I'm back from a three-day visit at Poynter Institute, where I worked with the NewsU team on a course about alternative story forms. It was intense, fruitful and fun.

The self-directed module will show you what alternative story forms are, why they are often a good idea, how readers react to them and when they work best. We hope this course will appeal to writers, editors and designers alike. The course will have several exercises and other interactive elements, including a gallery area where visitors can post story forms they've done and others can comment on them.

We are aiming for an October launch, and like most courses on NewsU, it will be free. If you have an idea for a NewsU course, here's how to get involved.