In Fall 2020, announcements indicated the release of LinkedIn Learning through SHSU Blackboard courses starting in January 2021. Since its release, faculty and students have started using the resources provided by the content platform, incorporating videos and micro-courses as part of the academic experience in online, hybrid, and face-to-face classes.
Though it is still early in the semester, usage statistics hint at the popularity of LinkedIn Learning at SHSU thus far. In just a matter of weeks, students and faculty have accessed and viewed 1,267 courses across a diverse range of topics, such as are shown below in Table 1. Notably, participants have viewed 7,776 video tutorials, with an average view time of 50 minutes and 58 seconds completed per viewer.
With its capacity to provide badges and micro-credentials for desirable workplace, technical and artistic skills, it is exciting to image how LinkedIn Learning will continue to provide a valuable resource for faculty and students alike. The badging awarded for the completion of LinkedIn Learning content in Blackboard courses serves as proof of a certification in a skill area and it can be displayed proudly in a participant’s public LinkedIn Learning profile.
As the Spring semester is now underway and the adoption of LinkedIn Learning in academic courses is showing a promising lift-off, SHSU Online will shift gears and begin making coordinated efforts to release Phase 2 of the implementation plan.
Phase 2 consists of making LinkedIn Learning available beyond academic courses. It entails providing access to the tool for staff members of the SHSU community, as well as other constituent groups associated with University projects and initiatives.
Working closely with selected departments to bring the LinkedIn Learning experience into professional development projects, SHSU Online will assist by providing access to the tool through Blackboard to participants not enrolled in academic courses. The goal is to make LinkedIn Learning available to all staff, in addition to faculty and students, and to work hand-in-hand with departments like Human Resources and IT to fuel professional development and training opportunities.
Phase 2, which will kick off with making LinkedIn Learning available to SHSU staff, will launch on February 1. For more information about LinkedIn Learning, please contact SHSU Online at Online@shsu.edu.