Creative writing is particularly well suited to the online teaching and learning environment. There is an emphasis on the creation of text, reading of text and the participation in critique and deconstruction of text; all of which can be easily shared and the learning supported online. The relationship between creative writing academics and their students is one which clearly puts both parties on a similar footing: both are creative text makers. Supporting the creative writing academic to understand how to design an online environment specific to both themselves and their students is a way to investigate and develop the larger pattern of a professional development approach that is designed to enable academics to learn how to design and teach in online learning environments, in a way that best suits their particular context.

Keywords: design pattern language, creative writing, academic development, online environment