CodePath + Pluralsight: Getting Started!

CodePath + Pluralsight

CodePath.org, a nonprofit striving to eliminate inequities in tech education, has partnered with Pluralsight, a leading online platform for technical skill development, to provide CodePath.org students and student leaders with free access to Pluralsight's vast online library of professional grade technical skill development content. This partnership was made possible by a generous grant from Pluralsight One, Pluralsight's nonprofit social enterprise.

An Optional Benefit for CodePath Student Leaders & Students

Because Pluralsight licenses are limited, CodePath has prioritized making them available to CodePath student leaders (Gurus, Tech Fellows, Technical Support Representatives/Teaching Assistants) and as many students as possible.

With over 10,000 courses available spanning software development, cybersecurity, data science and numerous other topics, Pluralsight's platform is a valuable way to assess technical proficiency, acquire new technical skills, measure progress throughout one's individual learning journey, and help jumpstart a life-changing technical career.

If you are invited to receive a Pluralsight license, it's important to note that watching or interacting with Pluralsight content is an optional benefit, not a mandatory requirement. CodePath's only intent is to make Pluralsight's high quality skill development and certification prep resources available to students and student leaders at no cost. How much, or little, time you spend taking advantage of this resource is up to you, and will not impact your participation in any CodePath program in any way.

Because we have a limited set of licenses, please consider letting CodePath know if you have accepted a license but are no longer using it, and would be willing to give up your license so that it can be made available to someone else! Just email [e-mail].

Getting Started

Once you've accepted your invitation from CodePath to activate a free Pluralsight account, you will have unlimited access to Pluralsight's entire catalog of content for the duration of your license. So feel free to jump right in by browsing to the Pluralsight library home page, and then start searching for the content of interest to you!

Because there is so much content to choose from, and several different platform features designed to guide your learning experience, here are a few resources you can checkout to help get oriented to the breadth and depth of the Pluralsight platform:

Pluralsight How-To Videos for CodePath Learners

The following brief videos were created by Pluralsight to specifically help CodePath students and student leaders get started with the Pluralsight platform.

• Home page overview and search functionality (10:23)
• Video courses/content features (13:25)
• Paths/certification prep content (14:47)
• Pluralsight channels (11:41)

The above videos are also referenced by this YouTube playlist.

Pluralsight How-To Videos for Everyone

The following videos were similarly created by Pluralsight to help orient new learners (not specific to CodePath) to their platform.

• Getting started on Pluralsight Skills: Explore
• Getting started on Pluralsight Skills: Search
• Course and video player tools
• Assess yourself with Skill IQ + Role IQ
• Paths and preparing for certification
• Desktop players, mobile apps & offline viewing
• NEXT STEPS for advancing your tech skills

The above videos are also referenced by this YouTube playlist.

CodePath "Company Channels" (in pluralsight.com)

Within the pluralsight.com platform, a "channel" is a playlist-like construct that allows links (URLs) to be grouped together and sequenced in an arbitrary manner for convience. While those links often refer to Pluralsight courses, paths and "Skill IQ" (adaptive assessments), channels can also includes links to anything that is uniquely addressable via a URL.

To facilitate getting started, CodePath has created the following channels, which you can access by clicking the links below or going to the Company Channels area of your account.

• Introduction to Web App Development
• Cyber Security
• Android App Development with Kotlin
• iOS App Development with Swift
• Python
• Data Science

Please note that these channels have only been created to help group relevant content together for your convenience. They reference a lot of content, so you do not necessarily need to watch everything in a channel in the order presented (although you can if you like). Feel free to skip around!

You can also create channels for your own future reference, or for sharing with other CodePath/Pluralsight learners.

The CodePath-Pluralsight Learning Community

CodePath students and student leaders who are given access to the Pluralsight platform are also added to a designated CodePath community Slack channel. That channel can be used to share tips with other CodePath members on using the Pluralsight platform, share & discuss the Pluralsight content you find valuable, organize virtual "watch parties", and generally share your Pluralsight-related experiences with one another! Everyone in that channel will have (or have had) a Pluralsight license.

Pluralsight Content Formats

Pluralsight learning content comes in numerous formats, from traditional video courses to a variety of interactive, hands-on learning experiences. To browse Pluralsight content based on its format, check out Pluralsight's Ways to Learn page.

Getting Help with Your Pluralsight Account

If you have questions about your Pluralsight account, please email [e-mail]. Someone from the CodePath team will try to assist you. If we are unable to help, we can seek additional help from Pluralsight on your behalf. Please do not reach out to Pluralsight support directly for assistance before seeking help from CodePath (this is part of our license agreement with Pluralsight).

Please note that CodePath cannot promise to answer technical questions you may have about the concepts being taught in any Pluralsight course. For course content questions, please use Pluralsight's per-course discussion forums for interacting with Pluralsight authors and other Pluralsight learners. This video from Pluralsight shows how to use that feature of their platform.

Pluralsight License Retention

Because Pluralsight licenses are limited, CodePath reevaluates license distribution annually to ensure that CodePath student leaders, and as many active CodePath students as possible, have access to the Pluralsight platform. We will notify anyone whose license is going to expire ahead of time. This process usually takes place following the conclusion of our summer academic term.

Credential Sharing
Please note that Pluralsight licenses are issued to a single individual only, and may not be shared by multiple people. While you may use your individual credentials to access the Pluralsight platform from any number of devices (your computer, mobile phone, tablet, etc), credentials should not be shared with anyone else. Credential sharing is explicitly prohibited as part of Pluralsight's product grant to CodePath, and doing so will result in revocation of your license.

Data Privacy

A small number of CodePath's Program Delivery team have administrative privileges within the Pluralsight platform as "plan admins", which enables CodePath to manage Pluralsight license allocation and curate CodePath-specific content channels within pluralsight.com. CodePath plan admins also have access to Pluralsight-standard analytics dashboards, which provide information on Pluralsight license and content utilization. CodePath does not share that information with anyone.

Additionally, CodePath's Master Service Agreement with Pluralsight affirms the following:

• Licensed users of pluralsight.com retain full ownership of any information they may upload, post, or otherwise transmit to pluralsight.com in connection with their use of the platform.
• Pluralsight retains ownership of any aggregated statistical information derived from an individual's use of the platform, which they may utilize for the purpose of operating their business.
• Pluralsight will not reveal personal information to any third party.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Refer to CodePath + Pluralsight: FAQ for a list of answers to common questions about the Pluralsight platform this optional benefit for CodePath students and student leaders.