Have you met Lynda? In a recorded video of her 2009 presentation to AIGA Santa Barbara, co-founder Lynda Weinman described Lynda.com as a “member-supported online learning platform” offering 40,000 video tutorials in various software programs for designers, photographers, animators and more.
In Jan. 2010, SCAD joined other universities and companies like Time Warner that subscribe to Lynda.com, providing currently enrolled students, staff and faculty unlimited access to learning tutorials of their choosing.
Previously, access was generic for all SCAD users. For example, if a student watched a video tutorial on CSS Workflow, the system did not track the student’s progress in the program.
Now, SCAD has upgraded the university’s membership to Lynda.com Campus, where individuals can access Lynda.com and set up a personal profile. This will allow users to automatically track their progress in multiple tutorials whenever they access Lynda.com via the link provided in MySCAD. Also, users can now download exercises and choose the option to print certificates of completion.
To access Lynda.com, log in to MySCAD, and click the link for Lynda.com under Student Workspace.
The Lynda.com Web site provides a wealth of information on the company background and recommended uses, including testimonials by users who were hired for jobs as a result of their training, and the back story on the company’s creation by co-founders Weinman and her husband Bruce Heavin. Of particular note to SCAD students might be the duo’s discussion of Lynda.com’s creation and logo inspiration.
SCAD encourages students to make use of Lynda.com as an easy, now personalized, method of supplementing one’s education, preparing for the job market and developing and promoting personal work.
