And are you offering them the right course? It's important to recognise that people seek out creative courses for lots of different reasons. Identifying the people who sign up for your courses and tailoring your content and format accordingly means you can maximise your student retention rate.
Here, I've identified 6 student types and some content and formatting tips for each type. You may find that your students, unique as they are, have characteristics from more than one type. I hope it will be a useful guide, as realising which type of students are drawn to you can help you develop your course offerings and create a more cohesive overall brand.
The serial hobbyist
Often bursting with enthusiasm, the serial hobbyist will be new to glass but not to craft in general. This student has a passion for discovering how things are made and their perspective on design will be influenced by knowledge of other mediums. They will probably attend many creative courses. These students will likely attend a 'taster' style course or one-off day course to scratch the itch and find out if they like the craft. If they do, they are prime candidates for follow-on or progression courses that will allow them scope to develop their skills. Serial hobbyists are obviously creative people, and are often in search of the medium they really connect with. That could be glass, and you could have the honour of nurturing that initial spark. Is there anything more special than the moment a student looks up and says, 'I love this'? Having a structured four/six week course available to this type of student will allow them to develop their core skills and they will likely have a particular interest in the technical side of what happens in the kiln and firing programs.
The tourist
There are obviously places geographically that will attract more tourist students, but they pop up everywhere from time to time. These are the students who are looking for a fun and exciting new experience. The best types of courses for tourists are usually no longer than a day, sometimes half a day, with a very clear project-led objective. These courses are very much focused on the experience and production of an end product, i.e. 'Make a Fish Shoal Suncatcher' or 'Make a Set of Coasters'. These courses need not be heavy on technical information, it is not your student's intention to learn the ins and outs. They are not necessarily natural creatives and may be out of their comfort zone. You can prescribe design template options for those who need them and have the focus be on colour selection and construction, with each student completing a piece they can be proud to say they made and take home as a souvenir. If you are based in an area of particular cultural significance, you can always incorporate an appropriate theme into your course.
The beginner glass enthusiast
This could be a cathedral stained glass fan or perhaps a collector of dichroic jewellery. Somebody who is drawn to glass and has taken the plunge to find out more and give it a go. A one/two day introductory course is a good place to start. But this student doesn't just want to make something pretty. They want context, and they want to understand the process from start to finish. They'll also likely want to know about you, why you love glass and how you came to be working with it. Make sure your course is rich with information, both creative and technical, and entertain the potential for follow-on or ongoing courses to create opportunities for these students to become...
The developing glass artist
This student takes their artwork seriously and is primarily concerned with broadening their skill set in order to have more options when translating the ideas in their head into fully realised fused glass designs. This student is most likely to be drawn to courses that specifically focus on intermediate and specialist techniques, perhaps on a recurring weekly/monthly basis. Developing glass artists thrive with continuous taught sessions with a teacher who can answer the technical questions that inevitably arise as they learn. It also means they get to see the results that come out of the kiln again and again. This is one of my favourite course formats as the more times students attend, the more frequently they get to see what comes out of the kiln and better visualise the end product at the design stage. I find this is a key learning objective for any fused glass course, and particularly pertinent to the growing artist. These students are likely to have their own kilns and should not be finishing your course without the confidence to use them.
The escapist
I think most people can relate to needing a break, and the desire to leave our troubles behind. The escapist is looking for some gentle therapy, an opportunity to re-connect with their creativity. You may find this student books an evening course that they can attend around a busy work schedule, or a one-off weekend course. Do not stifle this student with too many strict guidelines. Their primary need is to switch off and allow themselves space to play. This student thrives on projects that require intense concentration, such as strip fusing, which requires you to cut the same shape repetitively. And make sure you're offering tea and cake, to make the experience a little more special – this student doesn't have much opportunity to spend on creative indulgence.
The social butterfly
This student is as interested in sharing an experience with others as learning a new skill. For these students, a course that takes place over a period of weeks or months is most appealing so that friendships can develop. If you have lots of social butterflies on your course, you need to take a little extra care to maintain the structure of the course to avoid too much time being lost to chatting, and so that other less social students on your course are receiving all the tuition from you that they are due. The social butterfly will likely re-book your courses over and over, and you will feel the pride of watching their glass skills develop while also hosting a place for them to make personal connections.
I hope that this guide helps you to identify the needs of the people booking your courses. If you have any questions about revising your course content and formatting, you're very welcome to send me a message.
Catherine Dunstan is a glass artist and teacher working predominantly with fused glass. She also has seven years’ experience producing glass courses with local and international artists, booking them to teach in the UK.
The Resources for Teachers blog speaks mainly to those teaching glass, but its content is also applicable to creative courses in other mediums.
© Catherine Dunstan Glass 2019. All rights reserved.