In this interview, Christina explains how Lionakis overhauled its 2026 Bootcamp by joining the Synthesis LMS beta cohort, which sparked a shift to concise prerecorded video lessons paired with live "watch parties". The new format delivers 5‑6 minute videos followed by hands‑on exercises and end‑of‑module quizzes, organized into a learning path called "Bootcamp Full‑Time" that contains about a dozen courses each lasting 16‑35 minutes. Live watch parties keep participants together, ensure a shared pace, and allow instructors to focus on exercises rather than lecture delivery. The on‑demand videos remain accessible for learners to reference while working, fostering a habit of consulting resources instead of repeatedly asking the instructor. Early cohort feedback shows participants frequently pause, replay, and use the videos alongside exercises, indicating higher engagement and reduced instructor overhead.
Chapters
So Christina, I know that you redesigned Bootcamp in 2026 and you just ran the first section of it a couple weeks ago.
Yes.
And so maybe can you take us through the redesign, what you did, and then how it went?
Yes. So it, it was being part of that group, the beta cohort for Synthesis LMS, that really, we had a lot of great conversations in there about how do we best deliver content to people. And it's, you know, those are my people where I've been thinking about these things for years. It was so nice to have others to talk to about it. And that's where some things really clicked for me in this short format and prerecording topics. And so we went for it. We said, you know what, we have access to this great tool and we can develop all of these for the bootcamp training that we'll deliver this year. So we went to town, we recorded our first module of content, and we figured, you know what, we don't really wanna just prerecord this and then give it to them and have 'em watch it on their own. Who knows if they'll watch it and what pace do we have them watch it at? So we really liked still having that. In-person aspect, not in-person, but together aspect of it. Because I think there's a lot to the boot camp in that you're together in a room, you're talking about it with each other, others are hearing questions and that they need to learn those topics together. We need to go at the same pace and not have people drop off because they didn't watch the videos or anything. So we decided that We take these recordings with that concise message and watch them together like a little live watch party. And then we'd all be there where they could continue to work on the exercises that we'd give them for those topics. I wasn't sure how the live watch party would go. I knew it'd be a little bit awkward to hear yourself talking on a video where you would've been there teaching them, but I love it. It makes me, like I said, I can say my message more concisely. And I'm already prepped. I don't have to worry about something going wrong with the dataset files. And I know that I can focus on the more important part, which is those exercises and engaging them throughout the session. So we went for it. We, we did these watch parties. They worked on their exercises and we found right away that they would access the videos while they're doing the exercises.
That thing you said before, right? It's like, I just told you this 10 minutes ago.
Just told you.
Yeah.
So they need to be able to pause and take it step by step. And maybe there's a little bit of that mimicking going on, but that's okay because they know that this resource is bottled up and there for them anytime they need to do that task. So it kind of reinforces that habit of going to a resource and looking for it when you know that it's there and you know that it helps you along the way. Because previously they couldn't access it again unless they asked me to repeat it again. And I can't repeat it for them every single time they're working on that task on every single project. So, so it feels really good to have this nice packaged, concise message for those topics that people are already using the recordings.
So I want to help people get a visual of this. So you in your learning center, you have a learning path, which is a collection of courses called Bootcamp Full-Time.
Yeah.
And then you've got in this path, you've got about a dozen courses that are somewhere between 16 and 35 minutes long, including the exercise and the video.
Yeah. Yeah.
So for example, you have a course called Revit BIM Execution Plan and Kickoff Core, which has a 5 and a half or 6-minute video, huh? Followed by an exercise that people are gonna take. And then there's a quiz at the end. So kind of like, is that kind of generally your structure is a short, short video exercise and a kind of a course that makes it 15 to 35 minutes? Is that fair?
Yeah. And actually the exercise time we didn't factor in yet to the completion time of the course for some of those. And the learning paths we're still building. So we're, we're still creating content for the next module of bootcamp. So that, that learning path will have a lot more courses in it. But generally, yes, we, we watch a lesson, which is a short video. Then we work on the exercise and that's where most of the time is spent on the exercises.
