The increased rate of digitization has led to significant growth in demand for online learning in the last ten years, with a huge number of educational entities including schools, universities, and bootcamps shifting more of their learning to online platforms. Research and Markets predicted last year that the online learning market will reach US$350 Billion by 2025, and there is no doubt that this year’s pandemic has accelerated this growth tenfold as internet use becomes an even larger part of everyday life.
Many companies are now realizing that the way we live is becoming increasingly digital and we must adapt. Studying and working online might not be such a new concept, but navigating how to connect and network with others, prepare portfolios and show off your skills entirely online is a whole different kettle of fish.
Luckily, BrainStation has been offering live online digital skills training for years and is well-versed in helping its students build the skills they need to find and land their dream job. BrainStation’s Online Live bootcamps and courses are powered by Synapse, a proprietary, data-driven student learning management system that encourages collaboration and connectivity. The platform gathers key insights, including progress and course understanding, to provide a personalized learning experience that promotes fast and efficient learning.
Learning Online at BrainStation
Studying online at BrainStation means checking into a live classroom, meaning that you’ll be able to interact in real-time with your peers, and get direct feedback from your instructors. And with courses offered in multiple time zones and formats, BrainStation accommodates your schedule so you’ll have the flexibility to learn at a time that works for you, from anywhere in the world.
Although these live lectures are instructor-led, BrainStation’s learning experience is hugely project-based, ensuring students have a chance to gain first-hand experience with new tools and techniques. BrainStation’s bootcamps and courses are also heavily collaborative, which replicates the workforce and encourages students to work with one another on practical group projects. This means you’ll be working alongside like-minded professionals, sharing ideas, and, of course, building strong working relationships, a skill that is vital in any job market.”I really enjoy the online learning experience at BrainStation because it’s taught live. It’s also fascinating to me hearing my fellow students talk about their experiences in their different professional working lives,” said Georgina Gow, a former UX Design Course student at BrainStation.
While all of BrainStation’s online bootcamps and courses are live, you have 24-hour access to all learning materials and resources in the company’s online student learning platform. So if you find yourself wanting to brush up on a certain area, or go back to check a particular topic, you can find what you need at any time!
BrainStation also partners with some of the most innovative, digital-first companies to ensure that its curriculum is updated on a daily basis, allowing you to keep up with the most recent and relevant skills and tools that you need to thrive in the ever-changing digital economy.
Benefits of Live Online Learning
Immediate Feedback
There are a string of benefits attached to learning in a live online classroom, but one of the biggest advantages is that it facilitates direct and immediate feedback. In a live online classroom, you can ask your question right there and then, clear up any doubts, and check your understanding before moving on. “Previously, my online courses at university consisted of lecture slides and an online recorded lecture. The online live classes [at BrainStation] are extremely beneficial as they’re in real-time, there’s an engaging Instructor, and other students are all there because they want to be,” adds Gow.
A Social Environment
BrainStation understands the importance of building contacts, both with other professionals and with hiring managers at leading companies. Tuning into a live classroom and BrainStation’s monthly events (including info-session on career paths in technology and panel events with industry leaders) connects you with BrainStation’s global community of over 100,000 professionals, educators, industry experts, and hiring partners.
BrainStation also offers exclusive guest lecturers from huge companies such as IBM and Microsoft that students can listen to live from wherever they are. Previous guests include Fab Dolan, Head of Marketing at Google; Mark Giepert, ECD at WealthSimple; Alexandria Streid, Chief Product Officer at Ellevest; and the Head of EMEA at Shopify Plus.
“My favorite part about my BrainStation experience was interacting with the community. I had some incredibly bright and ambitious classmates…I also had a great Instructor that I found very relatable, and she really helped me shape my understanding of where and how to spend on Digital Marketing channels depending on what your desired outcome is, and illustrated her recommendations with real-life examples and commentary,” said Danica Nelson, who took BrainStation’s Social Media Marketing course.
Virtual Demo Day
Aside from the aforementioned benefits, one thing that makes BrainStation’s online experience really stand out is its virtual Demo Day. At Demo Day, graduates are given the opportunity to showcase their final projects to thousands of potential employers in BrainStation’s hiring network.
“Over the years, we’ve built a talent network of more than 2,500 hiring partners from some of the most innovative companies in the world, who are always looking for talented new web developers, data scientists, UX designers, and digital marketers,” says Michael Bennett, BrainStation’s Manager of Career Success.
Demo Day is just one part of BrainStation’s Career Accelerator Program, which provides ongoing career support for graduates, including resume writing guidance, mock interviews, power hours with industry partners, and more.
Pavla Bobosikova, now a product manager after having taken BrainStation’s User Experience Design bootcamp, commented: “Demo Day is a great opportunity to practice talking about your work and your approach and even if it doesn’t lead to any specific job offers, it’s a great experience that will make the interviews to come run much smoother.”
This view is echoed by Aveen Pattini, a graduate of the Web Development bootcamp, who said, “My experience at BrainStation really impacted my career as it put me in a position to get the job I have today. It was at BrainStation’s Demo Day, where students are able to demonstrate their capstone projects to hiring partners, that I made my initial contact with my current employer.”
What Do the Educators Say?
Josh Muirhead, the lead educator in BrainStation’s online Digital Marketing Bootcamp, believes the BrainStation online experience brings out the best in students. “BrainStation’s online learning is immersive, interactive, and flexible, which I think is the best learning environment to grow your knowledge and do your best work. Our student learning platform is intuitive, encouraging collaboration and connectivity, which empowers educators and students to experience learning on a global level,” he said.
Joel MacLeod, the lead educator in the online UX Design Bootcamp agrees and adds that the online experience also provides a range of industry perspective and learning styles, commenting that “BrainStation’s faculty provides a diverse range of Educators for each class, so students get a wide range of perspectives and industry examples in each cohort. The online experience also provides the ability to learn and apply principles at an accelerated rate and in different modalities, helping to accommodate different learning styles. This can include live demos, asynchronous learning, educator-led lectures and labs, and industry-leading guest talks from around the globe.”
Student Perspectives
The online platform is not just praised by BrainStation’s instructors, but by its students too. For BrainStation graduate Kiersten Downs, what really distinguishes the online learning experience at BrainStation is its learning platform. “I’ve taught online courses in higher education at the college level, and the platforms are not always this user-friendly. If you’ve taken an online course, from a college or community college, and didn’t have the best experience, I’m certain you’ll find BrainStation’s platform to be much more user-friendly,”
Digital Marketing graduate Puneet Bhatanagar is of the same mind. “Brainstation’s Online Live format cannot be beaten. You log in from the convenience of your home and the platform uses great collaboration tools like Zoom, Slack, and their own Synapse platform, which makes the learning experience very interactive and cohesive,” he said. “I definitely miss that in the other online courses that are either not live or simply lack the collaboration tools and software. Kudos to the Brainstation leadership team for their vision in launching this truly online and digital learning platform.”
Conclusion
Over 90% of BrainStation graduates find work within six months of graduation, which makes BrainStation a great option if you’re looking to transform your skillset and start a new digital career. With its state-of-the-art, on-demand learning platform, you’ll have access to all the material, knowledge, and the support you’ll need while connecting with a large, dynamic global community of like-minded professionals. Ready to get started? Visit BrainStation’s website and take that first step towards the career you want.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
