Widening the circle: managing discussion forums in a growing online program

Swinburne Astronomy Online (SAO) is an online graduate program with students and instructors located in over 30 countries around the globe. The use of asynchronous, assessable discussion forums is a central feature of SAO. These ‘online asynchronous tutorials’ were introduced partly with the intention of breaking down the isolation of distance education, but mainly to encourage active learning in an online education format. SAO has now completed nine semesters, student numbers have increased steadily and instructors have come and gone. Innovative teaching programs can fall into the trap of being manageable when small, only to have quality control become an issue as enrolments grow. Initial enthusiasm of both students and instructors can die down as the novelty wears off. However in the case of SAO, as the program has grown, the format used for discussion forums has proven to be scaleable and remains a central, highly popular feature of SAO. Coordinating and training geographically dispersed instructors requires careful thought and planning, however student and instructor enthusiasm remains high.