As part of Swinburne Astronomy Online (SAO), we run an online short course entitled Searching for Extrasolar Planets and Extraterrestrial Life. The main aim of the short course is to act as a “feeder” into our graduate programs and allow students to trial online education while exploring one of the new hot topics of astronomy – astrobiology.

I will present a brief overview of how SAO works, followed by an outline of our short course which has been running for four semesters. In particular, I will focus on why astrobiology is a good choice of topics for an online short course, and look at the successes (and failures) of the course in attracting students to both online education and astronomy –and astrobiology in particular.

Material and resources for use in science education must contain accurate, up-to-date data and research results. Clearly when curricula and other materials for use in informal science education and for public understanding of science are developed, the direct interaction and influence of research scientists is beneficial. What is the role of scientists in resource development? In colleges and universities, educational materials are scientist-centric since scientists are the principal science educators and therefore create the specific courseware they need. In a pre-college educational environment, and in science museums (for example), appropriate product creation is driven by experienced educators and other experts. The research scientist, drawn from a research environment, may not be the best instigator of those resources.

In the rapidly changing milieu of space science, keeping the public informed and engaged in the progress of science is challenging. Beautiful images, scientific artifacts, and exciting space launches can be a compelling hook but the challenge for scientists and educators is to provide context and basic information that is equally exciting. For the past 5 years, the use of Internet video streaming (webcast) technology has grown in popularity. We have used this technology to bring together scientists, educators and the public to provide virtual access to the research environment for the audience. The growth of new technologies will provide new opportunities for the public to “get behind the scenes” of observatories and laboratories to better appreciate the texture of scientific research as well as the scientists and technical personnel engaged in investigative endeavors.

The Mars Society is an international private organisation advocating the exploration and settlement of Mars. Part of its mission involves selecting areas for Martian analogue research, to test hardware, technology, strategies and human factors relevant to sending people to Mars. Mars Society Australia has selected an area in the Arkaroola region in the Flinders Ranges as the site for the first Australian analogue facility. The facility will be an invaluable public education and outreach tool for Australian science, focusing on astrobiology, and its role in future human Mars missions; demonstrating Australian contributions to astrobiology related science and work on terrestrial analogues to Martian environments.

Co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) at UCLA, and the Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life (CSEOL), the UCLA AstroBiology Society (ABS) was founded in 1999 to become the first student-run organization devoted to astrobiology. An interdisciplinary group, ABS unifies undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty of all fields through events and discussions centered around the diversity of themes that compose astrobiology science. ABS provides particular benefit to NAI's Education and Public Outreach efforts as a means of increasing awareness of and appreciation for astrobiology, particularly in the college community. A greater goal of the organization involves networking to seed AstroBiology Societies on other college campuses nation-wide. Additionally, ABS is currently doing research for NAI's Astrobiology Pathfinder program, which will help students at all stages to become Astrobiologists.

ASTR 380, Life in the Universe, has been offered here every semester since the mid-seventies. One of four upper level, special topic classes for junior and senior non-science students, the enrollment in ASTR 380 always reached the maximum of 80 students per section. A few years ago, as a result of a change in University requirements, the enrollment dropped to 20–30 students per section. Taking advantage of this situation and keenly aware of student interest in examining certain aspects of the course content more closely, I decided to teach the course with an additional hour per week devoted to a discussion section. While ASTR 380 is the only one of the four upper level classes to have a discussion section, students have enthusiastically seized the opportunity to discuss specific areas of astrobiology.

A new, NSF-supported, General Education (GE) science curriculum, synthesizes and unifies the key theories and evidence of seven natural sciences using natural systems processes as Integrative Themes. The considerably reformulated subject matter is completely built on interdisciplinary concepts and methods fundamental to newly emerging cross-disciplinary fields like bioastronomy. The year of ISGE study incorporates 15 built-in computer based multimedia features and 10 special learning features to help non-science students learn more science, faster, and with better understanding. Results from seven test course offerings are reported. ISGE intends to be an initial example of the “living, evolving” knowledge bases needed for a space-faring species.

The academic world is now becoming so specialized that the advantages of a cross disciplinary education are being lost in the tidal wave of scholarship concentrating upon narrow subject fields whilst displacing the values of connected disciplines from the sciences and humanities. The almost rigorous segregation of science and the arts at degree level is being felt not only within academia, but within society. The more a subject is concentrated, the less profound and applicable it appears to the public who should ultimately be the beneficiaries of such knowledge. In order to achieve a form of parity through which our modern world can be examined, the University of Glamorgan has introduced an innovative degree course aimed at developing a multidisciplinary knowledge of science and the arts via an exploration of the science, history, philosophy, religious, artistic, literary, cultural and social endeavours of the fields of astronomy and fantastic literature.