Current web-based courses provide only limited means to support cooperative forms of learning. In this paper we introduce the notion of "Point of Cooperation (PoC)" to classify a wide range of cooperative learning activities in a networked learning environment. With respect to the extent a cooperative activity is integrated into a web-based course we distinguish between Generic (GPoC), Spontaneous (SPoC), and Intended (IPoC) Points of Cooperation. The PoC concept is compared with traditional web-based learning environments. We outline how PoCs are integrated into a course from the course author's point-of-view, and we describe how PoCs are handled during the ongoing learning process, including the management of PoCs, the execution of PoCs, the integration of communication and cooperation tools, and the management of the cooperation's results ...