Online classes have been available for years, but I’m sure you’re aware of the explosion in offerings resulting from our recent year of isolation. It caught a lot of us teachers scrambling to make the change.

It took me a while.

Just always so hopeful, I suppose.

But as one by one, the event I was scheduled to teach at got canceled, I knew it was time. 

Online learning wasn’t a new thing for me, so I wasn’t entirely in the dark. Thank goodness, because there is a LOT involved in offering a course online.

I’ve taken my share of courses. Some I’ve been very happy with and others, well, not so much.

One of my first online courses was a very valuable one that taught - continues to teach me - all the steps involved in offering online courses.

As a result of all the courses I’ve signed up for, I’ve come up with a few things I look for:

• I want to be able to get my questions answered if I have any.

• I want to see the written word along with a video. Some form of text, whether a transcript or accompanying handout that covers the same material as the video. Nothing drives me crazier than having to flick through one video after another to find some information I saw somewhere. I’ve signed up for a few highly over-priced classes in the past that were extremely disappointing because of this.

• I like forever access, whatever forever means. Life time might be a better term. But then whose life time? Mine? The students? Still, I use it because it’s what we’re used to.

• Live interaction: my thoughts vary on this. I used to think it wasn’t important to me. If it was offered, I would usually wait for the replay. But after the course last month with Molly, I can see a lot of potential. It just depends on what is being taught.

• Videos that aren’t edited drive me nuts. I took a recent class where the teacher is full of “um’s” every so many words! I just can’t listen to her.  After doing videos and working with editing, I’m well aware how easy it is to remove things like that. 

So I suppose it helps to hear the teacher’s voice before purchasing .

Note to self: make a trailer video.

I've tried to incorporate all of these ideas into my own online courses.

I started putting my classes online last year. I believe it took me a few months to get all the moving parts in order, then I listed my Tapestry 101 course and the Many Faces of Soumak. Tapestry 101 is undergoing a facelift now, so not available for registration (but I do have a mini-class you might still be able to get into; it’s a local listing, but I can ship the kit to you.)

The 101 course is a class I’ve taught many times live, both as a 3 hour and a 6 hour version. I thought that would make it easy to convert to online, but as anyone that has done this themselves knows, it’s a lot more involved than uploading the handouts! Aside from the obvious videos that need to be created, new samples need to be woven that synch with the videos, Then - likewise - new images need to go into the handouts.

The Soumak course was built week by week over 3 months while the class was open for registration. It was a lot of fun to put together - but also challenging and tapped in to my own studio time quite a bit. I don’t have many tapestries to show other than samples from that time period. I would to it again in a heart beat, though. The feedback has been very encouraging.

My Tapestry 201 course was put on hold as I built the Soumak course, but should be open for enrollment soon. It will carry on where the 101 leaves off - with more advanced techniques like various ways of hatching and eccentric weaving. It also includes warping demos for the little grooved looms like the Saffron and Easel Weaver. And warping demos for the other Mirrix looms. 

I’m now - also - working on a series of classes based on the Elements of Art through Tapestry. More on that coming soon; still in planning stages. I’ve put together a form to get on the waitlist if you’re interested in hearing more about it.

So, how about you?

What do you look for in an online course?