Twin approaches to research: the Penn State and Flinders experience

Two universities, The Pennsylvania State University in the United States and The Flinders University of South Australia, like many other higher education institutions, are developing online distance education programs. This paper reports on two approaches to offering a research methods topic at the postgraduate level, approaches that were determined in part by learners and their environment, which in turn determined modes of delivery. The modes of learning, development of learning resources, topic evaluation and feedback, and the lessons learned from offering the two research topics in an international context provide pointers to other higher education institutions planning to offer courses by flexible delivery. [Author abstract