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This paper outlines a model for online course design aimed at the mainstream majority of university academics rather than at the early adopters of technology. It has been developed from work at Coventry Business School where tutors have been called upon to design online modules for the first time. Like many good tools, the model's key strength is its simplicity, but this simplicity springs from an extensive application of current theoretical thinking on the pedagogy of networked collaborative e-learning. The model forces consideration of some of the key features of online design, and steers the designer away from creating the impoverished online learning experience that can result from an undue emphasis on course content alone. The paper builds on the work of Fowler and Mayes (2000) by examining the underpinning theory surrounding three basic ingredients of an online learning experience and the crucial role played by dialogue and discussion within a social constructivist paradigm of learning.