ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we provide further contextualisation with an overview of four origins of distance education: distance education and the open education movement; instructional design and the programmed instruction movement; the higher education for profit movement; and others, including blended learning and open online courses. We highlight some of the popular discourses relating to these origins and consider distance education (DE) scholarship and theory development. Finally, we argue that these diverse origins have led to confusion and ambiguities in discussions concerning distance education and, as such, reinforce the need for our unifying conception of openness, distance, and interaction (or transaction).
