Developing distance learning courses in a “traditional” university

Distance learning is becoming more popular in the traditional university setting. The term “traditional” is used to denote the main full‐time approach to educational provision that has been evident in higher education. In this paper, we argue for the need to approach such flexible‐learning developments with a business‐planning approach. This is illustrated in two case‐studies where business planning was and was not used. Such a considered approach to full‐cost course development will ensure that a course delivered by distance‐learning mode is not seen by academic managers as a “cheap option”.