AP/Tim Post

LinkedIn Learning services have returned to TCC students and staff as of March 4 after they lost access five months ago.   

The removal of access was due to the platform’s diversity, equity and inclusion related courses, which are banned in Texas under Senate Bill 17.  

According to TCC General Counsel, LinkedIn was not able to accommodate restricting access to DEI content for TCC at the time of shutdown, which has since changed. 

All access to DEI content was removed by LinkedIn Learning for TCC in order to keep the college compliant with the ban. 

LinkedIn Learning provides on-demand online learning and certifications that aim to help users learn new skills or update existing skills that can help them stay up to date on skills.  

Vice Chancellor for Communications and External Affairs Reginald Gates said TCC conducted an audit to ensure all learning materials and outlets are SB -17 compliant, with a report to be presented to the board soon. 

“You log in the same way as previously. We worked with LinkedIn to remove any SB 17 violation content, and that’s what we were doing while the site was down,” Gates said. “So we’ve successfully done that, and now the site’s back up.”  

During the disruption, TCC staff were advised to use the internal TCC LearnCenter created by the Organizational Excellence and Development. According to the TCC website, they provide professional development opportunities and continuous learning for all college employees.  

In a statement released before LinkedIn Learning was removed, TCC trustee Laura Pritchett, who ran on a platform lowering taxes for homeowners and removing DEI practices, posted on Facebook that taxpayers and elected officials informed her that TCC was still mandating DEI training for its staff and faculty.  

“Armed with solid evidence, the Chancellor was informed by both Trustee Wood and me that this was unacceptable,” she said. “Furthermore, I communicated to the Chancellor that this behavior by her administration jeopardizes state funding and could possibly have negatively affected enrollment and the College’s standing in the community.”  

TCC’s initial statement said that faculty would provide alternate methods of supplemental student instruction if LinkedIn Learning were to be used in class while it  was unavailable.   

NE student Cohen Hopson, who used LinkedIn Learning for classwork and future professional development through certifications, said it was an important tool for students.  

“I feel like the more platforms we have, the better it is,” Hopson said. “And once something, like an issue like that, arrives, I feel like it needs to be resolved immediately.” 

Adjunct instructor for radio, television and film Seth Small said the resource helped provide flexible course plans for students learning at different speeds.  

“It offers courses that are chaptered and organized. They’ve got sections where it tells you exactly what’s going on with highly trained professionals that are in the industry,” he said. “If a student was struggling with a section, they could always use [LinkedIn Learning] as a reference.”  

However, Small said he felt the initial restriction was unnecessary.  

“It was just an external resource students could use, so it doesn’t seem to be a good way of keeping in compliance with SB-17,” he said.  

Associate professor of photography Ting Huang said along with professional development, she assigned LinkedIn Learning so her students could continue learning off campus.  

“I used LinkedIn Learning for my advanced classes, like storytelling, where we talk about it in the classroom, but they needed reinforcement, and be able to see actual examples,” she said. “When that was taken away, students were upset. They were in the middle of watching a course, but then they couldn’t finish and there was nothing that we could do.” 

Huang asked that school officials be more proactive in providing alternatives to restricted educational materials.  

“I wish that going forward, when they take away resource material from instructors and students, that they have a backup plan or a different platform instead of just leaving us with nothing else to go with,” she said.