So how did we make SkySpark Analyst?

As our first available online training course, SkySpark Analyst has been through several iterations and re-writes. The final release is a culmination of our efforts to design the best online learning experience, with a determination to use a training methodology we really believe in.

To start with, we realised that with so much to teach on various topics, we would need to make courses relevant to a particular aim. For example, in SkySpark Essentials training, It’s hard to learn how to use Axon in SkySpark, if you don’t know how to use SkySpark for data analysis or anything about programming languages first! The real benefit to online training, is the ability to break up learning into relevant “chunks”.

For myself, as a qualified group trainer, I have spent much of my previous career in advisory roles for technical teams in lots of enterprise level businesses. I find that the art of good training, is to understand your audience and keep content relevant and engaging.

When Steve and I were first introduced to SkySpark, it was to create Fantom software for use with SkySpark in various forms. Steve was in the unusual position of being a Fantom expert, without any prior knowledge of the commercial application of this language – using it purely as a general purpose language for his own projects. We were being asked to create products that could integrate with SkySpark in complicated ways, and so we really needed to become “expert” in SkySpark fairly quickly.

The biggest learning curve that we experienced, was actually just on how SkySpark was used for data analytics and by “non-technical” people or beginners – like us. That was when we realised that more choice was needed in the industry as a whole, on the range of training available.

We believe that the use of SkySpark in a data analysis role is very important and is a syllabus of learning in it’s own right. As new versions of SkySpark are released, this training syllabus will need to adapt and change for new course updates and versions too.

Lo and behold, after considering the key learning points that would be needed to use SkySpark in it’s native capacity – to analyse data – the syllabus for SkySpark Analyst was born! We realise that any knowledge or skill can be improved on, and so clear course objectives are needed to stay on track with how much learning to deliver. SkySpark Analyst is designed to introduce a new user to the technology and teach them how to become proficient at using this for analysing data.

Of course, defining the selection of courses to build and offer is just a part of the whole process. How the training itself is created and tested is another “story” altogether. The Fantom Factory online learning suite has just launched and we plan to host lots of courses aimed specifically at different audience roles.

Why not read our other articles for more information on our training design and our amazing Fantom-crafted Learning Management System?