yes and yes.
I had been taking pics of the shows at Hersheypark and sharing them with the performers, they always told me how good my pics were, I decided to take the NYI course. After 2 lessons I took some pics at Hersheypark and I thought they were way better than any I had taken before, that thought was verified by the performers when I gave them copies, and each and every one asked what I had done differently because they thought the pictures were better than ever.
I liked the fact that you could progress at your own pace. I also liked the way they critiqued the photo assingments, there was never a negative comment , instead they would point out good things about the pics, then say, maybe next time you might want to try doing this..
I recommend it for anyone that wants to take a course, but has a tight schedule