Tech website to help students master new software

MOLLY SCHINELLER ’18

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past month, the Educational Technology Department succeeded in its push to subscribe Trinity to lynda.com, an educational site that teaches users how to navigate difficult computer software. The website has informational videos ranging from a few minutes to several hours in length, and provides online courses about a broad range of software.

Lynda.com was founded in 1995, towards the beginning of the “online revolution,” during which it has become imperative for people of all ages to be proficient with technology. LinkedIn acquired the company for $1.5 billion in April of 2015, and this large expenditure is not entirely unprecedented given Lynda.com’s all-encompassing applicability. The concept of the site is absolutely cutting-edge in such a technology-driven society.

The new lynda.com subscription will be beneficial to students in a wide array of courses and majors. All Trinity students will come across a few assignments during their college careers that require proficiency in Excel, and may struggle without experience using the program. Lynda.com has over five hours of informational videos about Excel to help students with assignments like these. Environmental science students can turn to Lynda.com’s four ArcGIS courses for a solid foundation in the mapping software, which is incredibly useful for courses in the major. High-level math and engineering courses at Trinity use programs like MATLAB to execute difficult calculations and statistical analysis, and lynda.com can completely change the experience of the software through its many videos outlining tips and tricks.

Courses may begin applying lynda.com videos to homework assignments in the near future. The Trinity Portfolio Program (COLL 199) has already used the site’s video tutorials to learn about the aesthetics of web design.

Many types of software explained on the website are vital additions to any recent graduate’s resume in today’s job market. Students approaching the job search in upcoming years could gain a great deal of power in the workplace by simply logging on to the site and developing proficiency in a few types of software applicable to their field of interest. It is absolutely free and could give students the upper hand during their stressful job-hunting experiences. Those who use LinkedIn for job-related networking can even display certificates of completion of lynda.com courses directly on their LinkedIn profiles.

Faculty members may also benefit from these videos, as most software necessary for teaching courses at the college level was not invented until recently but has now become vital. Lynda.com can assist with learning iOS, Android, Mac and Windows software and shortcuts. By keeping up with the site’s video playlists, professors may find it easier over time to use their new technology.