Determine what kind of student the new course version is intended to target. If the on-campus course has typically been geared toward college freshmen who are full-time students, but the distance education department focuses on adults who are switching careers, you may need to alter some of the course material. The course structure may need to cater to older learners who are more self-directed and disciplined, but are pressed for time and need a flexible assignment schedule.
Choose course delivery software, or familiarize yourself with the software chosen by your institution. Tegrity, Moodle and other platforms will offer different options for hosting PowerPoint presentations, video lectures, podcasts, essay or multiple-choice tests, message boards and so on.
Select course material that can be performed online and on a flexible schedule. Whereas in a traditional class you can assign busy-work for subjects that can be learned by rote or ask for a short essay to be turned in by the end of class, online courses usually require longer assignment windows and material that the students will be motivated to complete. Choose lessons that give the most "bang for the buck" in terms of learning achieved per assignment.
Convert course reading materials to a digital format whenever possible. It can be difficult for distance education students to get paper textbooks in time for the course to start, so choose or create .pdf files, ebooks and online articles and videos. This will also keep the material as up-to-date as possible. Your syllabus should also be online and linked to each assignment and lecture.
Convert your tests and quizzes for your course delivery software. Most course software will automatically grade your quizzes for you as long as they're in a true/false or multiple choice format. Set your grading standards in the software, and ensure that the questions are unambiguous, since students will not be able to ask clarifying questions during the test.
Record audio or video lectures. You may be able to simply film a lecture given to on-campus students, or to use simple and freely available podcasting software to record an audio version of the lecture. Otherwise your institution may have special audio and video (A/V) equipment that allows you to tape yourself plus a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.