Rocky Mountain Training :: Student Testimonials

Student TesTimonials

“I have been a training professional for over 25 years and I have to admit that I was skeptical about “virtual classroom” training, I envisioned something akin to “a conference call with pictures”. However, to my surprise, it was one of the most effective training classes I have ever participated in. Ms. Binder “collaborates” with the students as much as she teaches them… this made it an extremely useful class where I not only learned the basics but how to apply them to my specific needs.”
—Cal Cooley, Senior Training and Development Analyst, ITT - Advanced Engineering & Sciences, Arlington, Virginia

The FrameMaker Introduction & Advanced training that I received from Barb Binder online was a perfect experience for me. I am a "hands-on" type of person when it comes to learning new software. This is definitely the way to go without having to incur any travel expenses for your company. I was definitely skeptical about this online training but she gave me a quick demo and I was convinced that this was the class for me. I would definitely recommend Rocky Mountain Training to anyone! Thanks to Barb, I now have some new knowledge under my belt which I will be able to use for years to come.
—Christine Smith, Administrative Assistant- NASCAR, Inc.-Daytona Beach, FL

Your class was great. Excellent job in guiding the hands-on instruction particularly with a new FrameMaker interface that I had to experience firsthand. You made me feel comfortable and with your encouragement, I gained much needed confidence with the new interface. Also helping Sharla and I to solve our template issue was extremely valuable. Overall, your class was well worth the cost, and I highly recommend your training to others.
—Don Drinkwater, Technical Writer, ESi, Augusta, GA

Barb's Introduction to Adobe Framemaker and Advanced Adobe Framemaker classes definitely exceeded my expectations. I was leery of participating in a virtual course, thinking that the teacher's, and student's, involvement could not match the physical classroom--but I was wrong. Barb interacted with students more than many instructors do in a physical classroom. She tailored the class to fit her students' needs, answering both broad and very specific questions. Although I've been using Framemaker for about nine months, Barb got me excited about the many features that I had not yet explored. I highly recommend working with Barb, and I hope to attend another of her classes in the future.
—Jessica Graves, Medical Writer, Abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL

I took the “Introduction to Adobe Photoshop” class with Barb ‘virtually’, and it was a fantastic experience. I am a first time user, and I learned more than I ever thought I would in two short days. Barb is a great instructor, always cognizant of her learner’s pace and abilities. She makes sure to teach you what you want to learn, and she does so in a way that is easy to uptake and retain for future use. I really appreciate the way she has her learners practice and review the material. I highly recommend Barb and Rocky Mountain Training!
—Harry Levine, Corporate Trainer, Denver, CO

I "found" Rocky Mountain Training while looking for a classroom training opportunity. I had never seriously considered web-based training before, thinking it could not meet my needs as effectively as would sitting in a physical classroom. In one of the most amazing turnaround (and opinion-changing) experiences that I have ever had, I signed up for Barb Binder's Introductory Framemaker class, and found it to be all that the testimonials on her web site had said it would be, and more. Barb's online class has the key characteristics of a truly excellent classroom experience. It is well designed, reasonably paced, highly interactive and responsive to the needs of the participants.
The class is conducted using VOiP headsets together with web-based collaboration software. This is a setup that works extrememly well. Barb was able to see each student's screen and interact with each of us to keep everyone on track and caught up so no one was left behind. When any of us needed help, Barb was very supportive and positive and never allowed any of us to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Barb is very knowledgeable in her subject areas. Just as important, she is comfortable enough with that knowledge to be able to present it in a way that is engaging, interesting and non-intimidating. After two days of training, when it came time for the course evaluation, I could not come up with suggestions to improve on what she is doing, it is that good! I plan to take her Advanced Framemaker class, and would recommend her online training classes to anyone who wants top notch quality instruction that quickly builds confidence and provides outstanding results. Great job, Barb!
—Richard R. Brake III, Technical Writer/Illustrator, Bosch– BSH Home Appliances, Laundry Division, New Bern, NC

Even after years in college, I have never before taken an on-line class like the ones that Rocky Mountain Training offers. The on-line classroom environment rivals the traditional classroom setting, and after taking three classes I would not do it any other way. I was able to sit at the comfort of my own desk, participate and learn with people from around the country. Barbara was able to tailor all the classes to my needs and the needs of my company, and she truly has transformed the way I perform my work. I now work faster and with more ease thanks to Barbara’s help. I cannot thank her enough!
—Ashley Ordener, Marketing Coordinator, SpawGlass, Houston, Texas

