He challenged university administrators to expand access and opportunity to autonomous learners.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1911, to parents of modest means, Charles Wedemeyer developed a sense of excitement for what he described as “self-initiated” learning.
An avid reader, the young Wedemeyer made great use of his local library in his quest for knowledge.
It was at that time that he began to formulate his progressive ideas on extending educational opportunities as integral to the democratic project.
Wedemeyer considered that "independent study in the American context is generic for a range of teaching-learning activities that sometimes go by separate names (correspondence study, open education, radio-television teaching, individualised learning).