VMCE v9 - VODL vs ITL?

[ninjaburn81]

Hey all!

I am a longtime Veeam user (B&R and Endpoint primarily) and I am weighing options on taking my VMCE certification...mostly to dig into more details I may miss on my day-to-day work with Veeam, add more letters to the end of my last name, etc. However the question is VODL vs ITL for the training. I have taken enough ITL courses (live and online) so I know those vary on quality based on instructors and which training partner I go with. So my question leads more toward the VODL...has anyone here used it? Was it as good as an ITL class? How were the instructors?

The idea of doing the class in bite sized chunks has appeal to me, so I am not having to block off three whole days, however if the class is dry and boring I would rather go for the ITL class. So, thoughts, opinions??

Thank you!

[tdewin]

Well for sure the interactivity with other students and a teacher is hard to replace with video's. I think if you have the chance, the class is more interesting, not only to meet certification objectives but often real live experiences are shared during the training (which might be out of scope of the program but still interesting). Then again a lot depends on the quality of the trainer (and other students).

For me personally, I have a hard time sitting 8 hours in front of a screen and not wondering of answering emails. Consider that if you block the time, you can also tell your boss you are on a training and can not be bothered. Often if you are still at the desk, people will still come and ask you questions, but I guess that again depends on how you manage it

[ninjaburn81]

Agreed, being bothered constantly is the biggest thing, and that happens with a lot of the classes I take online. I also may take the 'What's New?' course for the VMware VCP 6 at the end of summer, so I am trying to minimize the amount of 'downtime' I ask of my boss in the next few months, so I thought the VODL was a great compromise. However I am just concerned of the quality of the videos primarily. I watched the 'teaser' on the VMCE website, and to be honest it was a bit...dry. Perhaps I have gotten so used to live instructors that I forgot in recorded ones, everything is scripted; but I got bored in that 4 minute span, so not a good sign

I would almost suggest they use a recording of a previously live class; say one that has gotten great reviews. That may keep people more engaged, since the instructor is not going directly off a script?

Just some thoughts as I decide.

[haslund]

Being in a instructor-led class, in my opinion has many advantages, such as already mentioned by Timothy.
Making sure you go through all the labs, immediately as you have been taught about it is also a very effective way of learning through reinforcement.

In the end, it's a very personal choice how you learn best.