Sounds like a great seminar. We haven't had one here for a long time. The last one I attended was great. It was put on by a group of really experienced judges and we broke into groups and had to set up a test. Each group had to explain why they set their marks up as they did. I learned a great deal about bird placement and factors to consider when setting marks. A long time ago Bill set up a mark for us and we had to tell him how many factors were in that one mark. Being beginners we could see the obvious and picked out 4. Bill then showed us the other 9. It is amazing what will influence the line a dog takes. I think I told the story before about a very funny friend who was running an Amateur under another the friend. When they went to look at the field for the trial it was nothing but wide open space with a bit of a role. Carl said he was delighted and thought his dog would do a great job. The next day when he went to run the test he was amazed to see all these little saplings strategically placed through out the field. He said his dog ping ponged off everyone of them. Afterwards he always reminded our other friend about how she had really put one over on him. Those little trees changed the whole test area and with well placed birds it was no longer a wide open run.
I hope you will continue to pursue judging. The best way to do that is to get involved. Your apprentice system is great. Being paired with an experienced judge is the best kind of learning situation.