I contracted with Barb to lead half-day classes on Adobe Photoshop and InDesign for a conference my company was hosting. After struggling for years to teach myself Photoshop, I decided to audit the classes. At one point in the Photoshop class, I yelled out, “The world is no longer flat!” In just three short hours, I had some basic Photoshop knowledge that would literally transform the way I used the program. I learned after the conference that Barb received all As on the student evaluations from BOTH classes. Not only did she impart great content, but she was funny, engaging and enthusiastic. We would definitely use Barb for future training.
—Mandy Mikulencak, Goodwill Industries International, Inc., Rockville, Maryland

I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara’s five-day on-site class on Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. She tailored the materials to what we needed to learn. In the few months since our training, I have used each of the programs successfully. I now feel confident in my ability to complete my projects.
—Amanda Norvell, Marketing Coordinator, Roche Constructors, Inc., Greeley, Colorado

I was pleasantly surprised by my first on-line class experience. The setup was easy—signing in to GoToMeeting, and making sure my headset and microphone were plugged in correctly! Time flew during class, and Barb handled questions expertly and kept our Adobe FrameMaker class moving along. Barb also took the time each day and at the end of the class to be sure that all expectations were met and all questions were answered. I'd certainly take another class on-line (or in person) with Barb.
—Vicki Cooper, Technical Writer, CREW Technical Services, Indianapolis, Indiana

Our group of six wanted to learn Adobe Illustrator to enhance the work we are doing using Geographic Information Systems for public health data. None of us had any experience using Illustrator beyond launching the program and then not knowing what to do next. Each of us, however, had specific questions having to do with applying Illustrator to our work. We only scheduled one day with Barbara but it was extremely instructive and she addressed each of our questions thoroughly. Barb is a virtuoso at the software and at training. It was a pleasure having Barb as an instructor.
—Mario M. Rivera, Program Evaluator, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, Colorado

I took the Introduction to Adobe FrameMaker virtual class with Barb Binder. At first I was skeptical; how effective could the virtual classroom be, coupled with the fact that Frame is a rather complex application. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the virtual environment worked and at the quality of the materials. Barb could “drive” or let me drive but keep tabs on my every mouse movement to know if I was on task. She was very good at explaining the why and how of Frame as well as pacing the material for my learning level. I would really like to take the advanced level course with her in the same remote environment. It’s a real money and time saver.
—Don Finch, Technical Writer/Instructional Designer Learning & Development, EMC Mortgage Corporation, Plano, Texas

Extremely knowledgeable and extremely flexible with customizable, onsite training describes Barbara’s approach to our InCopy training. If I had a question that wasn’t immediately answered, she would find the answer…without taking away from class time! Our team came to Barbara with difficult workflow issues between InDesign and InCopy CS3, and she has set us on the right path to determining the best workflow for each and every project. For a small team, this is huge! Barbara’s training is not like every other training out there, her training is worth it!
—Paul Parson, Art Director, Space Foundation, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Participating in Barb's online training classes for FrameMaker and Advanced FrameMaker was a wonderful experience. The training was well organized and understandable. Barb's building block approach to training helped me learn quickly and gave me considerable confidence in my new found skills. The virtual classroom environment was fun and easy. It was a great way to network with people across the country who have similar interests and experience. Barb's training program is a perfect example of how easily technology can reach to all corners of the globe. Thanks Barb! I'm looking forward to more classes with you!
—Pamela Leland, Freelance Technical Writer, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I was very pleased with the FrameMaker training that Barbara provided. Barbara was able to customize the class to our needs, time frame, and budget. Our class had students with various levels of knowledge—from beginner to advanced—and Barbara found a way to make the class fun and engaging for everyone. This class has given my employees the necessary tools to proficiently complete any task!
— Jennifer McKnight, Manager of Corporate Documentation Control, Lynx Aviation, Westminster, Colorado

I loved taking Barb’s online Adobe FrameMaker class. She’s great at checking often with students to see if they’re really getting the material before moving on to the next topic. I never felt behind, or that we were skimming the information. And taking a class online was as easy as talking on the phone. Barb took a few moments at the start of class to make sure everyone was set up and comfortable. If I got stuck or lost, it was so easy for Barb to jump to my screen and get me back on track.
—Wendy Lindig, eLearning & Training Specialist, Powells Books, Portland, Oregon

