With the rise of online education, LinkedIn Learning has become one of the most popular platforms for professional development and skills training. But how effective are LinkedIn Learning courses actually at teaching skills and helping career advancement? Here we analyze key factors like course quality, instructor expertise, and career impact to evaluate the overall effectiveness of LinkedIn Learning.
Course Quality
LinkedIn Learning offers over 15,000 courses spanning business, creative, and technology topics. Courses are generally high quality and well-produced, with clear objectives, structured lessons, and high-quality video. Most courses are 1-2 hours in length, providing a good overview of the topic area. Courses break concepts down into digestible pieces and provide opportunities for learners to follow along. Hands-on exercises and coding challenges allow for practical application of skills. Quizzes reinforce key learnings and certificates of completion validate course progress.
One potential downside is that some courses can feel dated, especially on fast-moving tech topics. However, LinkedIn Learning has been making efforts to keep their library updated with new offerings. They state that 75% of their content library was updated in the last 2 years. Overall, the high production quality, clear structure, and opportunities for hands-on practice make LinkedIn Learning courses a solid learning experience.
Example Course: Design Thinking
The Design Thinking course provides a strong example of LinkedIn Learning course quality. The course outlines the key principles of design thinking in a clear and structured way through video lessons and supporting materials. Real-world examples and interviews with design experts help connect the concepts to practical application. The instructor, Dain Miller, is knowledgeable and engaging. Hands-on activities like prototyping solutions and gathering user feedback allow learners to get first-hand experience with the design thinking process. This course offers robust content and an interactive experience that reinforces learning.
Instructor Expertise
Another major factor impacting LinkedIn Learning course effectiveness is the expertise of the instructors. LinkedIn Learning leverages credible instructors from leading universities and companies to teach their courses. Instructors include expert practitioners and established academics. For example, courses are taught by MIT professors, Apple designers, IBM developers, and more. This high caliber of instructor lends credibility and authority to the learning experience.
Instructors demonstrate deep knowledge of the subject matter in their teaching. They are able to clearly explain complex topics and provide real-world context from their professional experience. Engaging instructors help keep learners focused and interested in the material. However, there is some variability in teaching ability of instructors on the platform. While one instructor may provide an energetic, interactive learning experience, another may simply lecture monotonously. On the whole, though, LinkedIn Learning instructors are knowledgeable and credible, contributing to the learning experience.
Example Instructor: Lillian Pierson
Lillian Pierson is an excellent example of LinkedIn Learning instructor expertise. As a data scientist and educator, she teaches highly-rated courses on topics like data analysis, Python, and machine learning. Her courses are full of helpful real-world examples informed by her industry experience. She explains complex statistical concepts in a clear, approachable manner. Her passion for the subjects comes through in her enthusiastic teaching style. Learners leave her courses with a strong foundation in the topics thanks to her knowledgeable and engaging instruction.
Career Relevance
For many learners, the ultimate test of a LinkedIn Learning course is whether it provides career-relevant skills and helps advance their professional goals. With their focus on business, creative, and technology skills, LinkedIn Learning courses are designed for professional skill-building. Their library includes extensive offerings for in-demand skills like programming, data science, design thinking, and more. This helps workers stay up-to-date on the latest in-demand skills.
In addition to skills training, many courses provide strategic guidance on career advancement. Courses teach learners how to take on leadership roles, navigate career changes, network effectively, ace interviews, and more. For those looking to pivot their skills or accelerate their careers, this career-focused learning can be highly valuable.
However, the direct career impact of each course depends largely on the individual learner’s goals and ability to apply the skills. Some learners may struggle to implement course learnings on the job in a meaningful way. But overall, LinkedIn Learning course focus on in-demand professional skills and career strategy make them valuable for boosting employability.
Example Course: Become a Leader in Your Workplace
The Become a Leader in Your Workplace course provides a prime example of career-focused learning on LinkedIn Learning. Taught by organizational leadership expert Chris Williams, this course gives professionals strategic advice for taking on leadership responsibilities in their current role. Through lessons on managing up, team leadership, influence strategies, and more, learners gain skills to proactively demonstrate leadership potential to their managers. With practical job advice and opportunities to practice leadership scenarios, this course delivers value for workers aiming to advance their careers.
Learning Experience
Beyond just course content, LinkedIn Learning’s overall learning experience impacts its effectiveness for students. One major advantage of LinkedIn Learning is the flexibility it provides. Learners can access courses on desktop or mobile, allowing learning on their own schedule. Most lessons are 3-10 minutes, making it easy to fit quick lessons into a busy day. Offline viewing lets you download courses for traveling or commuting. This flexibility makes consistent learning simple no matter one’s schedule.
LinkedIn Learning also makes it easy to find relevant content through features like learning paths, skill assessments, and personalized recommendations. Learning paths conveniently curate courses into sequences for learning. Assessments suggest skill gaps to focus learning. And recommendations suggest courses based on existing skills and interests. These features help learners hone in on the most relevant content efficiently.
