Charles Wedemeyer

Charles A. Wedemeyer (1911–1999) was a pioneer in the field of independent and distance learning. 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, Wisconsin, 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 and Northwestern University. 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

+ Timeline Year Event 1930s English teacher—used WHA radio to expand access 1942-1946 Naval instructor WWII 1954-1964 Director University of Wisconsin’s Correspondence Study Program 1958 USAFI contract for course development for 250,000 service men and women 1961 Ford Foundation grant to study correspondence schools in Europe 1961 Chair Committee on Criteria and Standards (NUEA); Kellogg Fellow UK 1963 Criteria and Standards document — endorsement of 86 university-sponsored institutions 1963-1966 Brandenburg Memorial Essays on Correspondence Instruction 1965 Carnegie Corporation AIM grant 1966 World Trends in Correspondence Education 1967 William H. Lighty professorship in Education 1968-1971 Governor's Task Force on Open Learning 1969-1973 UK Open Univ; ICCE/ICDE President; Institute on Independent Study 1969-1976 Research organisation EDSAT 1972 UNESCO Consultant at HSI University Ethiopia 1975 Doctorate Honoris Causa British Open University

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, 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, now known as the UK Open University.