Kent State University has an extensive list of class options for students. The university also offers numerous training options for faculty and staff through various departments. But where can a member of the Kent State community go to find a self-paced, free course on “Coping with Impostor Syndrome to Build Career Confidence,” “Learning LinkedIn for Students” and even “Writing Emails People Want to Read”? What about specifics for a job, like “CSS: Design Systems'' for developers, “Managing Your Anxiety While Presenting” and quick tips on using Excel, PowerPoint, Word or Photoshop? The answer is closer than one might think.
LinkedIn Learning takes the spotlight in this edition of “Where on the Web?”
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) gives the Kent State community access to an online training library with more than 13,000 courses covering business, technology and creative topics.
Tom Mahon, the manager of training and outreach for Kent State’s Division of Information Technology, teaches the benefits of LinkedIn Learning to the students in his classroom and within the department’s informational workshops. Unlike most textbooks or other online content, LinkedIn Learning is updated often to include the most current information, Mahon said.
In 2019, Kent State began its partnership with LinkedIn Learning, giving its students, faculty and staff unlimited access to the platform’s online learning courses.
“LinkedIn Learning is owned by Microsoft, and with those kinds of resources behind it,the material is very current, and it’s very professionally curated,” Mahon said.
The relevancy and professionalism of the LinkedIn Learning is what Mahon says sets the videos apart from other platforms such as YouTube.
While YouTube videos can be extremely useful, they can also be outdated and unprofessional, Mahon said. LinkedIn Learning avoids this by constantly updating the material with credible sources and resources.
Thanks to the university's partnership, all Kent State students, staff and faculty have a Pro Access account. One of the features this unlocks is the ability for users to download videos for later reference, allowing users to access material for reference at any time, something that YouTube and other platforms do not offer.
There is no end date on when these resources can be accessed. Users are able to go back and review the materials indefinitely, unlike when a class ends and students are no longer able to access the content on Canvas, Mahon said.
Mahon is one of the many instructors at Kent State who use the resources of LinkedIn Learning within his classroom. Often assigning videos to give students as many resources as possible to understand a topic.
“The way I use it is to support whatever they are doing in the classroom that day,” Mahon said. “What I’ll do is I’ll find videos in LinkedIn Learning that specifically discuss the same materials, so that the students have another way of reinforcing those learning outcomes in an asynchronous mode.”
Faculty can easily embed videos into Canvas as part of their learning modules for class, making it easier for the students to access the information. But there’s no need for students to wait for instructors to find content for them. They can access it at any time on their own.
Some of the most popular topics among Kent State users, according to Mahon, include Adobe Suite, Microsoft Excel and Customer Service videos. When users complete topics like these, they are able to add a badge to their LinkedIn profiles, displaying their skills to potential employers.
“As they go to do their job search, prospective employers can see the material they’ve completed in the LinkedIn Learning system,” Mahon said.
To add this tool to their arsenal, all Kent State users need to do is visit training.kent.edu. Once they log in with a FlashLine account, they can access their LinkedIn Learning account through the website’s tabs or by visiting www.linkedin.com/learning.
To learn more about the Division of Information Technology, visit www.kent.edu/it.