@jaz
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE A THREAD THAT MAY ANSWER YOUR CONCERN
Read the entire thread and take the time to visit the various links. You don’t mention how much time is available for the students to learn how to use SU and Layout. It may be possible that a video conference similar to Google Hangouts could be arranged with a Sage or a knowledgeable user to offer some basic instruction.
Even though you have not had an overly positive experience with the tutorial videos, many SketchUp users including myself have become proficient after studying these tools. I urge you to give them all a closer look. Finally, I recommend the works of Bonnie Roskes and Aidan Chopra, both of whom can be located through a Google search of their names.