Graphisoft Learn Portal: Indefinite free access for SSA - vs current 6 month course limit

[Karl Ottenstein]

I got a notice today that I have been deactivated from the Archicad 26 Upgrade Training class on the Graphisoft Learn Portal because 6 months has elapsed since I signed up.  (Never mind that I haven't even looked at the content yet.)

Further, I can not sign in again for free as an SSA member using the coupon code - because the site tells me that I'm already enrolled (!) and would now have to pay USD $ 175 which is insane.  The spot where you enter the SSA/FORWARD coupon code is gone:

 

This wish is for SSA members to have indefinite access to all courses as long as they maintain SSA status.  No major learning platform boots you out of a course if you are still an active member.  Everyone has to sign in with their GSID ... so that platform already knows if you are SSA or not... so it should not even be necessary to enter a coupon code...which is so utterly stupid... and is yet different than a Promo Code which appears in the shopping cart.

Please make this a platform that supports customers, rather than a labyrinth to annoy them.

[Andrii Levko]

 You can check the SSA status and you can ask at Graphisoft learn about why it is not possible to enroll again, maybe do you need first unenroll.

The second thing, unfortunately, is that it's Graphisoft learn policy: if you don't complete the course in 6 months, you will be deactivated from the course, but if you compete the course within this period, then you have the course active all the time. Only once did it happen that I was deactivated from the course after completing of the course.

[DGSketcher]

Short sighted and stupid! For a 1hr course it's a lot of money for a new features guide and the learn portal doesn't say access to the course is time limited... 

For a guide that has diminishing value with each new release it should be free to all users. The current persistent grab for profits before customer satisfaction is at best disrespectful. 

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thanks, @Andrii Levko  - Of course I have an active SSA. 🙂

It is apparently not Graphisoft's policy to have 6 months for all courses... as I have other Upgrade/etc courses that have not 'expired' that I have been enrolled in for a year or two but have also never actually watched any of the course videos.  For some reason the AC 26 Upgrade gives only 6 months. 

I cannot un-enroll because I have been de-activated by Graphisoft Learn... I get this:

[Andrii Levko]

Maybe it's not exactly policy, I'm not sure how to call it, but I noticed that new Foundation courses that have been started since April last year (for example :

-Get Started with Scheduling in Archicad

-Work with DWG & Point Cloud References in Archicad Course,

-Get Started with PARAM-O ,

-Archicad 26 Upgrade Training

-Create Fast Visualizations with Archicad, and many others)

in a total it's about 20 new courses, they have a note at the end that there is a time limit of 180 days.

@DGSketcher  Unfortunately learn portal does say access to the course is time limited.

But I agree with you it is not good and short sighted.

[Rex Maximilian]

Especially when you look at the value (or lack thereof) of new features in 26 matched against the FORWARD fee of $880. The least they could do is eliminate all of these extra charges for SSA members... in particular BIMx subscriptions. It should be folded into FORWARD.

[Akos Karoczkai]

Dear Karl and All,

Thank you very much for your feedback about our courses available on the Graphisoft Learn Portal.

Please let me explain why we decided to set a deactivation period for our courses. First of all, we consider deactivation as a tool enabling us to change, update or phase out courses: this way we can prevent learners to remain indefinitely enrolled in obsolete courses. On the other hand we would like also to motivate learners to complete courses they enrolled in and thus be more efficient while using Archicad, BIMcloud or BIMx due to the acquired software skills and knowledge.

As a Forward/SSA customer you can purchase the course again free of charge by using your Forward/SSA coupon code for payment once you put the item into your shopping cart. This way you can access the course again without further costs. 

Based on your feedback we decided to extend the deactivation period to 365 days in case of each Archicad Upgrade Training. Hopefully that will be a more comfortable time-frame to complete these courses.

Best regards,

Akos Karoczkai

Manager, Professional Services, Customer Success

[4hotshoes]

"On the other hand we would like also to motivate learners to complete courses they enrolled in and thus be more efficient while using Archicad, BIMcloud or BIMx due to the acquired software skills and knowledge."

I was thinking GS might say this and it is completely dumb. It is dumb because

1. It is not GS job to motivate people, please explain how taking away user training is even remotely motivating.

2. People are busy and have multiple reasons that change all the time and their needs will change over time. Some training may not be relevant at one point in time, but will be at another.

3. If was free once with the goal to educate users, it should still be free to educate users as long as they are still users and subscribers.

[Reinhard Copenraid]

Dear Akos, this answer doesn't clarify much for us. I still don't understand, if the goal is to make users more efficient when using Archicad and BIMcloud,  why it is bad if learners remain indefinitely enrolled in obsolete courses?

Sometimes it helps a lot to go back to the old course for remember something. Or maybe is another goal?

Reinhard.

[katman]

I am having the same issue with a 'Free' course which has deactivated me and does not even give me the option to re-enroll. Unfortunately it is also a key element ' Start Modelling with ArchiCAD and essentially not much point moving on to the next stage without this knowledge intact.

It's an understatement to say I am somewhat fustrated, when a more colorful adjective is somewhat appropriate...

[Barry Kelly]

So what do you see when you go to the website?

I see this.

If I click on the 'Free' button, I get more information and a button to 'Enrol' for which I have to log in.

I have never enrolled in this course so maybe that is why I still can?

Barry.