Designing creative and connected online learning experiences
Information and Learning Sciences
ISSN: 2398-5348
Article publication date: 16 July 2020
Issue publication date: 10 August 2020
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.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the LCL Facilitation Team for their many contributions to the course and community and to the Brazilian Creative Learning Network, LCL Italia, the Edukre@tivos Team in Mexico and the Japanese Creative Learning Community. LCL is supported by the LEGO Foundation.
This article is part of the special issue, “A Response to Emergency Transitions to Remote Online Education in K-12 and Higher Education” which contains shorter, rapid-turnaround invited works, not subject to double blind peer review. The issue was called, managed and produced on short timeline in Summer 2020 towards pragmatic instructional application in the Fall 2020 semester.
Citation
Gabaree, L., Rodeghiero, C., Presicce, C., Rusk, N. and Jain, R. (2020), "Designing creative and connected online learning experiences", Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 121 No. 7/8, pp. 655-663. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2020-0121
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited