We want to make sure that you get the most out of our tutored online courses and feel confident that you’re choosing the right course. All of our courses are designed to be easily accessible and do not require any specialist equipment. However, as they are online courses, you will need an understanding of how to use a computer and the internet.
How are courses structured?
Online tutored courses run for 12 or 18 weeks.
- 12-week courses are delivered in six fortnightly modules.
- 18-week courses are delivered in six modules, released every three weeks.
In each module you’ll be introduced to an aspect of the craft of writing. Modules may contain a mixture of teaching content, readings to prompt discussion or to showcase an aspect of craft, exercises for you to hone your skills, and discussion areas for you to share work and receive and provide feedback from your peers. At the end of each module you’ll submit an assignment directly to your tutor for personalised feedback and advice.
The majority of the course is delivered in text form, making it easy to progress through the course chapter-by-chapter. Outside of the end-of-module assignment deadlines you can progress through the lessons and exercises at your own pace. Our online courses are designed to fit around a busy lifestyle and each chapter is conveniently bite-sized so that you can always be making progress. On average we expect most students to spend between three-five hours per week on a course. This will vary from student-to-student and some modules may be more intensive than others. How much time you spend on these is flexible and will depend on your own writing style and process.
Each course will also contain up to two live Zoom sessions; a welcome session in the first module of the course followed by either a workshop with your tutor or a one-to-one tutorial.
Forum-based student discussions are included throughout the course, providing an opportunity for students to interact with each other. To get the most out of the course, we recommend taking part in as many discussions as possible.
Which level is right for me?
Our 12-week beginner courses are designed for writers who are at the beginning of their writing journey. You will be someone who writes in their spare time and you may have attended short courses or completed self-directed study, but you won’t have taken a long-form writing course in your chosen genre or form. You might have an idea for a longer piece of work, but you might be struggling to put pen to paper or looking to hone your skills before continuing further. For our genre-specific courses, you might have completed a general writing course already, but you’ll be looking to develop your craft in a genre or form that is new to you. There is no application process for introductory courses.
Our 18-week intermediate courses are designed for writers who have already started their writing journey. You will be someone who writes regularly, and you’ll likely be working on a longer project. You might have completed a long-form course more recently, or you might be returning to writing after a period of absence and be looking for renewed structure and support. Our intermediate courses all have an application process, so you can be confident that you’re working with other writers at a similar stage on their journey.
What equipment and software will I need?
All you need is access to a computer and the internet. You can view the study materials on a mobile device (phone or tablet) but we recommend using a desktop or laptop computer for working on assignments and taking part in community discussions.
We recommend you ensure your web browser is up-to-date before taking the course. The course works best via Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
We have partnered with digital learning platform Teachable to host the study materials and student discussion elements of each course. You will be provided with a login for a Teachable account when your course begins.
Zoom is used for any live tutored elements of the course; please see the course pages for further details of when these take place.
We use the cloud storage service Dropbox to submit assignments to tutors. You do not need to have your own Dropbox account.
Can I pay by instalments?
We can offer payment by instalments to help spread the cost of your online tutored course. For further information please email [email protected].
What are the terms and conditions of an online tutored course?
For the full terms and conditions of our courses, including refunds and deferrals, please click here.
Got a question?
If you have a question or need advice about our courses, get in touch with the learning team by email [email protected] or phone (+44) 01603 877177 between our working hours of 09:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday.
