An Instructor's Perspective:

The Optimal Environment for Teaching the
               Individual

Note: This article focuses on our multi-day offerings, namely our Altium Designer Full Spectrum training (4-Day) and our PCB Foundations training (3-Day). We also offer training in A365 and Enterprise, however, the multi-day approach is not optimal for such courses. A follow up blog will explain our approach in teaching documentation software products in more detail.

Since 2007, I have been teaching four-day classes on Altium Designer, and it has been fascinating to see how the learning environment has changed over the past two decades. While it may seem mundane, analyzing these developments is valuable because the environment in which we teach and learn, respectively, plays a massive role in the training's ROI (Return On Investment).

There are several ways to teach a class of this length. Factors such as technology, economics, and the pandemic have all shaped our training approach. My intent is to share the different environments in which we have taught and offer an instructor's perspective on which have proven to be most successful.

Training Room within Altium

When I worked at Altium Inc. from 2007 to 2011, most of the classes we were teaching were held in the training room at the Altium facility in San Diego, CA. From a trainer's perspective, this had numerous advantages.

Firstly, the attendees travelled to the facility. At this time, I had young kids at home, and travel put a strain on the family. Additionally, people enjoyed traveling to the San Diego area for training, as it provided an opportunity to escape their typical work environment; many would even bring their families along and turn the trip into a mini-vacation.

At that time, the internet was not yet equipped for online training. The speeds necessary to stream reliable video and voice were not available as they are now.

Traveling for training was a generally accepted corporate expense. A good company knew that the cost of training was an ROI in terms of productivity. More so, these companies believed their employees could concentrate better when removed from their typical work environment.

Secondly, as the instructor, I had direct access to helpful resources. If a customer asked a question that I didn't know the answer to, I could discuss it with my colleagues during breaks.

Thirdly, since we were hosting the training, I was able to have lunch with the attendees. Since people came from different companies, it was an opportunity for everyone to make introductions, tell their "war" stories (we all have them!), and network.

Fourthly, we could work through the exercises together, and I was able to walk around and help those who were struggling. We also had the ability (with the attendees' permission) to display their screen on the main projector. When someone had an issue, we could turn it into a learning experience for everyone.

I do not know if we will see this method of training in the future, as it is now considered economically impractical. This method required Altium to maintain a large, dedicated training room, fully equipped with high-end machines and double monitors for each station. This is great when trainings are frequent and well attended. As travel budgets for training have evaporated due to the growing popularity of online training, culminating in the pandemic, we were forced to adapt. I have found throughout my career, once a cost savings has been found - for better or worse - it is really difficult to maintain this arrangement.

Third-Party "Public" Training Room

This method of training is similar to teaching at Altium; however, the training room was either at a third-party facility or a conference room at a local hotel. In order for a training of this nature to be economically successful, we had to fill a certain number of seats. As a result, there was an increased attention to the logistics and marketing of the training to ensure we fill the session, otherwise it would be cancelled. Additionally, this required a bit more effort on the part of the instructor to prepare everything for the class.

From the instructor's perspective, this still had many advantages. It was an opportunity to meet with the students in person. The students tended to ask more questions. It allowed me to view screens and provide assistance. We retained the opportunity to network during lunch.

Some disadvantages came with this. Many of the third-party training facilities were a hit-or-miss in terms of their ability to accommodate us. Though we provided our system requirements, something would be taken for granted, causing us and the facility to scramble for a fix.

To give us more flexibility, Nine Dot Connects invested in laptops that can be shipped out, allowing us to conduct the training setup outside third-party training facilities (we have this process down to a science).

Nevertheless, this requires some effort. In addition to traveling, we needed to arrive a day early to set up our laptops or, in the case of a third-party training center, to check the machines to ensure they could adequately accommodate the training material. If we were using our laptops, we had to pack them up and deliver them to FedEx for shipment back to our logistics coordinator. This may not sound too difficult, unless you're trying to finish up the fourth training day, pack up and deliver two massive shipping crates of laptops to a FedEx site, fight traffic getting to the airport, drop off your rental car, get through TSA, and - if time permitted - have dinner...

