A History Timeline:
1913-Present

1913 -

Exhibit - "Loan Exhibition of Pictures" - shown at IU

1914 -

Beginning of World War One. American government becomes aware of the value of visual instruction.

1920 -

Researchers begin to use a variety of techniques to assess the effectiveness of instructional films. This has been referred to as the origin of formative evaluation.

1922 -

Visual education classes first listed in IU school bulletin.

1923 -

Name Bureau of Visual Instruction assigned to the department.

Great Depression -

Ole Larson is hired at Indiana University.

1941 -

Ole Larson chosen as head of the Audio-Visual Department
James Finn helps to start the field of "Instructional Technology."

1942 to 1945 -

U.S. Army uses 35mm films and other Larson receives $100,000 grant

1946-1950 -

Larson continues to expand the audiovisual department.

Early 1950's -

Tremendous growth in the use of instructional television.
New faculty members hired to keep up with AV department growth.

1950s -

Increased interest in individualized instruction.
Film rental library thrives

1951 to 1954 -

Korean War.

1952 -

AV center begins producing halftime shows for televised IU basketball games.

1953 -

IU receives grant to train international students.

1956 -

IU awarded $1.5 million project to set up AV programs in Nigeria.

1957 -

Soviet Union launches Sputnik.

1958 -

President Eisenhower signs the National Defense Education Act (NDEA).
Ole Larson is on the NDEA committee for three years

1950 to 1960's -

Ford Foundation spends more than $170 million on educational television.

1956-1963 -

Students from around the world come to IU to study audiovisual communication.

1959 -

AV Department works with newly independent Jim Knowlton is hired into AV department

Early 1960s -

Professional organizations such as NSPI established.

1962 -

Mager publishes "Preparing Objectives for Programmed Instruction

1965 -

Higher Education Act causes more changes in department

1967 -

The Program for Learning in Accordance with Needs (PLAN) was developed by the American Institute for Research (AIR), Westinghouse Corporate Learning, and fourteen school districts. It is an individualized instruction system covering language arts, math, science, and social studies for grades 1 through 12.

1968 -

Gene Faris and Dick Stowe develop the Faris-Stowe model.
Skinner's method of linear programming is developed.

Late 1960s -

Programmed instruction movement ends

1969

Bob Heinich's rationale for naming department Instructional Systems Technology is stated in a memo

1970 -

Commission on Instructional Technology defines itself.
Bob Heinich is hired.

1970s - 1980s

Faculty retirement rate high and new faculty are hired.

1972 -

The Definition and Terminology committee of AECT presents a new definition of the field emphasizing the systems approach and individualized instruction as well as audio-visual devices and an expanded view of the field.
Michael Molenda hired as the first full-time IST instructor
Ole Larson retires.
Mendel Sherman appointed as Division Director.
Edgar Richardson chosen to head the AV Center
The division moves into the School of Education.

1975 - 1976

The Division has the highest number of graduates in the thirty-six year history of the program - 126 degrees were granted.

1976 -1977

John Moldstad replaces Mendel Sherman as Division Director
The Division again broke its own record with 162 graduates.
IUPUI gets its first on-site person to coordinate and develop media services for faculty.
IST professors travel around the world to teach educational technology.

1978 -

The Division of Instructional Systems Technology renamed the Department of Instructional Systems Technology.
Malcolm Fleming and Howard Levie receive two national awards for their book, Instructional Message Design.

1979-1980

Robert Heinich named Director of the IST department.
The emphasis toward corporate training would drive the department well into the late 1980's.

1981 -

A report by David M. Moore published in Educational Technology, reported the IST department as number one in rank order of institutions considered most prestigious.

1983

Pett receives the Edgar Dale Award for sustained professional achievement.

1984 - 1985

Pett becomes the IST department chair.
Tom Schwen organizes an invitational conference bringing together leaders from all the major instructional technology programs in the nation to discuss the future of the field.

1988 -

Michael Molenda begins service as IST department chair.
Department again ranked number one.

1991 -

Charles Reigeluth appointed chair of the department.

1993 -

Tom Schwen named department chairman on July 1, 1993.