I, along with three co-workers, had the pleasure of experiencing a virtual classroom training session with Barb. She put together a customized Adobe InDesign class with our needs and materials as a priority. The virtual classroom is a great tool; it was like she was in the room with us. Barb was able to switch back and forth from her computer to ours to help with problems and to observe progress through each lesson. Barb is a delightful and up beat instructor with a vast knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite. She was able to answer all our questions promptly and left us feeling much better about our future with InDesign. If you need Adobe training make sure you talk to Barb, her Top 5 ranking says it all.
—Tammy Leggett, Kim Hammond, Graham Nielson & Keenan Willbanks, Skanska USA Civil West RMD, Cortez, Colorado

I took a virtual class with Barb on Adobe FrameMaker. This was my first virtual class and I was amazed at how easy it was to interact with Barb and the other students. She provided great instructions on what was needed to participate in the class. As a former instructor, I thought Barb's instructional techniques were awesome. She was very easy to talk to and extremely knowledgable on FrameMaker. I highly recommend this class.
— Richard Thompson, Technical Writer, Nortel Government Solutions, San Antonio, Texas

I was excited to learn Dreamweaver. I wanted to be able to run our website, not redo our entire website, but take what we have and be able to make changes when I need to. I feel that this was the perfect class for me. I was a little nervous to do the class entirely online, but it was SO easy. The quality of the virtual classroom was great. The audio was easier than I thought. I simply plugged in my headset and I was good to go. Barb would walk me through exercises and I would do them at my own pace. It was nice to be in the comfort of my own space. With gas prices being as they are, it was perfect, I didn’t have to drive anywhere. Do not be a afraid to take an online class, you won’t regret this on at all! I can’t say enough wonderful things about Barb, she will teach you everything you will need to know and goes above and beyond. If I ever need any further training, I will not look anywhere else but Rocky Mountain Training! Thanks Barb!
—Alysa Hill, Corporate Trainer, Facial Aesthetics, Denver, Colorado

I needed a quick solution to get me up to speed on InDesign to redesign our existing marketing materials. The course needed to be local and a complete immersion so that I could quickly accomplish my goals. When I found Rocky Mountain Training, Barb had the course I was looking for and since I office remotely, she could conduct the training via WebEx and teleconference. The course went smoothly and quickly accomplishing everything I needed to. I will definitely go back to Barb for more in-depth training of InDesign and other software products. Thanks so much, Barb!
— Elizabeth M. Neff, DreamOutdoors, Aspen, Colorado

AMAZING, that's what she is!
Over a two day period I was given intensive training in InDesign by Barbara, customized to my needs in my current position in Marketing. I am a self-taught computer operator who just couldn't tackle InDesign in a timely manner. I can't thank her enough for making the effort to contact me regarding my current understanding of working CS applications so that she may better train me on what I didn't understand, specifically with InDesign. Working in a large format print environment for the last 10 years has taken me away from the print-publishing world and I can say with the utmost confidence, that I am not befuddled by time consuming layout in other applications because of all the really neat-o layout tricks I was taught! Bring on the workload, I'm amped!
See you on the slopes Barbara, you truly rock!
— Donna C-Martinez, Graphics Gal, EPS-Doublet, Denver, Colorado

I took a virtual class with Barbara on FrameMaker. The class was easy to follow and participate in. It was great that Barbara could log-in to your computer if you were having difficulty and take a look directly at your computer! The virtual class was a great way to learn FrameMaker from my office. It was a wonderful experience, Barbara was very knowledgeable on FrameMaker and could demonstrate and answer all questions.
— Amanda Sadeghin, Software Consultant, TSS Software Corporation, Annapolis, Maryland

Barb helped me with Adobe Photoshop for a small business application. She is an energetic and upbeat professional. Barb uses “Go To Meeting”, which is an amazing piece of internet technology that allows both parties to work together as if they were on the same computer. Very efficient and helpful. Barb was equally adept at teaching the most basic to the more elaborate concepts, making my transition to a better user of the software easier than I anticipated. Barb is now my go-to gal on training!
— Hugh Whitmore, Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Barb's training was invaluable to my understanding of the product. She understood the software inside and out and was able to communicate her knowledge in a clear and positive manner conducive to learning. Without her training, I would not be able to use InDesign as effectively, efficiently, or creatively as I can now. Thanks, Barb!
—Megan Carrraway, Marketing Coordinator, Crimson Services, Lone Tree, Colorado

