Designing creative and connected online learning experiences

Abstract

Purpose Open online courses have expanded opportunities for people to learn remotely. However, few online experiences offer participants ways to create projects and actively engage with course materials while developing meaningful personal connections with one another. The purpose of this paper is to share strategies implemented in a large online course and community, Learning Creative Learning (LCL), to foster a creative, connected community of learners, particularly important at a time when many people are isolated in their homes. Design/methodology/approach LCL is a free, open, online, six-week course and ongoing community for educators and others who are interested in exploring the ideas and practices of creative learning. This paper describes the course design and highlights effective strategies for cultivating a course community, including making activities personal; creating opportunities to connect, share and reflect; engaging participants as facilitators; and supporting a global, multilingual community of learners. Findings The authors discuss how these strategies have engaged participants in connecting and contributing to the growing course community, providing examples from observations and feedback of course participants. Originality/value Supporting a connected community of learners is particularly relevant in current times of isolation and remote learning. This paper illustrates and discusses strategies to design online learning experiences where participants can connect, create, collaborate and contribute to community building themselves.