Elements is not Creative Cloud (CC) this would not be what the instructor is talking about. There are many tools that are the same but CC is much more powerful and if you're instructor is doing anything other than Photoshop in the class this will not have it, such as Illustrator or Lightroom, etc. Adobe CC (the full suite) is many programs that Adobe has and Photoshop is just one of them. You can get an Adobe CC subscription for just Photoshop and Lightroom for 9.99 a month. The full CC is quite a bit more a month. Go to the Adobe web site and you can see everything they have to offer. Good Luck and have fun!!