Learning Guides and Instructor Guides from ASCENT

It is that time of year again when Autodesk releases their newest software versions! ASCENT has been busy preparing and getting our learning tools ready for you. There a couple of changes to our products we want to make you aware of for the new release.

The first change you will see with the 2019 release is that we now use the term Learning Guide in place of Student Guide. This is a subtle change and came about simply because not everyone using our products is a student. Many people attend a class to learn these software products, but many people learn on their own. We feel Learning Guide is more representative of the wide range of users of our printed books and digital eBooks.

The second change affects the resources we offer for instructors. In the past, an instructor would use the Learning Guide and a separate instructor tools document that contained information such as a suggested class schedule and answer keys for the chapter review questions. Now, instructors can purchase a single Instructor Guide that combines the content of the Learning Guide with the instructor-relevant information embedded. Some key highlights include the following:

Instructor Notes – An Instructor Notes section has been added at the beginning of the Instructor Guide to explain the specifics about the layout of the book to help instructors prepare.

Instructor Presentation Slides (if available) – If instructor presentation slides are available for the title, a download link is provided directly in the Instructor Guide to download the slides that can be used as instructional aids for the course.

Class Schedule – A suggested schedule for each chapter is included to help manage time while teaching. The entire class schedule is included in the Schedule section and we have also conveniently listed the chapter’s teaching time on the first page of each chapter.

 
Practice Completion Times – An estimated time for completion of each practice exercise is provided in the margin adjacent to the objectives. This is intended to provide guidance on how long students need to work on the practice so you stay on schedule. These practice completion times appear only in the Instructor Guide, not in the Learning Guide.Answers to Review Questions – Instructors no longer need to reference the answer key in a separate Instructor Tools document. All answers to the review questions are now included in the margins of the Instructor Guide, adjacent to the question.

The Learning Guides continue to be available in print and eBook formats, and now we offer the Instructor Guides in these formats too. And don’t worry, the page numbering will be consistent between the Learning Guides and the corresponding Instructor Guides.

We hope that you like the new format and please let us know if you have any questions.

About the Author

Manager – Learning Content Development<br><br>Trained in Instructional Design, Jennifer uses her skills to develop instructor-led and web-based training products as well as knowledge profiling tools. Jennifer has achieved the Autodesk Certified Professional certification for Inventor and is also recognized as an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI). She enjoys teaching the training courses that she authors and is also very skilled in providing technical support to end-users. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Dalhousie University.

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