--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Use MOOCs to Build Community" id: "38860" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-use-moocs-to-build-community" published_at: "2017-07-12T21:23:06+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:17:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/07/12/wednesday-buzz-use-moocs-to-build-community/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/07/12/wednesday-buzz-use-moocs-to-build-community.md" excerpt: "Have an online course? Encourage your members to hang out with other members when they dive into the lessons. Also: Why you should consider inviting groups unfavorable to your industry to your next meeting." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "community building" - "Education Law" - "Meetings" - "Membership" - "online learning" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Use MOOCs to Build Community Does your association provide massive open online courses (MOOCs) or virtual continuing education courses to members? Perhaps you should suggest that your members do their learning together. Taking an online class can be solitary experience. But *Lifehacker* notes that [online courses can be turned into group activity (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-turn-moocs-into-a-group-activity-1796782449) . “I say meet up with a couple of friends instead and turn one of these courses into something that feels like a real classroom,” recommends Patrick Allan. Keep participants engaged by facilitating group get-togethers, classrooms, or study sessions. A group setting may make it easier for your members to learn from the material, ask questions, and talk about ideas. “Almost every online course has a forum or some place you can chat with other students, but it’s not the same as having an open debate in person,” writes Allan. Also consider that a group setting helps hold people accountable. “There’s a lot more pressure to follow through when you’re working with real people and not some screen names on the online course’s forum,” Allan says. ### Bringing Enemies Close > Before designing your next event, think about groups both favorable and unfavorable to your industry: [https://t.co/Wwg3bNfCRM (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/Wwg3bNfCRM) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/YxyOUi2rjW (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/YxyOUi2rjW) > > — 360livemedia (@360LiveMedia) [July 12, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/360LiveMedia/status/884955983604326401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Your members and professionals friendly to your field** are top of mind when you’re designing your annual meeting. But if your conference has an advocacy component, you may want to invite groups that are typically on the other side of your policy issues. “Regulators, industry influencers, policymakers, local governmental officials, watchdog groups, and activist groups are all potential players in your next event experience,” writes Don Neal in a [recent 360 Live Media post (opens in a new tab)](http://360livemedia.com/2017/07/10/events-as-advocacy/) . He suggests offering your typical opponents “access to key executives, industry suppliers, and customers of your industry for a series of candid Q&A sessions that opens a new dialogue.” ### Other Links of Note **There’s an association to appreciate even the smallest creatures.** To celebrate Guinea Pig Appreciation Day on July 16, [the American Pet Products Association is sharing (opens in a new tab)](http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/07/prweb14500907.htm) housing and nutrition information for guinea pig owners. **Being a top-notch online community manager**doesn’t require you to be an extrovert. The Higher Logic blogs shares advice to help [introverts build communities (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.higherlogic.com/an-introverts-guide-to-growing-a-private-online-community) . **The Traackr blog interviews a social media marketing pro** [about making influencer marketing more authentic (opens in a new tab)](http://www.traackr.com/blog/how-authenticity-drives-influencer-engagement-an-interview-with-brian-fanzo) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. 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