As the world keeps changing, at least one thing has stayed the same. At Juno, we’re still dedicated to helping young people get ahead. Today, this means focusing on making our courses more accessible to a wider, more diverse audience. It’s been just over one month since we launched our new Live Online format, and we couldn’t be more excited for our global community to keep growing!
Whether you're practising social distancing, or simply want to make the most of your free time, our Live Online courses are the perfect way to learn the in-demand digital skills needed to succeed, from anywhere in the world.
Here’s what you can expect from our unique Live Online format:
Community & Accountability
What makes the Juno experience stand out from the rest? We’re not just a coding school, we’re a community.
Whether In-Person or Live Online, our commitment to community, diversity, and inclusion in tech has always been what has made the Juno experience one-of-a-kind. Joanna Ebejer, Juno’s Continuing Education Operations Manager, says:
Our community is what makes us stand out! With instructors and mentors teaching live and providing on-the-spot help, having time outside of class to ask questions and get one-on-one assistance, and the whole Juno Team and Alumni Community being available to help tackle any issues anyone might be facing, it’s a really supportive and non-judgemental environment.
In addition to our Continuing Education courses, our award-winning Web Development Immersive Bootcamp is now also available Live Online - meaning you can launch your career change into tech, no matter where you’re located.
Charlotte Nurse, Juno’s Director of Programs, wanted to make sure that the spirit of Juno’s Bootcamp was still stronger than ever when we moved online. That’s why we made it a priority to successfully create virtual versions of every aspect of Bootcamp that made it so special. Online weekly kickoff games and activities, group projects and opportunities for collaboration, fun show & tells, and keeping Zoom classrooms open for lunch hangouts are just a few of the ways we’ve extended our community into our online space.
With regular homework, project deadlines, and personalized feedback, you’ll also be kept accountable to your course work so you’re always on track. Beyond class, students, instructors, and mentors will stay connected using Slack, an online tool that allows you to chat, share content, and receive regular course updates. As a Juno Alum, you’ll also have the ability to join Juno’s community Slack channels and stay connected with other Juno Alumni (our community is now thousands strong)!
Accessibility & Flexibility
As you might already know, Juno’s hands-on, community-oriented learning experiences are the cornerstone of what we offer - and we’re proud of our campus being in the heart of downtown Toronto, a leader in the tech industry. Making this experience and a tech education accessible to a wider, more diverse audience has always been Juno’s mission, which is why we’re excited to expand beyond our Toronto campus and foster a virtual, global community. Whether you’re coming to learn with us from across town or across the world, we’re excited to connect with you!
Depending on where you’re located, taking our Live Online courses can also save on travel, accommodations, and food budgets that you may have had to consider when taking In-Person courses at our downtown Toronto campus. You’ll be saving on the time and energy it takes to commute to and from class, freeing up more space for learning and relaxing. For some, the time saved on a commute also means the difference between being able to fit a course in their schedule, and not being able to.
Experimenting & Improving
This is one of Juno’s core values for a reason! We’re used to trying new things and learning as we go. It’s how we learn, and it’s how problems get solved! We spoke to Juno’s Director of Curriculum Tiff Haxell about the challenges we faced in replicating our In-Person experience to a virtual setting:
“We had big goals of delivering just as great of a Live Online online experience as our In-Person experience. There are so many platforms designed for webinars and online meetings - at first it was overwhelming to navigate all of the options!”
After lots of experimenting, Juno chose Zoom, a widely-used video conferencing platform with features like polling, real-time chatting, screen sharing, breakout rooms - and of course, those fun virtual backgrounds! This keeps our online classrooms connected, interactive, and fun for everyone involved.
We also experimented and improved with various setups for ideal learning environments. We found that having two screens, whether monitors and/or phones or tablets, is very helpful for our Instructors teaching in Live Online courses: one allocated for the video, the other for notes and your text editor. While this is not necessary for students, it is a great option to consider if you have access to multiple screens!
“For instructors, it helps us be able to see our students’ faces while lecturing, which is useful for gauging understanding,” Tiff says. “We made sure all instructors had access to one, and where they did not, we set them up with ours from the office.”
The Response
The response to Juno’s Live Online experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive! Here are some highlights from our students:
"I have had a really great experience with Juno, especially considering the circumstances, from my first interaction with my Student Success Coordinator to the end of this class. I really appreciated how clear my instructor team was about getting set up on all of the platforms and how best to make it work on our own devices. The experience was really great - I found the class engaging and pretty interactive. I especially enjoyed all of the exercises we did, and I also felt that the class moved at a good pace." - Rachel, Live Online Web Development Student
"Friendly environment and a very enthusiastic team!" - Jerry, Live Online JavaScript Student
"The class was awesome, no technical difficulties so far. On top of everything else, I am really grateful for the opportunity to attend the course remotely in the comfort of my own home!" - Oksana, Live Online JavaScript Student
We couldn’t be more thrilled about the response we’ve heard from our students, and we’re excited to keep improving our Live Online learning experience over time, just as we do with our In-Person courses. We’re so proud of the offerings we have and can’t wait to welcome more students from around the world!
Ready to level up your skills from home?
Learn in-demand digital skills and get connected with a global community with our Live Online courses. Check out our Info Package below to find out more about this exciting new learning format: