Learning with Lynda.com at The University of EdinburghIssue Six - November 2018

Welcome to issue sixSo here we are - November already. How did that happen? The Summer sun seems to be nothing more than a distant memory. Shorts and shirts swapped for woolly jumpers and bobble hats. The smell of BBQs and freshly cut grass in the Meadows traded for evenings wrapped up inside with a mug of hot chocolate.

But don't be sad. Just because the BBQs have stopped doesn't mean learning has to. With Semester one now in full swing, it's a great time for you to think about learning some new skills or improving those existing skills. Whether you've been asked to use a new piece of software as part of your studies or work, want to develop your presentation, research or statistics skills, or you're simply interested in learning something new, Lynda.com is there to help. If you're at a

loss where to start with Lynda.com, don't panic - we've pulled together some content to get you started.In this issue we'll take a look at:

The very latest Lynda.com usage figures for our University The brand-new Digital Skills Framework for staff and students making use

of Lynda.com courses, videos and playlists Three new and exciting Lynda.com courses you'll not want to miss WriteFest 2018 - improving your academic writing skills with the IAD and

Lynda.com How to publish your Lynda.com course completion certificates to your

LinkedIn profile

Lynda.com at UoE by numbersThe Lynda.com service at The University of Edinburgh continues to go from strength to strength with over 1,200 new users in September 2018 alone. Below are just some of the headline figures so far.

If you've yet to create your free Lynda.com account and would like to know how, visit our Lynda.com account creation and access webpage.

Lynda.com resources added to new Digital Skills FrameworkDeveloping the digital skills of our staff and students is at the forefront of University strategy and underpins many of the University’s activities. Included in this is the organisation’s digital transformation drive towards a culture where every student is a digital student, every educator is a digital educator and everyone is constantly planning and updating their digital skills.In September, the Digital Skills and Training   team (Information Services Group) launched the Digital Skills Framework - a tool to help staff and students evaluate their current levels of digital capability, reflect on development needs, plan a development path and find ways to develop digital skills.

The Framework provides access to over 500 digital skills resources and training courses, of which over 330 are from Lynda.com. If you feel like you spend more time looking at the vast Lynda.com library trying to decide what to learn about than actually learning, why not perform a digital skills self-assessment   using the Digital Skills Framework? The assessment tool is currently available for staff, and we're aiming to release it to students in the coming weeks.Once you've found out which digital capabilities you could improve, simply open the Framework's Resource Finder   and filter the table by the capability you're interested in finding resources for. You can show only Lynda.com resources by selecting the Lynda.com option within the Delivery Method Field.

Find out more about the Digital Skills Framework by launching it using the button below.Launch the Digital Skills Framework

The latest Lynda.com coursesSince the beginning of October, Lynda.com have added over 100 brand new courses to their library, and are adding more on a daily basis. We've looked through the new additions and picked out three we think you may be interested in.Security Tips WeeklySecurity isn't just a concern for the tech savvy among us. It matters to everyone with a digital footprint. In this weekly series, instructor Scott Simpson shares practical tips that can help anyone broaden their knowledge of security—no technical pedigree required. Scott dives into topics ranging from password managers to phishing emails, sharing strategies and tools that can help you become more aware of your own security and how to keep your information safe. Tune in every Monday for a brand-new tip.

Subjects: IT | Security Skill level: Appropriate for all Duration:16m 4s Release Date: 01/10/2018 Updated: 22/10/2018Take me to the Security Tips Weekly course on Lynda.com

Photoshop CC 2019 Essential Training: DesignAdobe Photoshop is a powerful program used across many industries, from art and design to scientific imaging. This course was created specifically to help designers master this complex technology, with the goal of removing technical barriers so you can start creating as soon as possible. Photoshop CC 2019 boasts tools and features for making tonal and colour adjustments, applying effects and treatments to type and graphics, and distorting, filtering, and layering elements—all while maintaining the highest-quality output. In this course, Julieanne Kost demonstrates how to efficiently perform common design tasks, including editing images, drawing shapes, and working with type and fonts. As she helps you master key Photoshop features, she shares practical tips for boosting your productivity.

