Join an online course with the WEA

We know that online courses mean that you can learn from the comfort of your home. These online courses are open to adult learners like you. You can get the live experience of a WEA classroom without the inconvenience of travelling to a venue.

Skip to courses

Whether you are an online learning pro or this is your first experience of learning online, these courses are for you. Our supportive tutors are here to help you get the best out our classes. You might not be in a classroom, but you’ll still get the benefit of live face-to-face teaching. In addition to your classes, your course materials can be easily accessed digitally.

From online art courses to history courses, our adult learning classes are fun and engaging. Whether you want to improve your health and wellbeing, or learn new sewing skills, there is something for everyone.

Learn something new or build on something you already find interesting. Browse our range of courses and discover your perfect online class. Expand your interests, build your confidence and grow your skills.

Find the right online class for you today.

Skills for life Languages & culture Humanities & science Arts & crafts

Please enter your postcode

In order for us to give you accurate results for your courses, please click on the Search options and enter your postcode and the mile radius for your search.

Refine search

How you'll learn

Your location

Please enter your postcode or town for your search in the boxes below.

We have defaulted the search to ten miles, but you can change this number in the box as you wish.

Got it!

Sort by start date

Choose to sort the course start date in ascending order (furthest away dates first) or descending (most recent dates first)

Got it!

Results per page

Categories

Skills for lifeLanguages & cultureHumanities & scienceArts & crafts

Days

Other Filters

Part of day
Level of study
Availability

History: Henry VI, Joan of Arc and the Origins of the Wars of the Roses

This course is an exploration of the period of history in England and France during the first half of the fifteenth century. The death of King Henry V in 1422 left a nine-month-old infant as King Henry VI of England. A few months later, the death of the King of France left that infant as King of France as too. The war with the French, the Hundred Years War, was ongoing, and since Agincourt, going England's way. The appearance of an illiterate peasant girl who believed God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England changed everything. Joan of Arc led the French to an overwhelming and unexpected victory and began the process whereby England would lose most of its continental possessions. These are the years of Henry VI and Joan of Arc, the precursor to the Wars of the Roses. No previous knowledge of fifteenth-century history is necessary. Everyone is welcome to join this fascinating course!
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/06/2024 -
Wed 17/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00014315
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £51.80

Craft: Hand Embroider a Summer Flowers Wreath

Do you have basic hand embroidery skills, but would like more confidence to use them in the creation of your own decorative designs? During this online course you will learn how to design a basic floral wreath using summer flowers as inspiration, learn several new stitches and apply them to your design. The course is great for beginners and improvers who would like to increase their knowledge of hand embroidery and mix up basic and intermediate stitch techniques. You will have the opportunity create your design for the summer floral wreath and apply the embroidery stitches you will be learning during the course.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/06/2024 -
Wed 17/07/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Trudi Price
Course code:
Q00014499
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £38.85

Art Practical: Learn to Draw Portraits

For many prospective art students, the thought of learning to draw a portrait is quite daunting, in fact some would say it is their nemesis! However, challenging yourself to confront this can be incredibly rewarding. The first time you achieve something akin to a real, convincing likeness is quite thrilling, and rest assured, it is a taught skill. This course is structured so you will learn skills of proportion, perspective, line, tone, and colour and be able to clearly analyse requirements for the task. This course is for complete beginners and those looking to improve their skills and develop their own style.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 10/06/2024 -
Mon 15/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Abi Kremer
Course code:
Q00014352
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

Homeland to Hamas: A guide to a greater understanding of the Middle East conflict

For many people the events in the Middle East are horrifying, worrying and confusing. It can be difficult to navigate the often bewildering complexities of the conflict and its historical context. This course is for anyone interested in broadening their understanding of this troubled area. We will explore the claims to Palestine from both the Arab and Jewish perspectives, investigate the progression of the conflict from 1917 to 2011 covering the impact of both world wars, foreign involvement and the different wars and insurrections that have broken out over this period.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 10/06/2024 -
Mon 05/08/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Halliwell
Course code:
Q00014370
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £66.60

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Add to basket

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

Art Practical: Relax With Line Drawing

In this course, you will use line drawing as a way to relax by developing a comprehensive understanding of line drawing techniques. We'll start by enhancing your ability to recall various line drawing methods. Next, you'll gain insights into the distinctions between these techniques, enabling you to effectively compare and contrast them. Through practical exercises, you'll learn how to apply these techniques, and you'll evaluate their success in different contexts. Finally, you'll have the opportunity to showcase your newfound skills by independently creating a unique piece using one of the line drawing techniques. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to confidently employ various line drawing techniques, produce your own compelling artwork and how to use drawing as relaxation
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 11/06/2024 -
Thu 04/07/2024
Times:
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Abbie Cairns
Course code:
Q00014696
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

History: Aphra Behn: Poet, Playwright, Prisoner, Spy. Her Life & Times

Join tutor Michael Long on this fascinating one-off session, presented as part of Women's month, looking at the life of Aphra Behn. Aphra Behn was a playwright, poet, translator and royal spy. She was a woman in a world of men, a staunch Royalist, a spy, and condemned as a scarlet woman with loose morals. She was also the first woman in England to identify herself as a professional writer. She wrote to suit the occasion, and she wrote to make money. This is a brief look at her life and times rather than a focus on her literary achievements.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 14/06/2024 -
Fri 14/06/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00015617
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Craft: Mindfulness Mandalas

Join us in this fun and relaxing online course, where you will earn to create beautiful, complex mandala patterns and apply them to various surfaces to embellish items such as plain cards, notebook and coasters, using just simple pens and/or pencils. You will be astounded when you see the complexity of patterns that you can achieve just from combining a few very basic pattern motifs and exploiting the art of mindful repetition. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can allow your creativity to take over and you will discover which are your favourite motifs whether they’re floral rhythmic or geometric, or a mixture of all!
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 16/06/2024 -
Wed 26/06/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Joanne Liddle
Course code:
Q00014357
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £14.80

History: History of the Post Box

Discover the history of the British Post Box, an icon of our postal system. Apart from being an icon, the Post Box is in daily operational use as an essential public service, something that we are all familiar with, but may know little about its history. Come and discover the fascinating development of the design and its manufacture, as well as its place in our social history. This course is suitable for those with both little and some knowledge of the subject. To note down key points, it is suggested that you bring a notebook.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 18/06/2024 -
Tue 02/07/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Turner
Course code:
Q00014313
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £16.65

Textiles and Fashion: Don't Throw It, Darn It!

We will look at ways to help you extend the lives of some of your much- loved clothes. You will be able to darn along with me if you would like to. I will show you the traditional technique, then you can perfect it in your own time. I shall demonstrate on a small hole, and a larger one, the technique is the same on both. I shall also show you some examples of more modern styles of darning where the darn is a design statement in its own right, offering you opportunities to be as creative as you like.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 19/06/2024 -
Wed 19/06/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Wilcock
Course code:
Q00014299
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £5.55

Art Practical: Exploring Drawing

Learning to draw is a precious skill that encourages mindfulness and creativity. A quote from the late artist Paula Rego: ‘Sketches always have more vitality than paintings because you're finding things out through doing them.’ Inspired by historical and contemporary artists, this course will build your confidence and expertise in a range of media including pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, using cartridge and mid toned pastel paper. Our topic will be still life – learning to see and analyse real objects is the best teacher for developing your own drawing style. Suitable for beginners and those wishing to develop their skills.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/06/2024 -
Thu 25/07/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Abi Kremer
Course code:
Q00014351
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30