• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

04How Learning Works

Eight steps, repeated until you’re working.

Every course follows the same path. Once you've done it once, you'll always know where you are and what comes next.

The path

  1. 01

    Discover

    Browse departments and read every course outline before you commit. Each course lists its level, lessons, study time and the studio project you'll finish with.

  2. 02

    Enroll

    Enrol from your dashboard. The course appears in your Classrooms with its schedule and first lesson, and your dashboard starts showing your next step.

  3. 03

    Learn

    Lessons are short and focused: a demonstration, a reading or a worked example, then a small exercise. You can pause anywhere and pick up where you left off.

  4. 04

    Practice

    Assignments come with a written brief, a rubric you can read in advance and a suggested deadline. Drafts save to your account until you submit.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Finished pieces go into your Portfolio Studio. You decide who sees each piece: just you, other students, or the public gallery.

  6. 06

    Get Feedback

    Instructors review submissions against the published rubric. Peers can leave critique in your Classroom using the school's critique format.

  7. 07

    Improve

    Revise and resubmit. Your previous version and the feedback on it stay attached, so you can see what changed.

  8. 08

    Advance

    Complete every lesson and the studio project to receive a Record of Completion, then move on to the next course in the department.

What the words mean

School vocabulary, defined plainly, so nothing on the campus is a mystery.
Lesson
A short unit of teaching: a demonstration, reading or worked example with a small exercise. They're designed to be short enough to finish in one sitting.
Assignment
A studio brief with a rubric. You submit work, receive written feedback and can revise. Assignments are where most of the learning happens.
Assessment
A short quiz, self-assessment or critique checkpoint that checks understanding. Assessments help you; they don't rank you against anyone.
Critique
Structured feedback: what's working, what isn't yet, and one specific next step. Kind, direct and about the work, never the person.
Record of Completion
A record that you completed a course's lessons and studio project. It is not a degree, diploma or accredited credential, and it never claims to be.

Pace, levels and starting points

Courses are self-paced, with suggested deadlines to keep momentum. Study-time figures on each course are planning estimates, not requirements.

  • Foundation — no experience needed.
  • Intermediate — you’re comfortable with the basics.
  • Advanced — you’re building a body of work.
  • Professional — you’re working, or ready to work.

Ricketts University is an independent online arts education project. It is not an accredited institution, does not grant degrees or diplomas, and is not recognized by any government. Courses lead to participation and course-completion records only.

Find your starting point.

Foundation courses All departments