A non-moderated online course, “Introduction to Global Commons,” is just getting underway again at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) website. UNITAR, based in Geneva, Switzerland, developed the course in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
The course, which debuted in March 2012, is a four-part, self-paced course that is estimated to take about 25 hours over a period of two weeks. The course introduces the commons as a distinct system of governance and resource management, and as a new way of looking at the world. It includes a variety of readings and videos, 
including a public talk by Professor Elinor Ostrom. Registration is open until March 1.
I helped develop this course in 2011 with Professor Leo Burke of Notre Dame and Robin Temple, an online education expert. I also do the video introductions to each learning module. Leo, a longtime commoner, has been a tireless pioneer in bringing education about the commons to business schools and executive education.
The course includes a Participants’ Forum that lets students interact with each other. For more information or technical support, you can contact Rosario Marra of UNITAR at rosario.marra /at/ unitar.org or register here.
Update: I just learned that the course (unlike the previous one offered last year) now costs US$400 except for people from "least developed countries" (as the term goes). This may be a catalyst for all of us to explore other, more accessible (yet sustainable) ways of hosting commons e-learning courses. Or perhaps UNITAR can find the means to offer the course at no cost in the future.
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