Critique of the Technology and App
The How to Cake It "Decorating Masterclass" was delivered through a Learning Management System (LMS) interface called "Thinkific - Academy" The tool itself was an excellent choice for learning this skill. Being able to easily self-enroll and then instantly gain access to the course was perfect for this self-paced asynchronous course. The course consisted primarily of videos with accompanying course notes and written recipes. The course was super easy to navigate and move through the units. The only issue with the course structure was in the design, not necessarily the technology. Specific steps were very time-sensitive and had to be done in advance, but there was no warning before arriving at the step in the course. For example, cakes must be baked and chilled an entire day before decorating, simple syrup needs to be prepared and cooled before icing, etc. The addition of a timeline that gave prior warning and helped with planning would have been beneficial and made the overall experience proceed much smoother. I also would have appreciated more in-depth written instructions to accompany the videos or built-in jump-to markers embedded in the videos to make it easier to rewatch certain parts without scrolling through the entirety of that unit's video.
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous
"How to Cake It" also offers synchronous live online baking and decorating sessions. While I am interested in trying one of those in the future to compare, I think that this self-paced format was perfect for learning these particular skills. I feel too busy to commit in advance to a time for a live class, and I am glad for the opportunity to refer back and rewatch the next time that I want to try again.
Would I Recommend It?
I would definitely recommend this technology and format for dessert decorating. As I mentioned previously, I decorate sugar cookies. I am self-taught. I wonder if I had done a cookie decorating course through a similar system right off the bat if it would have accelerated how fast I was learning (my guess is very likely). I would recommend this format of computer-based learning for learning baking and decorating skills, but I would also specifically recommend "How to Cake It" courses. Overall I found it was a great experience.
Self-Directed Learning (Overall)
Overall self-directed learning is a valuable tool for learning a new skill. I liked being on my own timeline and learning from the comfort of my own kitchen. Baking is so environment-dependent, and if I was baking and decorating in a kitchen other than my own, I might have trouble recreating the results later. There were moments when the video instruction wasn't as in-depth as I would have preferred. There was nobody to ask questions, which is an obvious limitation; however, all the other positives outweigh the cons. I would much rather take a self-directed learning course to learn a skill like this than travel to an in-person class or even wait for a pre-scheduled synchronous virtual class.
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