I have worked as a remote e-tutor where all communication took place by e-mail; these were often rapid exchanges likening messenger technology. Some communication took place between tutors by private e-mails and we would bcc selected colleagues in on our private responses to ‘discussions’ (mostly we were over-ruled anyway), but I think that perhaps had the conversations been in a forum it would have been more constructive, especially if there was one maverick feeling they were representing everyone’s views; it would have been easier to put forward a counter-argument.

I agree with you that asynchronous discussion is beneficial for many people who are not so spontaneous in the f2f context – I like to mull over my thoughts and I’ll probably come up with the killer point tomorrow, when it’s too late …
Your project sounds exciting.