LinkedIn

LinkedIn, founded in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly, is a social networking platform that focuses on professional networking and career development.

General features

  • Networking: Users can search and connect with specific people that suit their professional network. Users may also follow people, groups, institutions, influencers, and hashtags.
  • Creator Mode: Users may showcase their preferred hashtags with the audience to enable quick access to posted content.
  • Reactions: Users may react to posts by choosing a reaction like love, support or thumb up to express an opinion.
  • Name Pronunciation: Users may use the feature to enable the correct pronunciation of their name and display it on their profile.
  • Video meetings: It is possible to network via video meetings.
  • Edit posts: Users can edit their posts after they have posted them. However, pictures cannot be changed.
  • Featuring posts: Users may feature their favourite posts on their profile.
  • Event tabs and event creation: LinkedIn events enable users to host events. Logos, banners, and schedules may be attached.
  • Photo frames: To enhance their personal marketing, users may add #hiring, #opentowork to their profile pictures.

 

Main teaching features

  • LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn learning is provided to students by many institutions and can provide an extended social learning space. You can consider leading students to subject-specific courses that enhance classroom learning and that enable the students’ professional development.
  • Group formation: You can form subject-specific, courses specific or module-specific groups for students to join. You can engage the students in those groups through the provision of learning content and links to learning resources or course announcements.
  • Hashtags: You can create your subject-specific hashtag if you work with students on LinkedIn. You may also consider identifying suitable hashtags for students to join to acquire knowledge.
  • Development of online presence: You can teach students how to develop their online presence, professional profiles, and the best ways to connect with potential professional networks and institutions.
  • Assignments using LinkedIn for research: You can prepare assignments for students to use LinkedIn as a research tool to search and explore topic-specific information.
  • Networking: You can encourage students to develop a professional network based on their career plans. You may provide instructions and guidance about best practices.
  • Skills showcasing: You can endorse your students for specific skills or provide LinkedIn recommendations.

 

Main concerns

  • Offer overload: LinkedIn learning may be overwhelming due to its broad range of course offers and resources. There are over 16,000 courses in 7 languages (German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, English, and Portuguese).
  • Lack of inclusion: The learning courses may appear standardised and may not suit all students.
  • Time: Building a professional network is time-consuming.
  • Third-party advertising: LinkedIn uses the user’s data and information, that they own, to allow third parties to conduct targeted advertising.
  • Spam: LinkedIn feed is often associated with spam ads and messages.

Read more about how to stay safe online go to:

⇒ Online Safety and Planning Checklist

⇒ Online safety and wellbeing: Self-Help

 

Questions before you start

  • Do you know what your students’ potential career paths are? Knowing this you may support them to find the right audience and connections on LinkedIn.
  • Does your institution support LinkedIn learning?
  • Do you plan to tailor your activities and choose subject-specific LinkedIn Learning courses that extend the students’ knowledge?
  • Do you intend to set up LinkedIn learning groups to encourage engagement and social learning interaction?
  • Do you provide endorsements and LinkedIn recommendations to support your students’ professional development?
  • Do you know what major groups, hashtags, and communities are in your field?

 

Case study

This case derives from my application on LinkedIn for teaching Digital Advertising to third-year undergraduate students. I have used LinkedIn in two ways.

  1. I have introduced basic concepts as an extension to classroom teaching via LinkedIn learning. I have split specific courses into rations across the term and linked the specific section, weekly, in the virtual learning platform. The students benefited learning from different perspectives, and it encouraged them to obtain the certificate at the end of the course.
  1. I have promoted and engaged students in well-being activities as part of my module (see Student Wellbeing | Christa Sathish) and in agreement with the students sharing the acquired knowledge with the LinkedIn network using appropriate hashtags. This motivated students to contribute to the sessions as they saw the positivity of their contributions published and it created general awareness of the importance of such activities in the classroom.

 

Useful links