Campus Lisa: Creativity in online education

Lisa Srømme teaches her creativity course in NooA. It is designed to help people move with ease through creative blocks such as perfectionism, procrastination, overwhelm, self-sabotage and lack of focus.

Lisa Strømme is a British writer and creativity coach. She is the only Kaizen-Muse certified creativity coach and Muse Group facilitator in Scandinavia and she lives near Oslo with her husband and two children. Lisa has a background in marketing and is a proud corporate drop out! She teaches courses in the creative process at schools and colleges, and coaches private clients from all over the world. Having worked as a teacher for many years, Lisa firmly believes that fun and creativity are the keys to success.

Which learning resources are especially interesting or useful in your courses?

The course in creativity is exactly that, creative. The tools are creative by nature and students are encouraged to use their own intuition and imagination to play with ideas and discover what works best for them, as an individual. Learning takes place through various means such as drawing, journaling, sketching things out, storytelling, and practicing relaxation techniques such as mind sculpting and guided imagery. The course is designed for creative people and is not typically ‘academic’. It has a very right-brained, creative focus and there are no right or wrong answers. Students are also given a considerable amount of one-on-one coaching time where they have the chance to discuss their creative projects and any issues they are facing. It’s very much a learning by doing course.

In what way do you use social media in the courses?

It’s beneficial for people going through the same thought processes to be able to share their experiences. The creative process can often be very isolating and having a group to share experiences with can be an important part of the learning or awakening process. Therefore, I would encourage students to use the online group/blog space to share thoughts and ideas, both when things are going well and when they’re struggling. Fellow students are a wonderful resource for support and encouragement. Facebook groups are also helpful as they provide a sense of community, togetherness, sharing and support even after the course is completed.

Say a little about the types of tasks you include in your courses.

Most of the tasks in the creativity course are fun and don’t feel like ‘tasks’ at all. Assignments can involve heightening awareness about a certain behaviour or thought pattern, investigating your environment for new ideas, or creating something practical and writing a piece about it. Generally, the assignments involve making a discovery of some kind and seeing things from a new perspective.

What do you do to build an active student environment in the courses?

Having been a participant in several online courses myself, where most of my fellow students are in the USA and I’m in Norway, I know what it feels like to be out on a limb and to be utterly dependent on the online environment to really feel like I’m a part of things. That’s why the online groups are so important, for people to be seen and to be acknowledged. I’d like to encourage people on the course to make connections and share their experiences as much as possible. I’m a good listener and if I hear similar things coming from several students, I will post something relevant to everyone and prompt discussions around a particular theme. As I find the subject so interesting myself, I’m very keen to read everything that’s posted!

Finally how will you set your personal stamp on Campus NooA?

I think my personality comes across in what I do, whether it’s an online course, a one-to-one coaching situation or teaching a large class. I promote fun in learning and I’m a big fan of breaking down barriers and doing things differently. The creativity course is a gentle joyride, as unique as the individuals who participate in it, and I think that in itself creates its own personal mark.