Chelsea Hoag, Campus Carrier Managing Editor

Terri Sills, BITS Student Work Coordinator, sent an email Monday notifying the Berry community about updates to the Skillport library. The newly updated videos are shorter, now around three to five minutes and cover a wider variety of topics. 

Skillport is a web-based, electronic-learning portal allowing access to a range of training resources such as Microsoft, Adobe, QuickBooks Pro, App development, coding and basic Windows and Mac training. The videos are professionally scripted and filmed. 

Berry first used a similar database called LearnKey then switched to Skillport in early 2012. 

Through Skillport, users can not only access a variety of instructional and assessment learning assets, but also follow training plans and report progress and test scores to supervisors. 

Photo courtesy of skillport.com

Sills said BITS hopes that the new, shorter videos will provide a quick reference for on-the-job problem solving and give a practical resource for learning new skills. 

Content on software such as LearnKey and Skillport used to be longer and more strenuous because students lacked computer knowledge at the time and needed the extra training to build fundamental skills. 

The purpose for making the tutorial videos shorter, other than busy schedules and short attention spans, is to target those coming into Berry who have prior training and knowledge of computer software basics learned in high school. The new tutorials have more modern applications. 

“Anyone on campus could benefit from the training provided because there is such a depth of training material,” Sills said. “It’s a great tool for student supervisors who are looking to train students in different aspects of running an office, QuickBooks or how to do something they aren’t totally aware of doing themselves.” 

The student work office used the tools on Skillport to train their students. 

Robin Holt is the coordinator for berry student enterprises and student work training. Her role is to help students fill in the gaps between what they learn in the classroom and skills needed to do well in the workforce. 

Along with helping Berry students face-to-face, the student enterprise program is in the process of starting a video series completely tailored to the Berry community in addition to the free aid through Skillport.

“It will take a couple of weeks before the video series airs, and we are still deciding where to stream online in order to get the most viewers,” Holt said.   

The first episode teaches viewers correct business phone etiquette and in the process of being filmed.