVry’s invention.

Today, DeVry University has become one of the largest private sector universities in North America, with more than 90,000 students enrolled at more than 95 locations in Canada, the United States and through DeVry University’s online classes.

It’s not the same model it was in 1912, but the goal is the same: To reach students, wherever they are, and give everyone a chance to better themselves with education.