Determine the scope of your research into distance education. Distance education research has many different potential avenues for study, so you will need to narrow the scope of your research in order to create an effect research plan. Questions to consider include items such as the effectiveness of distance education versus traditional classroom instruction, cost involved in planning and implementing various types of distance education programs and effective teaching and learning methodologies in distance education.
Consult major research already conducted in the field by visiting the websites of major universities involved in distance learning research. Some of these include the University of Idaho and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Other sources to consult that have numerous articles available include the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) and the University of West Georgia's Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.
Research individual schools to determine which have the most positive reputation with students and the rest of the academic community. Schools that are generally viewed in a positive light by both educators and students may be doing something right that other schools are not. Begin your research by visiting websites like Get Educated or Online Education Database to consult their rankings and reviews of online programs. Although the information provided by these websites is by no means academic, it does provide valuable insight about the nature each program and how effective each is in graduating students, providing quality yet affordable education and creating a positive assessment of its distance education program.
Develop your own experiment to use in the online classes that you offer. Model your research on other methods used by educators in the field who have conducted similar research already. Use pre-tests and post-tests to determine the efficacy of your teaching methods. You can also use student surveys to gather statistical data regarding student opinions on your course. Treat every assignment as an opportunity to conduct research. Class averages on quizzes and exams, for example, may tell you something about the nature of the class, based on which types of questions are routinely missed.