Rotary International (local chapter)
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
Madison Human Values Institute
International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame
U.S. Department of State / Fulbright Program
The Open University (United Kingdom)
Kellogg Foundation / University of Oxford
Fulbright Senior Scholar (Visiting Professor), University of Adelaide
Director of Instructional Media (administrative leadership in instructional media), University of Wisconsin–Extension
Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Kellogg Fellow in Adult Education (visiting fellowship), University of Oxford
Director, Correspondence Study Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Naval Instructor (World War II), United States Navy
Charles A. Wedemeyer (1911–1999) was a pioneering scholar and administrator whose work helped establish the modern field of distance and independent learning. Across more than four decades at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and University Extension, he led the Correspondence Study Program (1954–1964), created the Articulated Instructional Media (AIM) project with Carnegie support, articulated seminal “open learning system” characteristics, and championed learner autonomy and access for those excluded by conventional schooling. He became the first William H. Lighty Professor of Education in 1967, advised governments and universities worldwide (including the UK’s Open University), and authored the influential book Learning at the Back Door (1981).
Wedemeyer framed independent study as a generic approach spanning correspondence, open, and distance learning. He emphasized separation of teaching from learning to overcome space–time constraints; flexible pacing; learner control of goals and activities; and institutional systems that support individualized learning and diagnostic evaluation.
A systems approach to course design and delivery that deconstructs teaching into specialized roles (e.g., content, media, design, learner support) and articulates multiple media—print, radio/TV, audio, phone, labs—into a coherent program to improve quality, scale, and access for adult learners.
Teaching at a Distance, 21, 21–27 • Journal
University of Wisconsin Press • Book
An extended argument that learning is a natural, idiosyncratic, continually renewable human capacity not dependent on schooling. Wedemeyer contrasts non‑traditional learning (distance, open, independent, technology‑mediated) with institutional schooling and proposes ways new institutions, media, and processes can support autonomous, life‑span learning for diverse populations.
Report of the NAEB Advisory Committee on Open Learning Systems (NAEB Conference, New Orleans) • Report
Identifies ten tentative characteristics of learner‑centered open learning systems that diminish dependency on institutions, focus on learning over instruction, employ multiple media, provide diagnostic evaluation tied to objectives, encourage independence, and make learning a natural, continuing activity. Emphasizes open entry, flexible pacing, and cost‑effectiveness.
The Encyclopedia of Education (Vol. 4), L. C. Deighton (Ed.), Free Press • Chapter
Educational Technology, 11(7), 19–24 • Journal
Syracuse University, Publications in Continuing Education (Notes and Essays on Education for Adults, No. 61) • Book
Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults • Book