Old fashioned-correspondence schools? Where are they?

Of course, the student has to actually DO all that reading and writing. Old fashioned correspondence programs are probably harder for that reason.

 

"If they do it, they will learn..." Thomas J. Foster, founder of ICS - International Correspondence Schools? Or maybe not.

 

I became interested in home study/correspondence courses back in the mid 70's. Attending a commuter college, I grew tired of driving 45-60 minutes roundtrip (depending on the weather), scrambling for the last remaining-- furthest from my classes parking space, and then trying to study with the constant distraction of other students around me while waiting for my next class to start. There had to be a better way. That's when I discovered Bear's Guides and it started to all come together. As most of the other long time members of this forum, I remember the National Home Study Council, precursor to the DETC and now DEAC. So here I am later in the process of wrapping up another degree as a lifelong learner, over 40 some-odd years later.

Also in regards to Thomas J. Foster, founder of ICS (see Johann's post above), he brought correspondence education to the masses, beginning with coal miners circa 1890 and it continues to this day in the form of Penn Foster. From humble beginnings.....

 

A highly influential educator, indeed. I wonder what he would think of today's spiraling higher education costs.

 

I did a few of these many years ago. Looking back, the suspense and excitement of waiting for grades and new assignments to come through the mail was a unique feeling I didn't get exactly through online programs. Maybe it was because of the wait times being longer through the mail. Or maybe because by the time I started online programs I had been desensitized by the correspondence experiences.

 

I've gone the same route. In more recent times, I've had the choice in some courses - postal or submit via Internet and get results much faster. I agree, the suspense and excitement was definitely there, in mail days, and added to, rather than detracted from the experience. But I invariably chose the Internet when there was an option. I think all that says is - I'm not naturally a patient person. At all. But I knew that already.

 

Ironically, I was looking through some old papers yesterday and came upon some comments from some of my correspondence instructors from many years ago (yeah, I'm a hoarder). I reread all of the comments searching for the reason I had felt compelled then, to keep these letters evaluating my course work. Some just made me more puzzled and some still rang true, even today. And then it dawned on me...In comparing to instant grading and evaluation currently in online study, now I'll usually read the evaluation once and then delete it. Yes, I could print it out or save it, but it just doesn't seem the same as if I were waiting for something important in the mail to arrive. For whatever reason, to me anyways, it seems to give the "correspondence" more creedence and authenticity to show up in a tangible form by mail.

 

Indeed. More Creedence. More Clearwater & Revival, too. Not the spelling police, here, shouting "c r e d e n c e." Just an old-timer's silly joke.

Now, back to our normal programming. (I enjoyed your post, Sideman.)

 

I completed a diploma in Electronics Engineering by correspondence via ICS some 35+ years ago.
And also OU Digital Electronics class all by correspondence. OU shipped me a digital lab with an oscilloscope, DVM, Signal Generator, Breadboards with components etc.
It was a lot of fun. And a way to improve my technical English.

 

I bet Structural Engineering by correspondence was even more fun! They could send you all the parts of a BRIDGE - and maybe a CRANE would help!
Tuition would have been OK - but oh my, the POSTAGE!

 

I can imagine a Crane delivered to my address . Maybe they can send a mini crane. LEGO would do.

 

Lego is good. Or Meccano -or maybe Märklin - they made nice things, way back!

 

Or that mortuary science course I took by correspondence back in the day, when they shipped me the final exam. A lot of dry ice, man.

 

Or that short course in nuclear materials science...those boxes were HEAVY!

 

Yes, but that fireworks display was worth it, Nosborne. Your artistic creation, "Mushroom Cloud over New Mexico," thrilled everyone.

 

Yes, the critics all said it was radiant. Brilliant. Never to be duplicated (we hope to G-d!)

 

Speaking of "mushroom clouds over New Mexico" - I can remember as a kid, hearing radio updates on the news of atomic tests etc. at Carlsbad NM and the Nevada Test site. I think I even saw a later documentary re: the first test at Alamogordo, which occurred in 1945, when I was too young (2) to understand such things. In fact I can remember Alamogordo coming up in a conversation with my mother, when I was around 6 (1949). All seemed routine then - scary now to think of nuclear tests as a regular occurrence - especially on home turf.

Can't remember whether it was those tests or western movies from which I first heard of New Mexico and learned where it was. I do remember as a young boy being confused about atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. I'd probably only just learned around that time what a bikini was; I read newspapers etc. at a very early age. British weather was not often bikini-friendly back then - and as a young kid, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to blow a bunch of them up.

 

One of the benefits of the ICS diploma in Electronics Engineering that it enabled a person to be elected into Associate membership of the Institute of Engineers and Technicians,
as a corporate member one could register as EngTech, Engineering Technician level with the ability to progress in the future to TEng ( later changed to IEng).

 

Yes, CIE offered the same advantage.