The pandemic put an end to the third-party training room setting. As mentioned earlier, travel budgets for training have largely disappeared. Today, our courses are either conducted online or onsite.

Teaching Online

Online learning became increasingly common starting in 2009, eventually becoming the default format by 2020. Although remote classes were not new (I had taken them in college via satellite link in the early 1990s), this shift was driven by economic pressures and advancements in technology. The great recession had a profound impact on the electronics industry. Since everyone was on a tight budget, online training became a more viable option, as travel expenses were removed, thereby cutting the overall costs by 50%.

For the instructor, online teaching allows us to work from our offices rather than travel. Although I personally enjoy teaching in person, this method of teaching requires less energy. Those attending the classes also benefit from being in a familiar environment.

However, the greater challenge for students is maintaining focus. This often stems from a lesser-known, yet critical aspect of presentation: body language. In-person, nonverbal cues can significantly enhance a student's engagement and understanding, and much of that is lost in an online setting.

Additionally, many students are constantly being pulled into work via email. (For my community college students, they had the misfortune of their computers being both academic and gaming machines.) Moreover, I cannot see their screens at any time I need to; I can only provide feedback if they ask, and, of course, most are hesitant to admit when they are struggling.

It is also challenging to network or to build a professional relationship with online attendees, eliminating the 'human' aspect. Most people do not turn on their cameras. There is no handshake when greeting, nor a meal to break bread and converse.

Of course, at Nine Dot Connects, we are happy to provide these online training courses and will always do so to the best of our abilities. But in the end, we are limited by the attendees' desire to speak up and ask questions. By way of analogy, it is akin to the communication between Houston and the space station. Houston can communicate, but ultimately, those on the space station are on their own.

E-Learning Video Training Series

The training method I find least practical is the video training series, in which the student interacts with an online training system that shows videos, provides exercises, and usually includes a quiz to test the knowledge gained. I have taken my fair share of these classes and do not find them to be effective. There's very little ability to get feedback, let alone on time. Often, the content is not kept up to date, forcing students to waste time reconciling outdated material with what they see in their tools.

We attempted to create these videos several years ago when this method became more prevalent. It is incredible how much time it takes to edit a video. Typically, a one-minute video edit takes about five minutes, excluding all retakes. Even a script, or an outline to follow at least, takes time to develop.

In addition to this initial effort, there is a constant editing process, as tools and the corresponding exercises change with each new revision. Though this method is helpful for short, under-an-hour video tutorials on YouTube, as we post at Nine Dot Connects, it is not conducive to in-depth training that requires exercises and student interaction. Instead of creating and charging for e-learning video training, we decided to post our hour-long videos for free on our website.

Onsite Company Training (a.k.a. private training)

Given the current training environments available, private training is by far the most effective approach. In addition to the in-person advantages mentioned earlier, consider the following:

We have laptops available, even if they require some logistics. For facilities with tight security issues on their network and computers, this allows us and the students to work outside the company's internet. Even if a facility does not have such security measures, it will enable the student to have a focused environment in which constant reminders of their work duties don't hamper them.

When we are teaching at a company, we can discuss the tool's capabilities in relation to the company's workflow. For example, if someone is using A365, we will teach the methods of creating components from a database perspective.

We also customize the training, adding or removing sections as needed. For example, one customer may require more emphasis on rigid-flex design, whereas another may simply need to focus on general routing techniques.

In summary, there are numerous ways to conduct a training course, and the various approaches have evolved in response to technological advancements and shifting economic considerations. At Nine Dot Connects, we continue to provide both online and private training for our Altium Designer class, Spectrum training course, and our PCB Foundations class. Shaped by years of hands-on experience, these courses are designed to deliver meaningful, interactive learning that maximizes the value of your training investment.

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