Mr. John Coman:

I would like to add a further point about funding which might be helpful to committee members. The model requires funding be front-loaded because the content must be completed before a student registers. This means that one has to start at least one year in advance and invest funds up-front before any income is received.

One needs to prime the pump for all the courses. One cannot just leave the existing courses online. They have a certain lifespan and some course content must be renewed while demand for other courses will peter out. Trinity College is discussing developing three or four new courses every year over the next five years. There is constant re-investment. Any funds generated from student fees will be ploughed back in.