I.C.S. (International Correspondence Schools) (1889 to the Present)
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:34 pm
PART 1 of 3
I.C.S. (INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS)
GENERAL INFORMATION
I.C.S. (International Correspondence Schools)
The International Correspondence Schools (I.C.S.) was founded in 1889 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., by journalist and editor of the Mining Herald, Thomas J. Foster. Troubled by the frequency of mine accidents, Foster advocated for better working conditions and stricter safety regulations, efforts which led to the state’s adoption of the Mine Safety Act of 1885 coupled with a requirement that miners and inspectors pass examinations on mine safety. With a view to assisting mine workers pass the new test, Foster began an advice column in the Mining Herald, answering mine safety questions. Disappointed by the uncertain results of this approach, Foster founded the Colliery Engineer School of Mines in 1889, the first “distance learning” institution in the United States. The organisation changed names several times, finally settling on “International Correspondence Schools of Scranton” in 1891.
Operations
The first class enrolled 500 miners. Within eight years, over 190,000 students had enrolled in the courses. By the first decade of the twentieth century, over 100,000 new students per year were enrolling in I.C.S. courses covering a broad range of subjects. By 1910, a million cumulative enrollments had been achieved; and, by 1930, four million. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography considers I.C.S. to have been “by far the largest single educational institution in America’s history.” Actually, I would be inclined to dispute this assertion and would argue that the United States Armed Forces Institute (U.S.A.F.I.) provided basic instruction in at least as wide a field of technical subjects as did I.C.S., but to a far a greater number of students.
To continue then, Foster remained the president of I.C.S. until his death in 1936 at age 93. The organisation expanded to Canada and to the United Kingdom where the name was ultimately changed to ICS Learn. By the 1990s, greater educational offerings had reduced the role of correspondence schools, causing I.C.S. to review the scope and direction of their operations, resulting in numerous changes their structure since 1996 including several to their corporate name. The original I.C.S. premises are currently operated by Penn Foster Career School, a regionally and nationally accredited post-secondary distance education school, which acknowledges I.C.S. as its predecessor.
Those amongst you who might interested in learning more about the school’s history, including a glimpse at their impressive list of course manuals, are invited to visit the I.C.S. archival website. In addition, samples of the course manuals from I.C.S.’s early years are hosted on the University of Pennsylvania’s Online Books Library website and that of the University of Scranton. See below.
International Correspondence School & American School of Correspondence Directories Archive
http://www.icsarchive.org/
University of Pennsylvania - Online Books Library
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=International%20Correspondence%20Schools
University of Scranton - ICS Collection
http://digitalservices.scranton.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/ics
Areas of Study
Although the impetus behind the International Correspondence Schools was the promotion of mine safety through the education of mine workers and mine inspectors, Foster broadened the school’s mission “to provide practical men with a technical education, and technical men with a practical education.” Many of the school’s programmes were accredited by state educational, professional, and examining boards throughout the United States. The image below is of a newspaper advertisement from around 1900 listing the programmes available at that time: Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Draftsman, Gas Engineer, Refrigeration Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electrical Machine Designer, Electrician, Telephone Engineer, Steam Engineer, Civil Engineer, Surveyor, Mining Engineer, Metallurgist, Architect, Contractor and Builder, Architectural Draftsman, Sign Painter, Letterer, Analytical Chemist, Ornamental Designer, Cotton Mill Superintendent, Woolen Mill Superintendent, Textile Designer, Navigator, Bookkeeper, Stenographer, Teacher, and … To Speak French, To Speak German, To Speak Spanish. As the organisation grew and expanded, additional certificate programmes were included in the school’s catalogue.
Printed Materials
Convinced that the standard textbooks of the period were too academic for the average worker and that, in addition, they demanded too great a knowledge of mathematics and of other subjects, Foster and his staff at the I.C.S. prepared their own "Instruction and Question Papers" to provide exactly the information that the students needed … and no more. The image below depicts the building which housed I.C.S.’s own printing operations, the “International Textbook Company” which also operated under the imprint the “International Educational Publications Company” and the "Colliery Engineer Company."
