31664_19X13(4UP)-6X9-CutStack.pdf 62 Journal of Business Strategies LINKEDIN LEARNING: A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR CPE CREDITS Jodi Olson Winona State University • Winona, MN Joann Segovia Winona State University • Winona, MN ABSTRACT This article describes the continuing professional education opportunities available for CPAs through LinkedIn Learning training courses. Practitioners will likely find the affordability, ease of use, and breadth of content valuable to them in their practice of public accounting for CPE, while also utilizing the resources for staff development and client services. Key Words: CPE, LinkedIn Learning, NASBA Registry, QAS Self Study INTRODUCTION CPAs may gain affordable, easily accessible continuing professional education (CPE) credits through LinkedIn Learning, which has recently become a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) approved sponsor for training courses. NASBA provides regulatory guidance, as much as possible, across state boards of accountancy to facilitate uniformity for educational requirements to sit for the CPA exam (Mastracchio, 2008) and compliance with CPE to maintain credentials once an individual becomes licensed (Humphrey, Plunkett & Herring, 1988). Currently, variation exists among state boards for CPE rules, but many states require NASBA or other authoritative approval of courses for at least a percentage of their CPAs’ continuing education as a benchmark of quality (CPE Requirements, n.d.). LinkedIn Learning purchased Lynda.com in 2015 which was founded in 1995 as a resource for helping students with academics and professional skills. Trained experts provide video tutorials for online learning. In December 2018, LinkedIn Learning became part of the NASBA Registry (Porter, 2015; NASBA Registry, n.d.). LinkedIn Learning now provides access to 700+ NASBA approved courses to earn CPE credits (linkedinlearning.com). This paper describes this affordable, easy to use resource, with relevant content for CPAs who need to fulfill CPE credits. Volume 38 Number 1 63 AFFORDABILITY AND EASE OF USE LinkedIn Learning provides an unlimited potential for CPE at an affordable price. In addition, the membership allows users to access non-CPE related interests such as training for staff development or client services. An individual can subscribe to the LinkedIn Learning website either on an individual or organizational basis. Individuals can obtain a one-month free trial with a continuing membership fee of $29.99 per-month on a month-to-month basis, or $19.99 per month on an annual basis. Governmental or corporate entities should call (844) 587-5735 for a customized quote based on number of employees served. A subscription includes unlimited use of 15,000+ courses available in five languages and LinkedIn Learning adds and updates courses weekly (linkedinlearning. com). According to a live chat with a LinkedIn Learning representative, (personal communication, November 17, 2019) the free trial period has no limitations on function, including earning CPE credits and printing certificates. The representative also verified that some libraries have subscriptions to LinkedIn Learning and patrons can access courses using their library card. To earn CPE at a library, patrons create accounts using their library card under the library’s subscription and have full access to courses and CPE certificates. With a username and password, one can access the LinkedIn Learning website from a computer or phone. Then one can search for NASBA approved courses by selecting “NASBA” in a “Continuing Education Units” filter. When considering videos, access the course overview information which clearly identifies NASBA certifications, the CPE credits earned upon completion, and the “field of study” in the content (Figure 1). Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview 64 Journal of Business Strategies Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview (continued) Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Figure 1 LinkedIn Learning NASBA Approved Course Overview Volume 38 Number 1 65 Alternatively, users can access courses through the NASBA Registry course library and filtered base on subject matter (Course Library, n.d.). By choosing the course this way, LinkedIn Learning retrieves the selected course. For firms wanting to preselect coursework for staff, administrators can develop playlists to share with their staff to assure the user views the desired content. Also, because of LinkedIn Learning’s affiliation with LinkedIn, new skills can transfer to individual LinkedIn profiles at the user’s discretion. Upon completion of a course, users can easily download and print CPE Certificates for CPE tracking by answering correctly 70% of the end of the course quiz questions. The website also tracks earned CPE for its members (linkedinlearning. com). See Figure 2 for an example of a CPE certificate which clearly states relevant course information at the bottom, including field of study, earned CPE credits, and NASBA