We’re the core digital education team behind the John Yorke Story courses, and we’ve been designing online adult learning experiences for the past fifteen years. We’re the team behind the Professional Writing Academy and the world’s first online writing Master’s degree.
Although we work more in the background, everyone who joins one of our courses learns on the digital platform we designed specifically for writers.
Our online CPD courses and corporate training modules have helped more than a thousand creative professionals master story structure and narrative skills for use in their role and workplace. Many say the experience has changed the way they think – and work.
Our learning model has been refined and developed over the years but follows several key principles:
Power of a learning community
Each course is taught in small groups (no more than fifteen) with a designated tutor and moderator on hand throughout.
There are two central ideas at the heart of our unique approach to learning:
- Andragogy: educating adults through an active process of trying and doing, receiving feedback and refining; training that mirrors the creative process.
- A tight-knit and trusted learning community: small groups learn together, forging productive collaborative relationships that last way beyond the training and continue to develop over months and years in our alumni community.
Transformative Learning
Whereas most online training treats people as passive recipients who emerge as the same people and quickly fall back into old habits, what we do uses the power of online learning communities to permanently change the way people think and behave.
The process of applying each element of learning to practical real-world assignments while progressing through the training means that participants remember what they have learned, and understand how to use it in their professional practice.
We have trialled, evaluated and finessed this uniquely effective way of teaching online while tutoring degree, masters and recreational courses, and while training creatives in the workplace.
The results are evident in the award-winning work our alumni produce in the creative industries and beyond.
Flexibility with Accountability
Learning about story sticks when you allow plenty of time to reflect, practise and revise. Our weekly or fortnightly classes give you space to read, watch and think – and study at a time that suits you – within a framework of strict deadlines that ensure you keep progressing.
Inclusive and Accessible
Our online learning model is ideal for people juggling study with work, family life and caring responsibilities – you can log on and learn at any time wherever you are in the world.
We make our training accessible for people who find face-to-face learning tricky, whether you live in a remote place, don’t have a great internet connection, feel shy about meeting new people or prefer to study at non-traditional times of the day or night.
We also recognise that many talented people have qualms about entering a learning environment so we work hard to create safe and supportive study spaces, whether you feel less than confident about your skills or experience, have come along a non-traditional route, or have a mental health issue or disability.
Learning with us is about working alongside a diverse group of people with many backgrounds and levels of experience, who often become long-term social and professional contacts.
If you have any questions about our learning model, come chat to us any time: [email protected].