Subjects: Design | Illustration | Photography | Masking & Compositing Skill level: Beginner Duration: 4h 35m Release Date: 19/10/2018Take me to the Photoshop CC 2019 Essential Training: Design Lynda.com course

R for Data Science: Lunchbreak LessonsProgramming is learned in small bits. You build on basic concepts. You transfer the knowledge you already have to the next language. Lunch Break Lessons teaches R—one of the most popular programming languages for data analysis and reporting—in short lessons that expand on what existing programmers already know.

The five minutes you spend each week will provide you with a building block you can use in the next two hours at work. Review language basics, discover methods to improve existing R code, explore new and interesting features, and learn about useful development tools and libraries that will make your time programming with R that much more productive.Subjects: Big Data | IT Skill Level: Intermediate Duration: 2h 57m Release Date: 01/10/2018 Updated: 24/10/2018Take me to the R for Data Science: Lunchbreak Lessons Lynda.com course

WriteFest 2018 - improve your academic writing with the IAD and Lynda.comNovember is Academic Writing Month. This annual event is as a way to support academic writing via the #AcWriMo hashtag on Twitter.This month (November 2018), the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) will be running WriteFest, a local contribution to this academic writing month with the aim of bringing people together to raise awareness and celebrate academic writing. Local support will be communicated and shared via the #AcWriFest18.

Writing is one of the areas that the IAD offer the most support. They run writing retreats, have courses on many different aspects of writing (see the lists for postgraduate researchers and research staff) available face to face and online and a number of resources on different writing topics.During November, the IAD will be running a dedicated programme of writing support – this can be found on the IAD WriteFest webpages.In addition to the fantastic support and resources available through WriteFest and the IAD, Nicola Cuthbert (Research Development Manager - IAD) has produced a Lynda.com WriteFest playlist consisting of some excellent writing related courses.Take me to the IAD's Lynda.com Writefest playlist**when the playlist loads, click on the Copy button to copy and view the WriteFest playlist.

Show off your Lynda.com certificates on LinkedInAfter completing an entire Lynda.com course (course must be completed to 100%) you will be presented with a certificate of completion. Not only are certificates a useful way to keep a record of your learning, but they're also a great way to showcase the new skills you've gained through your use of Lynda.com.Certificates can be printed as PDF files, shared via custom links, shared as status updates to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, or published to the Certifications section of your LinkedIn profile.Publishing a Lynda.com certificate to LinkedInAs long as you have a LinkedIn account, you can publish any Lynda.com certificate to it in a few quick and easy steps:

1. Open and log into Lynda.com. Click on your name at the top right-hand corner and choose Certificates.

2. Click on the Share button next to the certificate you wish to publish to LinkedIn.

3. When the Share or post this certificate of completion dialog box opens, click on the Add to profile button within the Post to LinkedIn profile section.

4. When LinkedIn opens, log into your account (if not already logged in).5. Click on the Publish to Profile button then click on the LinkedIn logo at

the top left-hand of the website.6. Scroll down to the Certifications section of your LinkedIn profile to view

your Lynda.com certificates.To make things even easier, we've also outlined the above process in the short video which can be viewed here: https://spark.adobe.com/video/KryOhoEDWDcV7

Getting in touch with usWe'd love to hear about your experience using Lynda.com. Whether you're a student, academic or professional services staff member, if you've used Lynda.com and you've found it useful, please let us know. Drop Andy an email at andy.todd@ed.ac.uk or phone 0131 650 4950.We also enjoy sharing new and exciting Lynda.com content and news on our Twitter account, so why not have a look and give us a follow?Full information on using Lynda.com can be found on our Lynda.com support pages of the Digital Skills and Training website.Unsubscribe from this newsletterAs ever, we hope that you have found this newsletter to be informative and useful and are looking forward to receiving the next issue. If not, no problem. Find out how to unsubscribe from this mailing list.If you've missed any of our previous issues or would like to view them in an alternative format, visit our Lynda.com social media and newsletters webpage.That's all for this issue. Thanks again for reading and keep your eyes peeled for issue seven to be released in 2019.