Instruction and Question Papers
I am introducing the following topic now as it influenced not only I.C.S.’s language courses, but others as well. Initially, the school’s "Instruction and Question Papers" for a given programme were large collections of booklets each of which covered a small number topics, or lessons, which formed part of a specific programme, along with a guide for use of the materials, practice papers, self-tests, examination papers, and standardized stationery for submission to, and communication with, the school’s distant-learning instructors/examiners.
I.C.S. Reference Library
Around 1903, the school began a process of consolidating the course booklets into “I.C.S. Reference Library” hard-bound textbooks, each covering a broad range of materials within one or more programmes. The Preface to their language courses explained this change in procedure as follows: “Formerly it was our practice to send to each student entitled to receive them a set of volumes printed and bound especially for the Course for which the student enrolled. In consequence of the vast increase in the enrolment, this plan became no longer practicable and we therefor concluded to issue a single set of volumes, comprising all our textbooks, under the general title of I.C.S. Reference Library. The students receive such volumes of this Library as contain the instruction to which they are entitled. Under this plan, some volumes contain one or more Papers not included in the particular Course for which the student enrolled, but in no case are any subjects omitted that form a part of such Course. This plan is particularly advantage to those students who enroll for more than one Course, since they no longer receive volumes that are, in some cases, practically duplicates of those they already have. This arrangement also renders it much easier to revise a volume and keep each subject up to date. Each volume in the Library contains, in addition to the text proper, the Examination Questions and (for those subjects in which they are issued) the Answers to the Examination Questions. […] The method of numbering pages and articles is such that each part is complete in itself; hence, in order to make the indexes intelligible, it was necessary to give each part a number […]” The image below is that of the four volumes making up the I.C.S. French Course of the period.
It should be noted that, throughout its more than century-long history, I.C.S. continued to make changes to the manner in which the course materials were prepared for use by their distant-learning students. A quick search of eBay.com using “International Correspondence Schools” as a search criterion yields offers of a variety of I.C.S. study packages.
EDITED:
Attachments, typos, tinkering.
I.C.S. (INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS)
GENERAL INFORMATION
I.C.S. (International Correspondence Schools)
The International Correspondence Schools (I.C.S.) was founded in 1889 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., by journalist and editor of the Mining Herald, Thomas J. Foster. Troubled by the frequency of mine accidents, Foster advocated for better working conditions and stricter safety regulations, efforts which led to the state’s adoption of the Mine Safety Act of 1885 coupled with a requirement that miners and inspectors pass examinations on mine safety. With a view to assisting mine workers pass the new test, Foster began an advice column in the Mining Herald, answering mine safety questions. Disappointed by the uncertain results of this approach, Foster founded the Colliery Engineer School of Mines in 1889, the first “distance learning” institution in the United States. The organisation changed names several times, finally settling on “International Correspondence Schools of Scranton” in 1891.
Operations
The first class enrolled 500 miners. Within eight years, over 190,000 students had enrolled in the courses. By the first decade of the twentieth century, over 100,000 new students per year were enrolling in I.C.S. courses covering a broad range of subjects. By 1910, a million cumulative enrollments had been achieved; and, by 1930, four million. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography considers I.C.S. to have been “by far the largest single educational institution in America’s history.” Actually, I would be inclined to dispute this assertion and would argue that the United States Armed Forces Institute (U.S.A.F.I.) provided basic instruction in at least as wide a field of technical subjects as did I.C.S., but to a far a greater number of students.
To continue then, Foster remained the president of I.C.S. until his death in 1936 at age 93. The organisation expanded to Canada and to the United Kingdom where the name was ultimately changed to ICS Learn. By the 1990s, greater educational offerings had reduced the role of correspondence schools, causing I.C.S. to review the scope and direction of their operations, resulting in numerous changes their structure since 1996 including several to their corporate name. The original I.C.S. premises are currently operated by Penn Foster Career School, a regionally and nationally accredited post-secondary distance education school, which acknowledges I.C.S. as its predecessor.
