History

Brad Voeller With the explosion of technology, it is no longer necessary for students to live in college dorms and walk the halls of brick and mortar institutions. More and more students are using the Internet and e-mail to study from home. Distance learning is the name attached to a type of college-level study that uses books, media resources, and the Internet to provide college-level training to students all over the world.

In 1997, Brad Voeller was a 20 year-old young man with a problem. His family had served as missionaries overseas in Asia, and he felt God calling him to return there long term. However, he knew if he wanted to be effective with the education-oriented Asian culture, he needed a degree to gain a hearing. And, although he had a long list of real life learning and ministry experiences, the only way to an accredited degree seemed to be four slow years of school.

Brad began researching new developments in distance learning that allowed students to receive college credit more quickly. One option was taking nationally accepted examinations to obtain credit for things he already knew. Another way involved documenting past experiences in a portfolio. Finally, Brad was intrigued by the possibility of learning to study smarter—using common-sense strategies, such as reading with purpose and time-tested memory techniques to quickly learn and recall new information.

Combining the new distance learning methods with accelerated study strategies and a lot of prayer, Brad used his training to obtain his fully-accredited bachelor’s degree in six short months. Thrilled with the new possibilities this offered, he began developing resources to help other highly motivated students obtain their degrees in less time.

During this time, Brad wrote the book Accelerated Distance Learning, which has become a cornerstone resource for students pursuing their degree using these innovative strategies. Brad also developed his own Dynamic Memory course to help students receive the best training in these areas from a Christian worldview. He called this startup business Global Learning Strategies, a non-profit organization committed to developing young leaders through education. This spawned CollegePlus!, a coaching service that provides expertise, study recommendations, and accountability to students.

In keeping with his original purpose for obtaining his degree, Brad has returned to Asia, where he is working with the fledgling Korean home school movement and recently started Homeschool Friend, a English tutoring service.

Since the beginning, CollegePlus! has grown rapidly and is now the largest accelerated learning coaching service in the world.