We are now delivering ten Online Classes with more to come, numerous one-to-one C&D sessions worldwide as well as some embroiderers taking advantage of the chance to progress with their stash of WIPs and even starting something new with an Online Lesson.

This week, we thought it would be good to share with you how our Online Tuition is working for the various classes. Our initial inspiration came from the Future Tutors Programme, which has been taught successfully online since mid-March; it was planned and implemented in the knowledge that lockdown was inevitable.

We are all now more familiar with online interaction with friends and family and, during lockdown, this has been a blessing for many, enabling us to keep in touch with loved ones in a multitude of different ways. Conversations, quizzes, discos and celebrations have become the norm, reducing the physical distance in creative ways. Galleries and museums have shared their interiors and exhibitions virtually and learning opportunities abound. It was therefore a natural step for the Royal School of Needlework to also embrace this opportunity.

We have been offering self-paced RSN Online Courses since 2018, with another due to launch very soon, but for those wanting a virtual classroom experience we needed something new in order to recreate the RSN Day Class experience in a virtual setting. We also looked to see the best way to engage with our C&D students and opted for a one-to-one approach in the short term as we test out other solutions.

RSN Tutor Angela Bishop teaching a C&D Student online

Technology is a big part of this and, as the majority of us now have computers, iPads, smartphones on hand, we all have the opportunity to engage with the content we want. The challenge for us has been trying to create a virtual RSN classroom feel so students feel they are attending an RSN class in the best possible way. Conversely, the biggest opportunity has been the fact that we are no longer constrained by the availability of the physical classroom meaning we can be more flexible with the timing of classes offered.

So far, we have scheduled a two-hour Silk Shaded Picot Leaf Spray Evening Class which we are repeating on 18 June due to a sell-out, and we have just launched a second Evening Class, Introduction to Goldwork: Three Leaf  Spray (15 July) taught by Jessica Ingram who you can read about in today’s Future Tutor Spotlight! We also have the more traditional Day Classes: Bright Rainbow (18 June) and Colour Theory in Practice (28 June and 19 July for the UK and North America time zones, respectively)

Going forward, we will be scheduling a ‘Drawing Class’ split into 4 x 2 hour slots over a 4 week period, where students will be given a set piece of homework between sessions, as well as a monthly ‘Sampler Club’ which will allow participants to experiment and sample a range of hand embroidery stitches.

Our small pool of non-furloughed Tutors have worked tirelessly to ensure that their setup allows the student to see detailed stitch demonstrations clearly and that the student can share their progress. One method used for Online Day Classes is creating a larger working model and using thicker thread in brighter colours so that the detail can be seen clearly

RSN Tutor Sarah de Rousset-Hall teaching online

C&D-split online sessions allow our Certificate and Diploma students to learn, consolidate their learning and progress. C&D students share their work with their Tutor to allow for feedback. Closed WhatsApp and Facebook groups allow the sharing of work, photos, questions and chat within specific classes; we are finding different ways to bring people together.

The challenge for Tutors is how to keep an eye on all students whilst teaching. This is more challenging than in a normal classroom, necessitating the creation of a little virtual classroom etiquette. From welcoming students from the ‘virtual waiting room’ in to the ‘virtual classroom’ through to ensuring everyone has the chance to ‘raise a hand’ to ask a question or make a comment. Tea break and lunchtime remain a nut to crack but it is important for everyone to get up and away from the screen for a short time to rest their eyes and to stretch their arms and legs.

RSN Tutor Anita Harrison, ready to welcome students via Zoom

We are able to adjust our teaching hours to be able to meet the time constraints of our overseas customer base and the plan is to offer a balance of Online C&D and Day Classes so that anyone can participate. Feedback is always welcome and we have received so much positivity from those who have taken part so far as well as from our Tutors. We learn from every single class/lesson we run and that means we are able to finesse and improve our delivery and ensure that all our Tutors are happy and comfortable to teach online. We are also planning training sessions for our furloughed Tutors and, going forward, this will be incorporated in the Future Tutors Programme as part of their ‘journey to teaching’.

We are finding creative ways to deliver to new and existing customers and we are happy to see our worldwide RSN family growing, thriving, and helping us to keep the art of hand embroidery alive. The world is opening up and the RSN aims to bring new and exciting opportunities to all.