Building momentum in an online doctoral studies community

Abstract

Doctoral programs have been evolving over recent years. One factor in that evolution has been the growing number of students seeking access to advanced study while continuing in full-time employment. Recent developments in distance and online education support the offering of doctoral programs at a distance but entail additional challenges around the initiation of distance students into the wider academic community in ways equivalent to those available to traditional on-campus students. One possible response is the development of online communities that support equivalent interactions to what might be experienced in an on-campus doctoral program. This paper describes the beginnings of such a community and the early efforts to initiate and maintain momentum.