Barb’s training class was better than I expected! I went from not knowing anything about Adobe InDesign to being able to make beautiful brochures and books in only two days. Her training was customized to our business and needs. She did not waste any time and was so thorough and clear—I cannot believe how much I learned in such a short time!!! Before taking this class, I was having such a difficult time understanding how to navigate in this program and she made it so clear and simple. I would highly recommend her training classes to anyone who has limited time to learn a lot of information quickly and easily!
—Shannon Kelly, Executive Assistant, Crimson Services, Lone Tree, Colorado

Barbara is a talented instructor that is flexible and extremely knowledgeable. We have an in-house corporate creative team that is extremely busy, it was great to have Barbara come in and customize training on InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, specifically for our team and knowledge base.
Personally, I feel her expertise in training is exceptional and that she exceeded our team’s expectations. I would recommend Barbara for all the Adobe trainings, her knowledge and teaching abilities are Top Notch!
—Cheryl Bailey, Graphic Specialist, ProLogis, Denver, Colorado

We recently upgraded to Adobe CS3 software package and started using InDesign to create marketing materials for the company. Barbara did an excellent job of teaching students with a wide variety of skill levels in computer design. I was quite impressed with how well she handled students with little to no background in the software and still made it a great educational experience for students with more advanced training. She was willing to tailor the classes to exactly what we needed most, based on the timeframe we had allotted and was willing to answer questions outside of the scope of the class materials. Thanks again for everything, Barb!
—Stacey Skidmore, Marketing Coordinator. RE/MAX of Cherry Creek, Inc., Denver, Colorado

Barbara has been teaching for EEI Communications in Alexandria, VA since 1992, and is one of our top instructors. She is an expert in Photoshop and InDesign, and truly loves to teach these applications. Barbara mixes lecture, hands-on exercise, and extensive real-world examples in each of her classes, to make the learning experience not only enjoyable, but engaging, and highly productive. As of the Fall of 2007, she has taught 5,443 students in 665 classes with us.
—Joe Robinson, Vice President, Training Services, EEI Communications, Alexandria, Virginia

Outstanding job on the straight 10's for the InDesign class! Not only were the scores on the evaluations great, the comments reflected tremendous client satisfaction. You are an amazing trainer and I am honored to have you part of our extended team!
— Sterling Ledet, Chief Executive Officer, Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia

Barbara Binder and I founded the Ventura Publisher User Group in Arlington, VA, when user groups were a crucial learning source for both beginners and expert users.
     As Vice President of EEI Communications, my challenge was to add software training to their distinguished editorial training. Barbara was one of the first teachers I added to the team of instructors. Barbara was then—as she is now—an excellent instructor who consistently (without fail) earned high marks and enthusiastic comments from participants.
     I selected Barbara to teach adult-learning principles to prospective Adobe instructors preparing for the Certified Technical Trainer exam.
     Now I bring Barbara to Connect Learning in Houston, Texas, to teach public and tailored training classes in InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, and Framemaker. She is helping me build the program because participants in her classes always want to come back for more.
— Sally Smith, President, Connect Learning, LLC, Houston, TX

Barbara has been doing the layout for ASCE’s annual proceedings volume, Cuba in Transition, since 1995. As the volunteer editor of the volume, I couldn’t do it without Barbara: she developed the format, instituted innovations to improve it, and developed procedures that make the work easier on me. She is a consummate professional: thorough, dependable, with a close eye for detail, and with a great sense of humor—which comes in handy when dealing with a difficult manuscript or a tight deadline. When I learned of Barbara’s move to Colorado (from nearby Alexandria), I was concerned that distance would affect our ability to work together. I am very pleased that the concern was unwarranted, as Barbara has continued to excel in her work, and the quality and timeliness of Cuba in Transition has continued to be very high.
— Jorge F. Pérez-López, Cuba in Transition, Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, Washington, DC

Barb has worked with the Federal Circuit Bar Journal since its inception in 1991. As the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for 2006-2007, I’ve encountered a unique transition into a new position of leadership. Barb’s willingness to share her institutional knowledge and experience has assisted me greatly. Barb’s tireless efforts to complete layouts for our journal are also reassuring for me, an editor who must meet stringent deadlines. Barb communicates well. She articulates her expectations clearly and in advance, but she also takes responsibility for following up on her work and making suggestions for improvement. This reflexive process fosters not only a high quality product, but also an improved product over time. Barb’s professionalism protects the integrity of our legal publication; we’re fortunate to be one of her clients.
— Jason Winslow, Editor-in-Chief, 2006-2007, Federal Circuit Bar Journal, Washington, DC