approval. Figure 2 LinkedIn Learning CPE Certificate Figure 2 LinkedIn Learning CPE Certificate 66 Journal of Business Strategies RELEVANT CONTENT NASBA and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) jointly publish “The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE)”, as a framework for state boards to use in regulating CPE requirements. As last updated in December 2019, the statement refers to fields of study as “primary knowledge” needed to practice as a CPA (Statement on Standards, 2019; Fields of Study, 2019). The fields of study are published in a separate report, “Fields of Study That Qualify for Continuing Professional Education,” and separates the subjects into thirteen technical and seven non-technical groups (CPE Requirements, n.d.). Table 1 presents the thirteen technical fields of study with the number of NASBA approved LinkedIn Learning courses available for each. For each field, an example of a LinkedIn Learning course with the related CPE credits available is provided (Course Library, n.d.). Table 1 NASBA Technical Fields of Study (236 LinkedIn Learning Courses Available) For the seven non-technical fields of study, 186 LinkedIn Learning courses exist. Table 2 presents the non-technical fields of study with 539 available LinkedIn Learning courses (Course Library, n.d.). Table 1 NASBA Technical Fields of Study (236 LinkedIn Learning Courses Available) Field # of Available courses Example of One Available Course within the Field CPE Hours Accounting 5 QuickBooks Pro 2019 Essential Training 7.4 Accounting (Governmental) 0 Auditing 1 Audit and Due Diligence Foundations 3.8 Auditing (Governmental) 0 Business Law 4 Understanding Copyright: A Deeper Dive 2 Economics 2 Excel: Economic Analysis and Data Analytics 2.4 Finance 25 Forecasting Using Financial Statements 3.4 Information Technology 108 Learning C 5.4 Management Services 31 Enterprise Agile: Changing Your Culture 2.2 Regulatory Ethics 0 Specialized Knowledge 2 R Programming in Data Science 2.6 Statistics 10 Data Analytics for Business Professionals 2.8 Taxes 0 Volume 38 Number 1 67 Table 2 NASBA Non-Technical Fields of Study (587 LinkedIn Learning Courses Available) As of this writing, non-technical courses far outnumber technical courses, but a sizeable number exist in both categories. Though many state boards do not put requirements on technical versus non-technical fields of study, some do have a minimum level of technical and non-technical CPE credits to be earned for each reporting cycle (CPE Requirements, n.d.). Practicing CPAs will likely want to have certain technical skills updated, regardless of the rules of their jurisdiction; unfortunately, LinkedIn Learning currently provides a limited number of courses in the accounting, auditing, and tax fields of study. However, given that most states require an average of 40 hours every year of CPE, LinkedIn Learning’s content can provide some of the required hours. Many states require a minimum number of ethics hours per reporting period. Tables 1 and 2 show limited courses in the Regulatory Ethics and Behavioral Ethics fields of study, yet a search for NASBA specific “ethics” courses within LinkedIn Learning will yield many more results. LinkedIn Learning labels these additional courses as other fields of study such as Business Management & Organization or Personal Development. In addition to NASBA approved LinkedIn Learning courses, some state boards do allow self-study courses not on the NASBA registry and users could use LinkedIn Learning courses for these additional credits. For example, the Lease course shown in Figure 3 did not have NASBA approval in the “accounting” technical area as Table 2 NASBA Non-Technical Fields of Study (587 LinkedIn Learning Courses Available) Field # of Available courses Example of One Available Course within the Field CPE Hours Behavioral Ethics 3 Project Management Foundations: Ethics 1.8 Business Management & Organizations 53 Measuring Business Performance 2.8 Communications and Marketing 124 Brand & Marketing Integration 1.6 Computer Software & Applications 209 Excel 2019 Essential Training 4 Personal Development 109 Learning to Be Approachable 1 Personnel/Human Resources 59 Managing Organization Changes for Managers 2.4 Production 9 Lean Inventory Management 2 68 Journal of Business Strategies of November, 2019, but now approval has been granted. A state board may have allowed the content for CPE back in 2019 before NASBA approval, since GAAP recently had changed accounting for leases and one of the instructors, a Professor of Accounting at Brigham Young University, had just developed the course (October 31, 2019). The topic seems quite relevant to those having leeway to take CPE courses outside of the NASBA registry and would have qualified back in 2019. Figure 3 Accounting Foundations: Leases (LinkedIn Learning Course) Figure 3 Accounting Foundations: Leases (LinkedIn Learning Course) Volume 38 Number 1 69 Figure 3 Accounting Foundations: Leases (LinkedIn Learning Course), (continued) METHOD OF DELIVERY LinkedIn