Online learning has long faced a lot of skepticism, but that is beginning to change. As technology has become more advanced, online learning resources have improved, and students can now avail of highly advanced, interactive software packages that offer many advantages over traditional learning avenues in terms of flexibility, cost, and personalization.
Since being a computer-aided design (CAD) technician is primarily a computer-based profession, incorporating online training is a natural fit, as students get more time honing their skills on the programs they’ll be using in the real world. Nonetheless, there is still a lot to be said for face-to-face instruction from experts in the field, to help guide students and ensure the highest professional standards of their graduates.
With that in mind, blended learning, which incorporates both online elements and classroom time, is the perfect solution to offer students the best of both worlds.
CAD Software Training Students Have More Resources with Blended Learning
As elements of their coursework are done through online tutorials, students taking blended learning courses have access to a virtual lecture room any time they want. Programs will often offer interactive features, instructive guides, and exercises which are far more beneficial to students studying at home than a simple textbook.
Students enrolled in CAD technician courses at Digital School, for example, use Global eTraining’s GeT Interactive Complete Guide to train to use Autodesk software. The programs cover all the elements of the Autodesk Professional Certification exams and incorporate hands-on exercises and progress tests at the end of each lesson to ensure students have a proper grasp on each topic.
AutoCAD students can learn to use software from home.
Blended Learning Lets Students in CAD Software Training Take The Lead
A popular concept in modern education is the idea of ‘flipping the classroom’, which means that rather than lecturing students about topics in class and assigning homework, students use their own initiative to read up on coursework at home, using the classroom to converse with lecturers to better understand their topics.
With a blended learning approach, students can familiarize themselves with applications through a CAD online course, using the classroom environment to explore them in further depth. For lecturers, this allows them to use their time much more efficiently.
Digital School’s Head Instructor Dr. Muhib Rahmatalla said, “Students who don’t have any kind of engineering or mechanical background can now get the basics of those things from me in the class, and then apply them with the software. Before, we wouldn’t have had the time for both, because too much of the class time would have been used simply teaching the basics of the software.”
Instructors get more one-on-one time with students using a blended learning approach.
CAD Technician Courses That Use Blended Learning Are More Personalized
Another important advantage of blended learning is the level of personalization it allows. Not everyone learns at the same speed, and programs like GeT’s Complete Guides allow each student to complete their training at their own pace. With a blended learning approach, students also still get expert instruction in the classroom, to help with more complex areas of CAD software training.
As Digital School’s Architecture Instructor Brandon Heurter says, ““The faster students can move ahead on their own, and the students who need more time can come to me in class with questions, as well as work through the lessons on their own, either by taking more time with them, or going through them more than once.”
Want to learn more about enrolling in a CAD online course?
Visit Digital School for more information or to speak to an advisor.
