Online Teaching and Learning
Professional Learning Community
Lesson Plan for LinkedIn Exploration
Lesson objectives:




Allow students to hone networking and
marketplace skills
Allow students to create a viable set of
contacts that can offer guidance,
internships, or job offers
Provide students an opportunity to engage
industry experts in a professional setting
Demonstrate the power and importance of
networking
Summary of possible assigned tasks (all open for
modification to address your course and/or
departmental needs):






Student will begin by creating a free
LinkedIn account
Complete the personal profile, including a
professional photo, work history, skills
expertise, education, etc.
Build a minimum of 20 connections, with at
least 10 being professional
Join at least 5 groups
Post a question/comment in any of these
groups at least 5 separate times
Write one letter of recommendation for a
connection and receive one letter of
recommendation written by a connection
LinkedIn is an online business-oriented social networking
service.
Connecting with someone on LinkedIn is the first step
to building a lasting business relationship, but it takes
timely, relevant conversation to become a trusted and
valued contact.
Notes on application of assignment:







Create milestones within the project and ask students to complete those in a timely manner
Avoid allowing the use of professors to complete the professional connections assignment
Walk students through the development of a good profile – what experience to include/leave out, how to frame
expertise, how to maximize educational experiences, etc.
Groups are collections of people with similar interests, goals, or job responsibilities that wish to pose questions,
share information, or network with others of similar interests. Encourage students to focus on groups that are
related to their professional development, rather than their personal interests.
Explain the need for a qualitative post within the groups – starting a thread, rather than just replying to someone
else’s thread
Show students your own LinkedIn profile, including examples of what a 5-8 sentence recommendation might
contain
Help students understand what sort of documentation you will require – screenshots, print outs, PDFs, etc
Qualitative questions to encourage critical thinking review of assignment:





What was your first thought when told about the LinkedIn exercise/assignment?
Describe your prospecting strategy for linking to people.
What was the best action you took to ensure success?
What were your overall take-away lessons from this exercise?
How might you use LinkedIn to secure employment after graduation?
Presentation Notes: