ISDET history goes to 1960 and 1970s when many visionaries worldwide started asking why education should be tied up to traditional methods and why it cannot be liberated from the confines of buildings. Why can’t the process of education go where the student is, so as to meet the special needs of special people such as those who are already employed.
The answer resulted in Distance Programs, where the University or the College goes to the student, instead of the student going to a regular institution made of brick and mortars. All study material was sent to the student in printed format, or he was able to buy books that covered the syllabus.
The maximum that the student had to leave his place was to attend the so-called ‘contact classes’. This approach resulted in a very large number of people being able to get education without barriers. While many viewed Distance Education initially with dismay, eventually it became clear that Distance Education was here to stay.
Theological Seminaries got into Distance Education very soon. They had the advantage of experience and insight from Christian Correspondence Courses, which had been gaining worldwide popularity after the Second World War.
ISDET had its its origin when BBS (Bulletin Board Service, the forerunner of the WorldWide Web) became available. A number of Christians immediately realized that here is a technology that can take free Bible and seminary training worldwide. ISDET was established soon after that and has already trained hundreds of thousands informally (free non degree Bible courses) and many thousands (through free degree courses at Seminary level) worldwide.
Today ISDET is one of the largest free Distance Bible Seminaries in the world. Please take some to explore this website and its scores of pages of information to see if ISDET meets your free Seminary training requirements.
