A research-active public University in Canada wishing to expand its distance teaching programme into the UK commissioned Paul Bacsich to analyse the potential in the UK of eight of their existing distance/blended MSc programmes, in the light of the UK quality/regulatory environment, fee levels, and necessary syllabus or other adjustments.
The report recommended that a few of the programmes were unsuitable without major modification but that the others could be offered with feasible amounts of academic and pedagogical re-work. A guideline “per-stage fee” (PgC/PgD/MSc) was proposed consistent with existing UK public and private providers and advice given on the most appropriate “credit value” of the dissertation aspect, along with guidance on the use of external examiners and professional bodies.