Those amongst you who might interested in learning more about the school’s history, including a glimpse at their impressive list of course manuals, are invited to visit the I.C.S. archival website. In addition, samples of the course manuals from I.C.S.’s early years are hosted on the University of Pennsylvania’s Online Books Library website and that of the University of Scranton. See below.
International Correspondence School & American School of Correspondence Directories Archive
http://www.icsarchive.org/
University of Pennsylvania - Online Books Library
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=International%20Correspondence%20Schools
University of Scranton - ICS Collection
http://digitalservices.scranton.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/ics
Areas of Study
Although the impetus behind the International Correspondence Schools was the promotion of mine safety through the education of mine workers and mine inspectors, Foster broadened the school’s mission “to provide practical men with a technical education, and technical men with a practical education.” Many of the school’s programmes were accredited by state educational, professional, and examining boards throughout the United States. The image below is of a newspaper advertisement from around 1900 listing the programmes available at that time: Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Draftsman, Gas Engineer, Refrigeration Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electrical Machine Designer, Electrician, Telephone Engineer, Steam Engineer, Civil Engineer, Surveyor, Mining Engineer, Metallurgist, Architect, Contractor and Builder, Architectural Draftsman, Sign Painter, Letterer, Analytical Chemist, Ornamental Designer, Cotton Mill Superintendent, Woolen Mill Superintendent, Textile Designer, Navigator, Bookkeeper, Stenographer, Teacher, and … To Speak French, To Speak German, To Speak Spanish. As the organisation grew and expanded, additional certificate programmes were included in the school’s catalogue.
Printed Materials
Convinced that the standard textbooks of the period were too academic for the average worker and that, in addition, they demanded too great a knowledge of mathematics and of other subjects, Foster and his staff at the I.C.S. prepared their own "Instruction and Question Papers" to provide exactly the information that the students needed … and no more. The image below depicts the building which housed I.C.S.’s own printing operations, the “International Textbook Company” which also operated under the imprint the “International Educational Publications Company” and the "Colliery Engineer Company."
Instruction and Question Papers
I am introducing the following topic now as it influenced not only I.C.S.’s language courses, but others as well. Initially, the school’s "Instruction and Question Papers" for a given programme were large collections of booklets each of which covered a small number topics, or lessons, which formed part of a specific programme, along with a guide for use of the materials, practice papers, self-tests, examination papers, and standardized stationery for submission to, and communication with, the school’s distant-learning instructors/examiners.
I.C.S. Reference Library
Around 1903, the school began a process of consolidating the course booklets into “I.C.S. Reference Library” hard-bound textbooks, each covering a broad range of materials within one or more programmes. The Preface to their language courses explained this change in procedure as follows: “Formerly it was our practice to send to each student entitled to receive them a set of volumes printed and bound especially for the Course for which the student enrolled. In consequence of the vast increase in the enrolment, this plan became no longer practicable and we therefor concluded to issue a single set of volumes, comprising all our textbooks, under the general title of I.C.S. Reference Library. The students receive such volumes of this Library as contain the instruction to which they are entitled. Under this plan, some volumes contain one or more Papers not included in the particular Course for which the student enrolled, but in no case are any subjects omitted that form a part of such Course. This plan is particularly advantage to those students who enroll for more than one Course, since they no longer receive volumes that are, in some cases, practically duplicates of those they already have. This arrangement also renders it much easier to revise a volume and keep each subject up to date. Each volume in the Library contains, in addition to the text proper, the Examination Questions and (for those subjects in which they are issued) the Answers to the Examination Questions. […] The method of numbering pages and articles is such that each part is complete in itself; hence, in order to make the indexes intelligible, it was necessary to give each part a number […]” The image below is that of the four volumes making up the I.C.S. French Course of the period.
It should be noted that, throughout its more than century-long history, I.C.S. continued to make changes to the manner in which the course materials were prepared for use by their distant-learning students. A quick search of eBay.com using “International Correspondence Schools” as a search criterion yields offers of a variety of I.C.S. study packages.
EDITED:
Attachments, typos, tinkering.