Development principles for online courses: A baker's dozen

Abstract

Course development on the World Wide Web is becoming more sophisticated as instructors and course specialists become more familiar with the environment. Most course development principles for online courses have been developed from those that were appropriate in the face-to-face context. However, the Web opens up new possibilities for learning and particular limitations. This paper presents a baker’s dozen (13) principles, attempting to build on the knowledge base of distance education and traditional learning, adapting to the online environment and the strengths and weaknesses of software applications. Course developers can bear these in mind when initiating and supporting WWW course development projects.