At OpenClassrooms, our teaching method employs innovative techniques to help our students master new competencies quickly that are different from traditional teaching models. We are truly pioneering a new way to learn.
In this article, discover OpenClassrooms’ innovative training methods.
Throwing out the old model
If you’ve been to school or taken any type of training course, you’ve likely experienced the classic style of education: attend lectures, do homework, and take exams.
Exams determine your grades, and passing grades enable you to move to the next semester. Complete each semester and you can continue to the next year, and if you complete each year you can get your diploma or degree.
This style of teaching is found nearly everywhere, but at OpenClassrooms, we take a different approach. We started by asking ourselves two fundamental questions:
1. What are recruiters really looking for? Good grades?
The short answer is that recruiters are looking for professionals who can demonstrate they have a specific skillset and the right experience.
2. How can you learn those skills online? By just watching videos?
Videos are a start. However, it takes much more to really master a new career.
Fundamental to our teaching method is the belief that learning something new requires reinforcement through practice. And we have found that practice is best reinforced by having regular contact with experts already working in a chosen field.
These two elements are the basis of our teaching model.
Project-based learning
At OpenClassrooms, we reverse-engineer our curriculum to meet the specific skill sets needed for in-demand jobs. There are no tests or exams to study for. Our programs are project-based, requiring students to build products and solve issues that they would realistically face in a future role.
Each week, you’ll discuss your progress with a mentor during a one-hour video conference. Mentors are experienced professionals working in your target industry. They’re able to give you practical advice based on their real-world experience.
So where do video classes fit into all of this?
At OpenClassrooms, classes act as a support to the projects. You aren’t obliged to complete all of them. You can complete your projects using other sources or knowledge from your own experience.
If you’re completely new to the subject, however, we do recommend using the classes as much as possible in order to give yourself a solid knowledge base.
Why this approach?
Project-based learning has been on the fringe of the educational landscape for a long time. It’s known to be one of the most effective methods in terms of keeping students motivated during their learning experience as well as teaching them relevant skills, fast.
Here are some of its key benefits:
- You learn what you need to. You’ll learn only what is required to work in the industry, but also everything that is required. Project-based learning allows OpenClassrooms to finely tune courses to achieve this.
- It’s a fairer way to evaluate your work. Once you graduate, you’ll know you’ve acquired all the necessary skills not only to pass an exam, but also to survive and flourish in a real professional environment.
- Your coursework experience has real value. By the end of your program, you’ll have completed relevant projects that you can put in your professional portfolio and present during an interview. Recruiters will take notice. You’ll be ready to start work immediately.
Project-based learning gives you the opportunity to gain realistic professional experience in the ‘safety’ of an educational context. Any problems can be discussed with your mentor, allowing challenges to be an opportunity to learn in a low-stakes environment.
Following our project-based, Path means that you’ll thoroughly learn the skills required for the job you want all while building your professional portfolio. The combination of these two factors puts you on an accelerated path toward career success.
Watch the video to learn more
To learn about our exciting program come on over to our program pages and explore future careers.
