Distance education as we know it took shape in the 1960s and, although it consisted mainly of a self-managed learning method (correspondence courses, with textbooks and previously prepared lessons), presented opportunities for the working population to receive an education; However, it was also the foundation of an emerging issue that accompanied distance education and continued to develop negatively with the passage of time, yet modern online learning has been empowered by the theories of distinguished scholars. Theories of transactional distance and andragogy have influenced the technological expansion of distance education in the lean, student-centered environment of the 21st century. Distance education (DE) has historically had a low success rate. “From the past to the present, student dropout rate is [sic] one of the major issues concerning [sic] distance education. Related research has shown that approximately 30% and 50% of distance education students fail to complete distance education courses” (Horzum, 2012, p.1). One institution, the University System of Georgia, is seeking new methods to improve the distance education model, as studies have revealed facts documenting that distance education graduation rates have declined and the number of retreats has increased despite traditional in-person teaching. they remained unchanged; furthermore, Coastline Community College interviewed several students regarding online education, and a substantial percentage of the students interviewed said they never intended to pursue an online degree program (Nash, n.d.). Distance learning courses have not been taken seriously, nor considered a beneficial form of learning, as there are no prospects. London and New York: Routledge Falmer.Reischmann, J. (2000). Andragogia.net. Retrieved from http://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/andragogik/08/andragogik/andragogy/index.htmReyes, J. A. (2013). Transactional distance theory. Distance Learning, 10(3), 43-50. Robertson, E. (2012). The history of distance learning and online training. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/the-history-of-distance-learning-and-online-education/Wengrowicz, N., & Offir, B. (2013). Teachers' perceptions of transactional distance in different instructional environments. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(2), 111-121. doi:10.1080/08923647.2013.773701Wheeler, S. (2007). The influence of communication technologies and study approaches on transactional distance in blended learning. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 15(2), 103-117. http://tinyurl.com/num4pvl