Visual Academy of Mount Prospect, Illinois appointed certified master HVACR educator Todd Kler as manager of learning and integration, according to ACHR News's May 18, 2026 news brief. The hire brings professional HVAC educator credentialing — the ACCA-certified Master HVACR Educator designation requires demonstrated teaching competency, industry knowledge, and commitment to HVAC education standards — into a technology-forward training platform.
Visual Academy is a provider of 3D visual learning content for HVAC and related trades — using three-dimensional equipment visualisations to teach technicians how systems work, how components interact, and how to diagnose problems. The Todd Kler appointment signals that Visual Academy is investing in the curriculum depth and pedagogical rigour that moves 3D visual training from a supplemental tool to a primary training pathway.
What Visual Academy Does
Visual Academy's 3D visual approach to HVAC training addresses a specific limitation of traditional classroom instruction: the difficulty of teaching three-dimensional mechanical systems using two-dimensional diagrams and text. When a technician is learning how a heat pump refrigerant cycle works, a 3D visualisation that shows the refrigerant flowing through the system — compressing, expanding, exchanging heat — teaches the concept more intuitively than a schematic diagram or text description.
The pedagogical research supporting visual learning in technical education is robust: spatial reasoning — the ability to understand three-dimensional systems and their relationships — is better developed through visual and interactive learning than through text or two-dimensional instruction. For HVAC training specifically, where technicians must understand three-dimensional systems (refrigerant circuits, duct networks, electrical systems) that interact in complex ways, visual instruction has particularly high instructional value.
Visual Academy's appointment of certified master HVACR educator Todd Kler as manager of learning and integration brings professional HVAC educational credentialing into a 3D visual training platform — one of multiple evidence-based HVAC training innovations (alongside Interplay Learning's VR simulation) that are accelerating technician development as the industry works to close a 40,000-plus annual job opening gap.
Todd Kler's Master HVACR Educator Credential
The ACCA-certified Master HVACR Educator designation is not an honorary title — it requires demonstrated competency in teaching HVAC principles, knowledge of industry standards, commitment to continuing education, and peer recognition from the HVAC education community. Educators who hold this credential have invested significantly in the professional development of HVAC teaching capability.
For Visual Academy, hiring a certified master HVACR educator as manager of learning and integration signals an intent to ensure that the company's 3D visual content is not just visually compelling but instructionally sound — aligned with ACCA training standards, sequenced appropriately for technician skill development, and verified to actually produce learning outcomes rather than merely engaging content.
The Competitive Training Technology Landscape
Visual Academy competes in the growing HVAC digital training market alongside Interplay Learning (VR and 3D simulation, named Top EdTech Company by Time and Statista in 2026), manufacturer training programmes (Trane's Advanced Technology Training Center, Bosch's certification centres), and traditional vocational and community college instruction.
The differentiation between these approaches matters for HVAC employers investing in training:
• Visual Academy: 3D visual instruction for conceptual understanding — strongest for teaching how systems work and why components behave as they do
• Interplay Learning: VR simulation for procedural practice — strongest for teaching how to perform specific diagnostic and installation tasks through repeatable simulation
• Manufacturer training centres: Hands-on training on actual equipment — highest fidelity to real-world conditions, limited by facility capacity and geographic access
• Vocational and community college: Comprehensive foundational programmes with certification — highest initial investment but most complete preparation for a technician career
The most effective training programmes combine multiple approaches — conceptual understanding through visual instruction, procedural practice through simulation, and hands-on validation on actual equipment. Visual Academy's appointment of a credentialed HVAC educator positions it to develop content that fits coherently into this multi-modal training ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Visual Academy?
Visual Academy is a Mount Prospect, Illinois-based provider of 3D visual learning content for HVAC and related trades — using three-dimensional equipment visualisations to teach technicians system principles, component interactions, and diagnostic procedures. The company appointed certified master HVACR educator Todd Kler as manager of learning and integration in May 2026.
What is a certified master HVACR educator?
The ACCA-certified Master HVACR Educator designation is a professional credential requiring demonstrated competency in teaching HVAC principles, knowledge of industry standards, commitment to continuing education, and peer recognition from the HVAC education community.
How does 3D visual training differ from other HVAC training methods?
3D visual training (Visual Academy) is strongest for conceptual understanding — teaching how systems and components work through spatial visualisation. VR simulation (Interplay Learning) is strongest for procedural practice. Manufacturer hands-on training is highest fidelity. Effective programmes combine multiple approaches.
