CourseNetworking (CN) at Indiana University (IU) is an innovative alternative to the classic learning management systems (LMS) that are widely used to enable the remote delivery of learning content, resources, and activities while handling related administrative tasks.
CourseNetworking is a unique approach that leverages global social networking principles with the ethos of lifelong learning. This innovative platform produces learning outcomes through a more engaging, entertaining, and rewarding delivery that extends beyond the traditional online classroom to interaction and feedback with networked learners worldwide. In essence, this is a low-cost instructional tool that encourages social connections among learners, building on the expansive capacity of the internet.
An introductory webinar on CourseNetworking was delivered in March 2023 as part of the program of USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform project’s activities designed to support the emerging Vietnam International Academic Networks (VIAN), specialized academic clusters linking Vietnam’s top universities with international partner institutions. For Vietnamese universities interested in piloting CourseNetworking at their own institutions, the project organized a more in-depth webinar led by IU’s CourseNetworking team to further engage leaders, faculty members, and technical personnel from the 3Us. This webinar explored the ways in which CourseNetworking features can benefit Vietnamese learners, and how CourseNetworking can meet the instructional and administrative needs of the 3Us. In addition, the webinar explored how the innovative platform can potentially integrate the LMS platforms currently in use by the 3Us. The objective of this activity is to explore innovative tools that can encourage deeper learner engagement with the goal of improving student learning outcomes across higher education institutions in Vietnam.