Interior Design Academy of Ireland Avis 

I signed up for the Higher National Certificate online Course as in introduction to Interior Design. I enrolled to get a grip on the basics before committing to a diploma or degree, and the college has significant steps to go further if inclined.
Starting off the course during Covid has been difficult with sourcing materials and tools to complete assignments, but the tutors are on hand to guide and suggest alternatives.
The course is more intense than I had originally planned when signing up, and in hindsight I should have applied for the Diploma course to at least have that certification after completing. The assignments have taken more than recommended study time of 80 hours per assignment in my case.There are no assignment deadlines and you can resubmit your work to improve your skills and presentations, which is very helpful.
There could be more content and visuals available for each assignment in setting a benchmark to aspire to, but in saying that my tutor (Rita) has been very helpful, informative and supportive in getting the assignments completed to a high level. After a slow start, I'm now enjoying the content and excited to see how my skills and work progress through the units.
A class room or online tutorial course would have been preferable in hindsight to benefit from a group dynamic to inspire, motivate and engage.
I would recommend the college and the course but I'd advise anyone interested to investigate the differing courses available to match their learning style and understand the level of research, study, investment and commitment involved as with any online course.

On balance there is a lot to recommend this course.
My tutors have been wonderful in the main and when I had a problem with my very first early on there was no trouble at all being re-assigned.
My tutors since then have been beyond helpful, knowledgeable and patiently have helped me get the most from the course.
The student services team are also really good and nothing is too much to ask.
As to the course itself... I came to the ‘Post Graduate Diploma in Interior Design’ from a totally different area of expertise in Science and Healthcare and had no background in the Arts at all. I have learned loads: from Technical Drawing to the Design Process to the History of Art, Architecture & Design - it’s all in there along with lots of IT & Digital Publishing. Each assignment deals with an aspect that arms you for a career in the interior design industry (although that may not be clear at first).
However there are definitely things I was not expecting when I started out-
▪️This is above all a ‘self-learning’ course - the Course materials are lightweight - I found if there was something demonstrated by Video in the early assignments it was only the simplest basic aspects and you were expected to take it far beyond this yourself. You will seek out all the information yourself- it is not provided as you go along.
▪️The Assignment briefs are often badly written and it can take a lot of effort to tease out what is actually expected.
▪️The Assignments are long and to do them justice requires far longer than the 80 hours per assignment estimated in the student advice manual.
▪️Note there are no deadlines for assignments and, as that was very different to my own primary degree, self discipline is absolutely essential.
▪️The presentation standards expected are very high and one needs to learn a decent level of IT skills to progress.

The course tutors that I have had have lead me through whenever I have needed help. I have found “direct contact” is the best way as the “course forum” (where questions on assignments are posted and answered by any of the tutors) is a little hap hazard and confusing.
The ‘Assignment Feedback” protocol on the course is excellent and the marking schemes are given in advance with each brief and very clear (if not a little repetitive). Feedback has always been very prompt for me, very detailed and helpful and has included encouragement as well as constructive criticism where necessary.

If you have a background in this field at all ( e.g art, architecture or CAD) this course is a wonderful “add-on” and I would imagine very simple to get through. Without such a background expect to put in a lot of effort getting to grips as you go.
Finally with respect to “value for money” the level of one-to-one “back-up” that I have been given on this course so far goes way beyond the fees that I have paid in my opinion.
This is a serious ‘design industry orientated’ course.
It is certainly not a series of sample boards and colour schemes.

When I enrolled in this course I expected to learn and develop skills, but what I got was absolutely different. I am extremely frustrated and feel ripped off. I don't think the course material is good enough nor that it guides students to realistic practices. We don't have a knowledge ladder, exercises/activities to practice anything and get specific feedback on the development of those skills before having to put them in an assignment. We simply have only huge assignments (PowerPoint presentations with around 100 pages/slides) to practice what we were supposed to learn, that we are expected to present at a professional standard work without being guided to get there.
The assignment briefs, besides being extremely long, are open to interpretation. On feedbacks, no matter how close to the brief we stick, we are always demotivated by being pointed to have not done something that was not required, for instance, how we felt doing the work. The usual, expectation is always to be failed. There are no examples of works, and when there were (in the first assignment, for example), they were wrong! If we followed them to deliver our assignment, we fail, because the example provided was not correct!
Tutors don't seem to believe we do our work and need to see even the 'thinking process', 'material tests' etc documented.
Feedbacks are sent to students only after weeks of the assignment submission. Always at the latest day of the deadline (when it isn't due already), and sometimes just to be told that the assignment was rejected (not assessed). They take weeks to say that.
An assignment can be rejected because you submitted it before receiving the previous assignment's feedback, but the Academy does not say that we are not allowed to do that. Only that they recommend us to wait.
I don't feel I am being evaluated for my design choices or my development in the interior design field. I usually get feedback relating to citing (for instance, not correctly mentioned because of 'Fig. number', or not in alphabetical order) or other issues other than Interior Design itself. I do want to correct all those mistakes, but I want my design, colour scheme, layout, zoning plan to be discussed as well. I want to learn.

I don't feel the Academy inspires confidence. What happens is that they make us feel demotivated, frustrated and that we are never going to make it. Not even for a second, they push us to thrive.

I am very disappointed. I have downgraded my course type already but even in the shorter version of the course, things don't get better.

My review here is to prevent other people to fall for this as I did.

Really love the course. I would definitely recommend. It has been challenging and exciting. You'll learn a lot from doing assignments and also their professional thorough feedback after. Everyone is helpful, especially my tutor who is very quick to answer my queries.

Great help & support. Always very helpful and friendly.
I am enjoying every moment of the course.