Learning marks all NASBA approved LinkedIn Learning courses as “Quality Assurance Service (QAS) Self Study”. NASBA developed this standard to assess the value of self-study courses. Each NASBA approved course goes through an in-depth instructional design review to determine if the course meets the standards required for listing on the NASBA Registry (QAS Self Study, n.d.) Some state boards also put restrictions on self-study courses. They may limit the number of CPE credits to one-half of the number of hours needed in a reporting cycle while some jurisdictions allow 100% of a CPA’s CPE from a self- study delivery method. Figure 3 Accounting Foundations: Leases (LinkedIn Learning Course) 70 Journal of Business Strategies CLIENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITY CPAs can better serve their clients with knowledge of LinkedIn Learning training opportunities. Clients may have professional staff that could use CPE credits for their area of expertise. LinkedIn Learning offers approved CPE credit hours to earn or maintain credentials in project management, human resources, and business analysis. Also, CPAs can direct clients needing help with a certain software application to LinkedIn Learning for help with Microsoft products such as Excel or Access, or small business accounting software such as QuickBooks or Sage, or data analytics platforms such as Tableau. Clients can also obtain CPAs’ recommendations for other learning opportunities such as help with determining which software or hardware to select or increasing soft skills needed for potential staffing issues or cultural challenges through LinkedIn. These recommendations from CPAs could provide a valuable service to clients and save the CPA time. CONCLUSION Since state boards of accountancy review and approve CPE, one needs to understand their state’s requirements. However, the inclusion of LinkedIn Learning as a sponsor in the NASBA Registry sends a clear message to the profession that these video tutorials can provide affordable, easily accessible CPE with a breadth of content. Furthermore, given the free trial period and free access with a library card at a public library, the opportunity to assess this as a viable option for CPE credits comes at no risk to the practitioner. Therefore, it is recommended that accounting practitioners consider LinkedIn Learning for CPE, staff development, and client service. REFERENCES Course Library. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from NASBA Registry website: https://www.nasbaregistry.org/course-library?&searchTerm=linkedin%20 l e a r n i n g & c a t e g o r i e s = 8 A C B 7 3 4 4 - 5 0 5 6 - B 7 3 3 - 4 9 0 6 A B 6 8 9 4 5 A A A 39&searchgroup=00000001-course-library CPE Requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from NASBA website: https:// www.nasbaregistry.org/cpe-requirements Fields of Study. (2019, December). Retrieved July 28, 2020, from NASBA Registry website: https://www.nasbaregistry.org/__media/Documents/2019- standards-and-fos/Fields-of-Study-Document---December-2019.pdf Humphries, F.A., Plunkett, L. M., & Herring, R. B. (1988). Let’s Make Required CPE Rules Uniform. Journal of Accountancy, 166(6), 70-74. Volume 38 Number 1 71 NASBA Registry. (n.d.). National Registry for CPE Sponsors. Retrieved June 16,2020 from NASBA Registry website: https://www.nasbaregistry.orgsponsor- list?&azletter=L&searchgroup=2099EC2E-exhibitors Mastracchio Jr., N. J. (2008). The Role of NASBA and State Boards in Accounting Education. CPA Journal, 78(3), 64-69. Porter, J. (2015, April 27). From Near Failure To A $1.5 Billion Sale: The Epic Story of Lynda.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www. fastcompanycom/3045404/from-near-failure-to-a-15-billion-sale-the-epic- story-of-lyndacom QAS Self Study. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2020 from https://www.nasbaregistryorg/ preparing-to-apply/qas-self-study Russel, M. (2018, December 3). CPAs – Earn Your Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Units Anytime, Anywhere on LinkedIn Learning. Retrieved June16, 2020, from https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/whats-new/cpas-_-earn- your continuing-professional-education--cpe--units-a Statement on Standards. (2019, December). The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from NASBARegistry website: https://www.nasbaregistry.org/__media/Documents/ 2019-standards-and-fos/Statement_on_Standards_for_CPE_Programs- December-2019.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2020. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHORS Jodi Olson is an Assistant Accounting Professor at Winona State University. She has a Doctorate in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University. She is a CPA and a CMA. Her research interests focus on accounting education. Joann Segovia, CPA, Professor at Winona State University, obtained her doctorate degree at Texas Tech. Her research interests focus on accounting education and accounting information systems. 72 Journal of Business Strategies