Excedify Study 2025 — Online GD&T Training Engagement & Industry Adoption
Executive Summary
This report analyzes learning outcomes for engineers who progressed beyond 50% of Excedify’s online Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) program. Focusing on this committed cohort isolates real buyers/serious learners and removes noise from preview-only sign-ups.
Headline results (purchaser cohort):
Share of total enrollments qualifying as “purchasers” (>50% completed): ~8.6%
Median course completion (within cohort): 85%
Median content viewed (within cohort): 73%
Median time-to-completion (TTC): ~19.8 days
(IQR ~5.2–34.6 days; measured where both start & completion timestamps exist)Corporate representation within the purchaser cohort: ~40% (identified via work email domains)
Key takeaway: When engineers engage seriously (past 50%), completion and mastery are strong, and corporate learners complete faster.
Who We Analyzed (Scope & Segmentation)
Dataset scope: >1,000 anonymized learner records from Excedify’s GD&T program.
Purchaser/Committed definition: % Completed > 50%.
-
Corporate vs. Individual:
Corporate = work email domain (non-generic)
Individual = personal email domain (e.g., gmail/outlook/yahoo)
All insights are reported as percentages or medians; no names, companies, or identifiable domains are disclosed.
Results for the Purchaser Cohort
1) Engagement & Completion Quality
| Metric (within >50% cohort) | Result |
|---|---|
| Median % Completed | 85% |
| Median % Viewed | 73% |
| Median Time-to-Completion | ~19.8 days |
Interpretation: Committed learners consume most of the curriculum and typically finish within ~3 weeks.
2) Corporate vs Individual (within >50% cohort)
| Metric | Corporate Learners | Individual Learners |
|---|---|---|
| Share of purchaser cohort | ~40% | ~60% |
| Median % Completed | ~97% | ~76% |
| Median % Viewed | ~77% | ~68% |
| Median Time-to-Completion | ~10.5 days | ~25.9 days |
What this means: Within the serious-engagement cohort, corporate engineers complete more and do it ~2.5× faster. Accountability and work context matter.
3) Activation Speed (within >50% cohort)
(Where activation and start timestamps are present; applies to most of this cohort.)
| Start Delay After Activation | Share |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1 day (immediate starters) | ~83% |
| 2–7 days | ~3% |
| > 7 days | ~14% |
Insight: Purchasers generally start quickly after access is granted, reinforcing that early momentum predicts success.
4) Weekly Rhythm (within >50% cohort)
Starts are spread across the week with a small weekend bump (Sat ~18%).
Completions cluster at week’s end (Fri ~23%) and Mon/Sun (~19% each).
Recommendation:
Send finish nudges on Thu mornings (ahead of the Friday peak).
Use Sun evening / Mon morning messages for activation and restarts.
5) Module Progression (within >50% cohort)
| Module (summary) | Reach (>0%) | Avg. Progress* |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | ~100% | ~90% |
| Form Tolerances | ~100% | ~74% |
| Orientation Tolerances | ~98% | ~67% |
| Location Tolerances | ~93% | ~53% |
| Runout Tolerances | ~74% | ~74% |
| Datums & Datum Systems | ~? | ~— |
| Modifiers | ~? | ~— |
*Averages are rounded; some modules show 0/100 patterns due to curriculum structure and how progress is recorded.
Reading this: Once learners cross the 50% threshold, module reach remains high; drop-off becomes minimal.
6) Industry Mix (Corporate Purchaser Subset, Anonymized)
Work email domains (internally mapped, not disclosed) were grouped into broad sectors:
| Sector Group | Approx. Share |
|---|---|
| Industrial Machinery & Energy Systems | ~34% |
| Automotive & Mobility | ~20% |
| Automation & Electronics | ~9% |
| Precision Machining / Tooling | ~3% |
| Other / Unclassified | ~34% |
Implication: Committed adoption is strongest in industrial equipment and mobility supply chains, with meaningful presence in automation/electronics and precision machining.
What Drives Success (Practical Conclusions)
Early activation predicts completion. Purchasers typically start within 24 hours of access → keep Day-0 and Day-1 nudges.
Work context accelerates learning. Corporate purchasers finish ~2.5× faster → simulate accountability for individuals (opt-in cohorts, “finish this week” prompts).
After halfway, momentum is self-sustaining. Focus design and messaging on getting to 50% quickly (micro-badge at 10–20%, quick-win segments, “next three steps” checklists).
Methodology & Privacy
Cohort definition: Purchasers/committed learners = % Completed > 50%.
Segmentation: Corporate vs. Individual based on work vs. personal email domains.
Industry grouping: Inferred from a small set of recognizable work domains and aggregated into generic sectors only.
Time metrics: Computed only where both start and completion timestamps were present.
Privacy: No personal names, company names, or domains are published.
Final Word
For engineers who commit, online GD&T training delivers high completion and mastery. The performance gap between corporate and individual learners highlights the importance of accountability, pacing, and early activation. Optimizing these levers can extend purchaser-like outcomes to a larger share of the audience.