... how to make the ice break. That was useful for me ... using the personal photos, collection of photos from workspace, the first steps being fun and playful.
People are used to fill in their personal profile - but alone this is not making us feel connected . Maybe the instructor(s) of the course can really help the first steps by posting something personal. I liked that part of "confessing" something to the course and thus helping the people to open up as well and feel safe to share information.