Step 1: Planning and Promotion

The school plans and promotes the program, and registers applicants.

The tutor plans the particular unit.

Step 2: Enrolment

The tutor and school

• ensure that the student is correctly enrolled,
• appoint a local supervisor who will at the end of the unit produce a written statement that the student's work is authentic
• provide a normal unit statement containing:

1. purpose(s) of unit,
2. prescribed topics or delineated areas in which students may develop topics.
3. an outline of the assessment standards
4. assessment modes
5. the appeals procedure
6. the semester schedule
7. etc.

• sends reading materials by email enclosures or on CD.

Step 3: Suggest research topics

Each student takes a period of time to locate topics they'd like to or see covered. Each posts a list of three or four of their top topics, perhaps with a list of web resources. Participants might need to explain the problem in sufficient detail for others to decide whether it should be selected. Participants might also indicate which ones they'd be really interested in writing on, and which ones they know nothing about and want someone else to cover.

Step 4: Moderator narrows list of research topics

The moderator selects a certain number of those questions, and gives participants the opportunity to choose one.

Step 5: Participants write preliminary papers

Each participant researches the topic he/she has selected and writes something new on the subject. At this stage, it might not be fully academic, just short (or maybe long) essays on the subject. They then post their essays to all group members.

Step 6: Participants comment on papers.

Every other participants can write comments on those essays that most interest them, although they may not respond immediately to all of them. The main requirement is that comments need to fairly carefully thought out and worded. They may take the form of brief responses (explained only enough for other participants to understand clearly), in-place quote-and-response comments, or longer essays in which the respondent selects themes and carefully writes a short essay.

Step 7: Authors respond to comments.

Essay writers collect the incoming comments and decide which of two options they want:

• They may write one rebuttal that deals with all the comments,
• They may revise the essay, modifying it according to critiques received, and re-release it or,
• They may revise the essay, modifying it according to critiques received and including a rebuttal, and re-release it.

Step 8: Verify authenticity.

The school receives the letter from a local supervisor verifying the authenticity of the students work.

Step 9: Assessment.

The tutor assess the students work and assigns a grade. The Academic Dean files this with the local supervisor's letter or oral examination report.

Step 10: Publication on website.

When the paper is complete, it may either be filed electronically, burned onto CD, and/or published on a website. Some longer papers or chapters may be published in paper journals.