Online Videos Helpful For Students Learning Off Campus

University of Georgia professor Lloyd P. Rieber says his students have always been encouraged to look for additional resources for their studies. A few years ago, they found lynda.com.

Now, the online training website that features about 1,500 videos will be available to all UGA students, faculty and staff on Nov. 1. Access to lynda.com is available at lynda.uga.edu by using a UGA myID.

“I think this is going to be one of the most popular resources for anyone who wants to learn new skills and technology,” said Rieber, director of Innovation in Teaching and Technology for the UGA College of Education, and professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology.

Rieber’s program is Learning, Design, and Technology — which focuses on cutting-edge computer and technology applications for those in K-12 education, higher education, and training situations in business and industry.

Students in the two-year program are typically working teachers who balance their professional lives with their studies. While one of two classes that students are expected to take each semester is held primarily online, the other meets at the University of Georgia Gwinnett campus.

“It’s critical that they go to lynda.com online at home or at their schools,” said Rieber, who has been integrating lynda.com’s videos in his instruction for the past three years.

But about five or six years ago, some of his students found lynda.com on their own. Rieber is now an enthusiastic fan of the tutorials and has ditched using several printed textbooks in favor of the online videos on lynda.com for his instruction.

“It has always been a challenge for us to find good resources,” he said.

The videos on lynda.com are well produced and easy to understand for people with a variety of skill levels, Rieber said. The website is also well organized and allows users to watch shorter segments of each course. However, Rieber suggests that students view an entire course in order to get an in depth understanding of the material.

The professor — who likes watching videos on his iPad — is even using lynda.com for his personal development.

“I’ve used it for one of my main resources for refreshing my skills,” Rieber said.

Access to lynda.com is being offered as part of a collaboration with the University’s Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS), Human Resources, and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). In 2013, there will be other enhancements to online training and learning at the University.

Visit the Learning and Training section of our website for more information about all of the online training resources available through EITS.