by Ryan Johnson, I-Tech
With the holidays around the corner, maybe you have some extra time for online learning. I recently came across these five rules for using courses on Lynda.psu.edu and I thought I would share them with everyone:
- Start small
- Use the three-scan rule
- Schedule time to learn
- Don’t feel that you always need to complete the courses
- Check back often for new courses
Start small. Choose three courses of interest and begin by watching the lynda.com “welcome movie,” which introduces the author and learning objectives, much like a movie trailer. Check the course level to make sure it matches your experience (beginner, intermediate, advanced).
Use the three-scan rule. Watch and listen once for content. Watch a second time and zero in on detail. Then try the action yourself.
Schedule time to learn. Try to set aside one hour per week in your calendar for online learning. Treat it like any other meeting or call. Consider going to a quiet place to learn, away from your usual work environment.
Don’t feel that you always need to complete the courses. Society tells us we always have to finish everything, to start at beginning and go to end. With Lynda.com, skipping around or using it for just-in-time learning is fine as long as you’re getting what you need. Lynda.com courses are broken into small bites, so you can come in get exactly what you need at the time.
Check back often for new courses. Lynda.com releases new courses every week. You will regularly get an email advertising the new course.