The New Flexible Tech Bootcamps at DigitalCrafts

Software development and cybersecurity are popular career paths in 2023, but learning full stack engineering and cybersecurity often requires a full-time commitment. For those that balance busy lives, DigitalCrafts has partnered with American InterContinental University (AIU) to launch a part-time Full Stack Software Development Certificate Bootcamp and a Cybersecurity Certificate Bootcamp that mirrors their full-time immersive program, but on a flexible schedule. Now you can get a software development or cybersecurity certificate and earn college credit at the same time! 

Meet the Professionals: 

• Liz Carley has been with DigitalCrafts for six years. As Director of Operations, she works with Operations Coordinators and Student Success Advisors to support students through their DigitalCrafts journey — from the start of class through graduation and beyond!
• Dr. Ed Lavieri, Jr. is the Dean of School of Information Technology at American InterContinental University (AIU) and Chief Academic Officer for DigitalCrafts. DigitalCrafts is a member of the AIU System. Ed is responsible for faculty and curriculum, including the DigitalCrafts Software Development Certificate and Cybersecurity Certificate Bootcamp!

What is the overall structure and time commitment of the Flex programs?

Ed: The Flex program is offered in both software development and cybersecurity. Each program is divided into six courses and each course is five weeks long and 4.5 quarter credit hours. DigitalCrafts as an institution is accredited under the umbrella of the AIU System, so students are able to receive transcripted college credit at AIU after they pass these courses. 

Each week contains 27 hours of average student activity time, including live lectures, offline reading labs, virtual labs, homework assignments, discussion boards, and more! Learning is scaffolded and students start each week on Wednesday with deadlines on Tuesday at midnight. This helps ensure that students have proper pacing and do not get behind, though they can certainly work ahead. Each week leads to the next week, and each course leads to the next course. After successfully completing six courses, they earn a certificate.

Is the Flex program for people who are upskilling for their current jobs, career changers, or both?

Ed: Some students enroll to pursue a career change, such as one of our students who was a police detective that pivoted career paths. Others are already in the job without credentials and enroll in the Flex program to earn a certificate from an accredited university, which can encourage a promotion and validation of skills beyond on-the-job training. 

Additionally, the courses in the Flex program are aligned with a Bachelor of Science and Information Technology at American InterContinental University, so there is an opportunity to transfer those courses into a degree program!

Liz: We also have AIU alumni that have a degree in something else that are now coming to DigitalCrafts to get a certificate. It’s so cool to see AIU and DigitalCrafts support one another’s programs for the students. 

Is the admissions process different for the Flex program?

Liz: It’s the same process as the full-time immersive bootcamp. Students meet with our admission advisor to learn about the program offerings and see what program and modality is the best fit for them, discuss their goals, and address any concerns about going back to school. Our biggest priority is ensuring that DigitalCrafts is the right school for them and that they're in the best program and modality for what they want to achieve.

Is there a cap on class sizes in the Flex program? 

Ed: Similar to an academic course, we cap the instructor-to-student ratio at a certain number to ensure that students get the support they need. We have start dates every five weeks, and if there were 120 students that were ready to start on September 20, we would create four or five different classes. They would be identical, but they would be separate. Our cap is 25 students per class, but not per cohort. There is no limit to cohort sizes, so long as we have the faculty to support them. 

Liz: No matter what, there's always personalized instruction and support. For each cohort, there's support from the instructor, an operations coordinator, and a student success advisor!

What are the differences between the full-time Full Stack Immersive vs the part-time Full Stack Flex curriculum?

Liz: The content is similar, but the timeframe is different! 

• For students that are interested in being in front of a laptop from 10am-6pm and can dedicate 35 hours a week for 17 weeks, the full-time program would be their best bet!
• For those who are not able to commit to a structured timeframe, the Flex program can be done over 27 hours a week per course. 

Our admissions and operations teams work with students to review their schedule and realistic time commitments, then determine the modality that would be the best fit for them! 

Do Flex students also have access to Student Support events at DigitalCrafts?

Liz: All current students and alumni are able to attend our events that are hosted 1-2 times a month! Some recent events have included an alumni panel, a “Day in the Life of a Software Engineer” webinar, and a career progression toolkit workshop.

Will Flex students be required to do more homework or take-home projects than the full-time program?

Ed: The amount of work is about the same. Immersive students do most of their work in a live class, whereas Flex students have four sessions with faculty and can do the labs, reading, and homework assignments on their own time within the week structure. 

Flex students do not have to be in front of a camera for 6-8 hours a day — just one hour a night for four nights a week. Liz's team helps them manage their time. These are traditional university online courses with an extra full-time faculty component.

Can Flex students reach out to instructors outside of class hours?

Ed: Students have direct access to faculty members who have a 24-hour turnaround time for student inquiries. Students can schedule one-on-one time, communicate via email within the course itself, and schedule video or phone calls. 

Faculty are there to support student needs however they can. Since so much of the content is baked into the Flex program, the instructor's focus is facilitating the learning of the student instead of presenting the information. Instructors communicate with students before class starts, a couple times throughout the week to give them tips, host live events, offer grading feedback and support, and schedule 1:1 time as requested by students.

Do Flex students interact with other DigitalCrafts students?

Liz: There are lots of opportunities for student interaction! All students are invited to webinars, student success events, the mentorship program, career talks, and events like our virtual career fair. All students are also on Slack together where they communicate regularly — we encourage this involvement.

How will career services work for the Full Stack Flex program compared with the Full-Time Immersive?

Liz: Flex learning is more of a 1:1 setting than a cohort setting. Students get full access to DigitalCrafts career support, which includes: 

• 1:1 discussions
• Interview preparation
• Career talks
• Portfolio review
• Resume review
• LinkedIn profile review
• Job posting channels. 

What is your advice for students embarking on a part-time program? Any tips for getting the most out of it while balancing other commitments?

Liz: This Flex program has been on DigitalCrafts’ wishlist for a long time and we’re excited to offer a flexible learning format for students that have varying life commitments! 

• At the start of the program, students work with our operations team to create a schedule so they can balance not only school, but their personal and professional lives. Stick to that schedule to ensure that school is a top priority.
• Take advantage of all the student success support and resources that are offered which can help at any stage in your career journey.
• Attend as many live lectures and office hours as possible. Instructors are professionals that have worked in the industry. Take advantage of this to learn from their experiences. 

Ed: Do not be afraid to contact your faculty members before things get bad. Bad news does not get better with time. If your baby is sick or you have a question, communicate with your instructors so they can work with you. Instructors are credentialed professionals, so take advantage of their expertise and attend the live lectures. 

Understanding that the program requires 27 hours a week, consider your schedule. If you do not have 27 hours a week, it may not be the right time for you to enroll. But if you do enroll, then commit to it. Develop a schedule, stick to it, modify it as needed, ask for help along the way, and you will most likely be successful!

Find out more and read DigitalCrafts reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with DigitalCrafts.

DigitalCrafts is a part of the American InterContinental University System. The System is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. DigialCrafts cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states. REQ1973448  9/2023