The document discusses factors that influence the costs of online courses. It identifies three main types of costs: infrastructure costs, course development costs, and delivery and support costs. Variable costs, like tuition, tend to be higher than fixed costs. Increasing enrollment, course offerings, and the lifetime of courses can help reduce the unit cost per student by distributing fixed development costs among more students. The quality, design, and level of interaction in online courses can also impact development and support costs.

1. Factors Influencing the Costs of On-line Courses Alaa Sadik, Ph.D. Lecturer in Educational Technology South Valley University, Egypt E-mail: alaasadik@hotmail.com Web: www.freewebs.com/alaasadik /28 South Valley University

2. Wired Class A Web-based learning environment for teaching students at a distance www.freewebs.com/alaasadik /28

3. ACTIONS Model (Bates, 1995) A ccess C osts T eaching and learning functions I nteractivity and user-friendliness O rganisational issues N ovelty S peed /28

4. The cost analysis of e-learning ACTIONS Model The cost is an important criterion to be used to evaluate e-learning technologies . (Bates, 1995). /28

5. Research questions 1. What is the cost structure of on-line courses? 2. How much does the cost of on-line courses? 3. What are the factors affecting this cost? /28

8. The cost structure of on-line courses Types of costs 1. Course-related costs (production and delivery costs) Costs of development and distribution of course materials 2. Student-related costs (access costs) Costs of purchasing computers, Internet connection and phone calls /28

9. The cost structure of on-line courses Types of costs 1. Infrastructure costs 2. Course development costs 3. Delivery and support costs /28

28. For more information visit www.freewebs.com/alaasadik Thank you The End