However, some learners may find the self-directed learning experience challenging without the accountability of more traditional education. Without grades or due dates, it can be easy to get off track or distracted. But overall, LinkedIn Learning’s flexible interface and extensive course library make for an engaging self-directed learning experience.
Example Feature: Learning Paths
Learning paths showcase how LinkedIn Learning provides structure for effective self-directed learning. Paths like Become a Data Analyst, Beginner’s Guide to CRM, and Become a Project Manager conveniently curate a sequence of courses to build skills step-by-step. The paths provide direction, helping learners focus their time on the most critical skills to build expertise in the field. Learning paths make self-directed learning organized and efficient.
Cost Value
LinkedIn Learning Plan | Monthly Cost |
---|---|
Premium Career | $29.99 |
Premium | $19.99 |
General | $14.99 |
LinkedIn Learning offers subscriptions plans at price points from $14.99/month up to $29.99/month. General and Premium plans focus just on the LinkedIn Learning course library, while the Premium Career option adds LinkedIn.com resources like job seeking tools and profile features.
Compared to the cost of traditional higher education or bootcamps, LinkedIn Learning represents strong value with quality courses at an accessible price point. With thousands of courses available for one monthly fee, learners can gain extensive skills while keeping costs relatively low. Some users may benefit by pairing self-directed learning on LinkedIn with select one-off course purchases in topics of interest.
For organizations, LinkedIn Learning business plans start at $180 per user per year. Bulk discounts are available for larger teams. Company plan options go up to $360/user/year for the Enterprise tier. The business plans unlock admin tools, learning insights, and integration capabilities beyond the individual user offerings.
Based on the robust course library and career advancement potential, LinkedIn Learning offers strong educational value per dollar spent for both individual learners and teams. The subscription plans make professional skill development financially accessible compared to other learning options.
Certifications
LinkedIn Learning offers certificates of completion for all courses on their platform. Learners can showcase these certificates on their LinkedIn profile to validate their skills. Some learners may opt to only take courses relevant to their goals and skip obtaining certificates. But for those who actively collect certificates, it can be a motivating factor and way to track learning progress. The certificates provide a tangible credential to share with peers and managers.
However, LinkedIn Learning certificates hold less weight compared to more formal credentials like academic degrees, bootcamp certificates, or vendor-specific certifications. Any learner can earn a certificate just by completing a course – no assessment of actual skills or knowledge is required. So hiring managers may not view general LinkedIn Learning certificates as favorably as other skill credentials. The certificates show effort and initiative, but do not guarantee competence on their own.
For more advanced certifications, LinkedIn Learning partners with organizations like Microsoft, Google, and CompTIA to offer exam prep courses for their credential programs. By complementing exam prep content with hands-on learning tools, LinkedIn Learning helps learners meaningfully prepare for these high-value certifications.
Example Certificate: Certified Information Professional (CIP)
LinkedIn Learning’s partnership with the Association for Information Science & Technology to offer CIP exam prep provides an example of more robust credential offerings. Learners supplement the official CIP study guides with LinkedIn Learning practice tests, flashcards, and accelerated review courses. This provides a more thorough training experience for achieving an industry-recognized certification, compared to standalone LinkedIn Learning certificates.
Integration with LinkedIn
One unique aspect of LinkedIn Learning is its integration with LinkedIn’s broader professional network. On an individual level, learners can showcase LinkedIn Learning courses, certificates, and skills directly on their LinkedIn profile. This gives visibility into their professional development journey with peers and potential employers. Learners can also add instructors as connections on LinkedIn to continue learning from them.
For teams, LinkedIn Learning integrates with Talent Solutions products, allowing companies to align learning to skills gaps across the organization. Managers can assign relevant courses to employees and track their learning progress. And the content people consume can inform recommendations within LinkedIn like articles and groups to follow. This integration amplifies the impact of LinkedIn Learning usage across both individual learners and organizations.
Example Integration: Skill Assessments
LinkedIn Learning Skill Assessments showcase how integration with the broader LinkedIn platform can enhance the learning experience. Learners can validate proficiency in skills like Project Management, JavaScript, and Statistical Analysis by taking low-stakes assessments. Results populate the LinkedIn profile, while also informing recommendations for additional LinkedIn Learning courses to continue building expertise. This seamless integration motivates learning progress.
Conclusion
In conclusion, LinkedIn Learning offers reasonably high course quality, knowledgeable instructors, career-focused content, and engaging learning experiences at an affordable price point. The convenience of self-directed online learning along with integration with LinkedIn make it a valuable professional development platform for both individuals and teams.
While LinkedIn Learning may not provide as comprehensive training as degree programs or intensive bootcamps, it offers a diverse library of high quality courses that working professionals can fit flexibly into their schedule. For motivated self-directed learners, LinkedIn Learning platforms, tools, and integration make developing career-relevant skills both accessible and impactful.