Cat's Guide to Holding Classes in HH
Reprinted from dinosaurman's 2008 post.
Cat's guide to holding classes
[by dinosaurman]
These are a few things I've learned from putting on classes at HH. I hope this helps people who might be putting on their first class soon.
The first thing I’ve learned is that before you start anything, be familiar with your schedule. Classes are like applications, and can take a few days of intense replying. Pick a weekend or stretch of days when you’ll be free to get to know your keyboard.
Certain class setups are more time-intensive than others. Question/answer, instructions with several steps and demonstrations, and projects that involve teacher input all take a lot of time, and are something to think about when writing your class. Lectures and less involved group projects take less hands-on interaction.
Most instructors post a sign-up sheet a week before class starts. This lets characters sign up, and lets the instructor create groups for class. Groups are a great way to get characters to interact. Assigned groups also prevent multiple people from creating their own individual posts, instead of tagging to other people. An open RP format lets characters interact with whomever they wish.
With group classes, it’s a good idea to go over your teams and make sure there are no partners who are played by the same mun, or have a bad history. While pairing up unusual combinations can lead to great interaction, it’s a bad idea to put conflicting characters in the same group without mun approval. There have been times when two muns would prefer to not be in the same group, and that’s something that needs to be taken into consideration, as well.
I have learned from experience that putting up a sign-up sheet without having at least an outline for my class leads to disaster. Planning so far in advance doesn’t work for everyone, but I’ve found that if I have my class all set up before I create a sign-up sheet, I’m more likely to get the class posted on time. It also prevents getting bogged down by RL curveballs.
Be familiar with what your character is teaching. Google and HP encyclopedias are great resources. A little bit of reading before posting a class can help you out if your character is asked a difficult question, or something unexpected comes up.
The best format for a class is a personal choice, and it can be hit or miss to find the right one. Try an idea you like, and go for it. When the class is done, you can figure out what worked well for you, and what you want to fix. Not every class will go smoothly, but each one can lead to great RP and figuring out what will work the next time. A class doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. Most people will be thrilled to have one to attend, and the best way to improve teaching classes it to keep holding them.
Cat's guide to holding classes
[by dinosaurman]
These are a few things I've learned from putting on classes at HH. I hope this helps people who might be putting on their first class soon.
The first thing I’ve learned is that before you start anything, be familiar with your schedule. Classes are like applications, and can take a few days of intense replying. Pick a weekend or stretch of days when you’ll be free to get to know your keyboard.
Certain class setups are more time-intensive than others. Question/answer, instructions with several steps and demonstrations, and projects that involve teacher input all take a lot of time, and are something to think about when writing your class. Lectures and less involved group projects take less hands-on interaction.
Most instructors post a sign-up sheet a week before class starts. This lets characters sign up, and lets the instructor create groups for class. Groups are a great way to get characters to interact. Assigned groups also prevent multiple people from creating their own individual posts, instead of tagging to other people. An open RP format lets characters interact with whomever they wish.
With group classes, it’s a good idea to go over your teams and make sure there are no partners who are played by the same mun, or have a bad history. While pairing up unusual combinations can lead to great interaction, it’s a bad idea to put conflicting characters in the same group without mun approval. There have been times when two muns would prefer to not be in the same group, and that’s something that needs to be taken into consideration, as well.
I have learned from experience that putting up a sign-up sheet without having at least an outline for my class leads to disaster. Planning so far in advance doesn’t work for everyone, but I’ve found that if I have my class all set up before I create a sign-up sheet, I’m more likely to get the class posted on time. It also prevents getting bogged down by RL curveballs.
Be familiar with what your character is teaching. Google and HP encyclopedias are great resources. A little bit of reading before posting a class can help you out if your character is asked a difficult question, or something unexpected comes up.
The best format for a class is a personal choice, and it can be hit or miss to find the right one. Try an idea you like, and go for it. When the class is done, you can figure out what worked well for you, and what you want to fix. Not every class will go smoothly, but each one can lead to great RP and figuring out what will work the next time. A class doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. Most people will be thrilled to have one to attend, and the best way to improve teaching classes it to keep holding them.