What is AECT?

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is a professional association of thousands of educators and others whose activities are directed towards improving instruction through technology. Technology is interpreted as process, not merely in terms of hardware (such as computers or television or projectors), but in terms of learners and their relationship to the people, events, places, and things through which they learn.

AECT Members and subscribers may be found in schools and colleges; in the Armed Forces and industry; in museums, libraries, and hospitals; in the many places where educational change is underway. AECT members carry out a wide range of responsibilities in the study, planning, application, and production of communications media for instruction.

Founded in 1923

The Association has become a major organization for those actively involved in the designing of instruction and a systematic approach to learning. It provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of ideas for its members and for larger audiences; it is the national and international spokesperson for the improvement of instruction; and, it is the world's largest publisher of information concerning a wide range of instructional technology.

History of AECT

A detailed history of AECT from its inception in 1923 to its relocation in Bloomington, Indiana in 1999 has been compiled with the sponsorship of the Design and Development Division*.

This historical overview is arranged into six time periods:

* Formative Period, 1923-1931
* Consolidation Period, 1932-1945
* Post-War Growth Period, 1946-1957
* Federal Aid Boom Period, 1958-1970
* Independence and Dispersion Period, 1971-1982
* Computer Impact and Downsizing Period, 1983-1999

The text was written by Michael Molenda of Indiana University.

Past Presidents