Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Changes ahead in my online classes



Back from hiking in the Smokies...
a gorgeous day to walk in the Pisgah forest and visit Looking Glass Falls, NC

......but now and back to business...



Alas, Quilt University will be no more after this year..December will mark its end.






My three different workshops, Inspired to Design, Working in Series and Dyeing to Design, are all scheduled to run through to December.  A new course will start  each month with enrollment opening about 6 weeks prior to that.

These are the starting dates:

5/10 Inspired to Design
6/14 Working in Series
7/19  Dyeing to Design

8/23  Inspired to Design
9/20  Working in Series
so if you've been dithering about joining up!  or repeating a class you enjoyed, then now is the time!
  There are so many things I have loved about QU:
 The daily - often hourly! - contact with students all around the world
the fact that words are the main vehicle of communication, rather than short bursts of video - words that I put together slowly over several months when writing the lessons - together with lots of photos of course!  
And the words as I answer each student's questions and comments through the course of the day.
  I like being able to think about things.
  I don't want to plan a tight script then act it out on video like those awful fake "reality" shows!  
I like the spontaneity of the give and take in the Discussion Forum.

I really liked working for the Millers - a creative team
 Personal contact, very hands on and individual and committed to QU.


I have looked into some commercial online teaching but, for me, they are just that: very commercial. Huge organizations with organizational structures etc etc....I quit my "other" job to get away from all that!!

so if anyone has any ideas to suggest - an organization similar to QU, or a way to do it myself that doesn't require me to be an IT expert!!  then I'd be most grateful!   Or if someone has ambitions to run something like QU......I don't know if Roger Miller is selling the business but he can be contacted at dean@quiltuniversity.com
A big thank you to everyone who has, is or will be taking a class with me!! It's been a great three years.
Elizabeth

PS - my book is out!  Inspired to Design, 7 steps to successful quilts.   If you email me  I can tell you how to obtain an autographed, dedicated copy directly from me - or support your local quilt store and ask them to stock it (it's published by C&T), or there is that online company.....
and, if you have been, thank you for reading! 
 

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I have taken several online classes through Yahoo and the quilt group that Janice, Margie and I belong to is a Yahoo. One can post lessons in the files, photos as we have been doing, use Paypal for paying. I am not a part of the set up but Janice set this group up if this would be useful. I have also been in several classes with Laura Cater Woods using Yahoo.

You are an extremely good writer and I this might work for you though not as easy as Roger and Carol have made it.

Christine Staver said...

Wow that stinks. That makes me very sad. I have taken some online classes from Ellen Lindner. She runs them through yahoo groups. http://www.adventurequilter.com/e-Learning/Online_Classes/class_directory.html

You might contact her to see how it is done. It worked well in the classes that I took from her.

Sally said...

I'm so disappointed that QU will not continue, unless of course it is for sale and someone buys it. In any case, your classes have been some of the best I've taken. I learned so much and appreciate the knowledge you impart and the suggestions you make. You introduced me to artists of which I had no knowledge. Heading back to the QU site to see what your schedule is there. And I hope you're able to find another program that will fulfill your teaching requirements. I have taken several of Ellen Lindner's classes (a previous commenter mentioned her) and found that format to be excellent as well.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Oh no! I LOVE QU!!

I have taken so many classes from them over the years.

So sad. I hope someone picks them up.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

PS. I had pre ordered your book and was informed yesterday that it is shipping! I am so excited!

California Fiber artist and composer said...

Pamela Allen runs her own classes but I am not sure what format she uses. You might contact her. The format used by Joggles is rather cumbersome. And Craftsy has thousands of students per class.

Marianne said...

I took online courses Liz berg on yahoo, it was perfect, there are also Alisa burke which courses PDF but it is also

Jackie said...

Will you please say something about the dyeing class?

Eileen said...

Elizabeth,
If you go to Craftsy.com, you'll see several different types of quilting represented. It doesn't look like it's super technical for the teachers at all.