Video ILT pros and cons?

Here is a short video of someone who has used EMC's Video Instructor-led training that you may find helpful:

Anyone else have an opinion to share?

HI jtraigle

I just passed the e20-361 IE exam using the NAS MGMT and operations VILT, the videos are pretty straight to the point and no messing about, the only issue i had was the longer videos (more than 20 mins) would sometimes not start but i contacted edservices@emc.com and they sent me an update and a troubleshooting guide which sorted out any issues i had.

I spent a week watching all the modules then spent another 3 days reviewing all the PDF's and the EMC test exam and then did the exam today 

i did find the lab videos a bit boring so i downloaded the Celerra virtual appliance and ran through the labs myself, i think doing these things yourself helps you remember more

I would highly recommended the VILT and at the much lower price than the ILT i think its a great resource

Paul

here is the link for the celerra virtual appliance

http://nickapedia.com/2010/10/04/play-it-again-sam-celerra-uber-v3-2/

i believe the website is from an EMC employee but i could be wrong

its a fully working celerra appliance so you can configure anything, just one issue i had was getting the timezone and time correct to sync with my test ad no matter where i set the time it never seemed to correct itself to the right time and zone

Paul

I've been through a video ILT for Avamar v4 Administration and a classroom training (ILT) for Avamar v5 Administration and came away with the following observations:

1) The classroom training is nice in that you can (hopefully) get away from the office and focus on training at a steady, consistent pace in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. Depending on who is in your class you might even get to network with some interesting people; in my case I was in a class with 9 storage engineers from Lowe's (a large home improvement chain in the US). Plus you get access to a live lab where you can perform the exercises yourself. In addition, if time permits during an ILT you may be able to go over additional topics with your instructor. We had multiple opportunities to do this and really liked it.

2) The video ILT's use the same materials and present the same base training. The labs are video based; you just watch rather than perform them yourself as you would in a traditional ILT. You have the flexibility to learn as time permits of course but in exchange for that you lose the ability to ask an instructor questions, network with your peers, and work with live equipment (remotely).

Personally I would choose the ILT first whenever possible, but only if I can get my employer to commit to leaving me alone during the class (save for real emergencies of course). If I were learning something new I would insist on the ILT as I would have all the time I needed (during the week of the class) to work with the live lab.

If you are the type that needs hands on time to learn something I would say that ILT is your only choice. If just hearing the material is enough than the video ILT should suffice.

Jason

I love the VILT's.  They come with PDF's, so you can download them to your iPad or whatever and study when you don't have access to the full video.  They are laid out very professional, many have accompanying labs you can do, or other additional software/tools.  To be honest, some of the instructors can be a bit boring, it depends on the VILT, but technical wise its great info, very thorough.

I have used VILT's for EMCISA via the Starter Kit which is a super deal from EMC.  I also used the VILT's for my SI2 TA, CX IE and CX TA.  One thing about the VILT's is they include exam vouchers, so that right there can be $200-400 value (some come with 1 voucher and some come with 2). 

They are discounted pretty well too.  If you factor in you can do your own pass, repeat it multiple times, and they include the vouchers, then the price is really quite reasonable.  Probably the best training I have seen from a manufacturer as far as video training. 

I did my EMC DCA without VILT training.  Not because of anything wrong with it.  First, they didn't have the VILT released when I first started my studies, and I had already learned much of the material, so the VILT in that case wasn't going to be as good of a deal for me.  But now its available, and I would say that I am an exception for that particular test (I have a thorough storage networking background), but most people should get the VILT if they will attempt that certification.

I am considering the Cloud Architect VILT.  The syllabus of material is just a bit nebulous and that's one thing you gain with the VILT you know your getting the right training.  The VILT's (all the ones I have used) are actually made up of video of an actual classroom.  So although you can't interact, you can watch others in class ask questions.  They change camera angles when this happens, tune the audio.......point being is professionally produced, its not just someone sticking a video camera in a class.

Brian

The ILT courses are good for the experience you get but if you do a VILT and you want to gain more experience on the product you can use the

Education Services Virtual LAB

If you have a powerlink account you should be able to access this resource under "Tools/Resources", basically there is the majority of all EMC products setup and you book time on one of their rigs and you can do the labs or just play around on the product and they're free.

I'm not sure if you need partner level access to use the ESVL but maybe someone from EMC can confirm?

Paul

Yes, the Education Services Virtual Lab (ESVL) is available to EMC partners. However, we've recently opened up access to EMC customers through the EduCare program.  I can find out some additional details if you're interested.

-Stephanie

I think that would be good to know, Stephanie.

Thanks for the insights and experiences so far, everyone.

More information on the EduCare program can be found here.