函授教育始于19世纪60年代的英国。1870年,英国剑桥大学首次为一般市民开设了校外高等教育讲座。此后,伦敦大学、牛津大学也相继在英格兰各地开设大学开放讲座。第一次世界大战后,为普及教育,英国政府拨款资助,在各大学中设立了校外(成人)教育部。1969年,英国创办了世界上第一所“开放大学”。英国的大学开放运动,在许多国家引起强烈的反响,各资本主义国家纷纷仿效,开设了各种形式的函授 Correspondence education began in the 1860s in Britain. In 1870, for the first time, the University of Cambridge opened a lecture on extracurricular higher education for the general public. Since then, University of London, Oxford University have also opened in various parts of England open lectures. After the First World War, for the popularization of education, the British government allocated funds to support the establishment of out-of-school (adult) education ministries at all universities. In 1969, the United Kingdom founded the first “open university” in the world. The opening up of universities in the United Kingdom has aroused strong repercussions in many countries. Various capitalist countries have followed suit and opened various forms of correspondence