This week the course on creating good online courses came to an end. We were asked to evaluate the course and of course the questions focussed on what did we do well, what could we do better.

One of the first modules in the course looked at what was necessary for creating a good online learning environment. A sense of community and shared goals were among the most important aspects.

When you can’t go out for a beer after class, when you may not get a sense of how your fellow students are really doing, it is hard to create that sense of community, so shared goals become even more important.

I think the sense of community can be made even stronger if the shared goals are more than «getting through the class». The Norwegian news shared a story last night about how successful Norwegian 5th graders are on the TIMMS test. When asked why they thought they did so well, they mentioned the importance of helping each other in understanding and solving math and science problems.

If course participants can share specific, immediate work-related challenges with each other, and then work together to find solutions or different approaches, I think a sense of trust and reliance will evolve that will create a good learning community. For me, this has been the biggest «take-away» from this course.

And hopefully the beginning of the next chapter, when colleagues from different law-enforcement/criminal justice institutions will engage in a self-directed course on «virtual exchanges». Stay tuned!