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23 August 2021 | Story Evodia Mohonyane

Stand out in the global world of work by signing up for LinkedIn Learning now

Learning and growth at university (and in life) is a journey and a lifelong process. The University of the Free State is committed to your personal and professional development and is now proud to offer LinkedIn Learning to all Kovsie students, free of charge.

Why use LinkedIn Learning?

LinkedIn Learning lets you learn at your own pace. You can select courses relevant to your current or future interests in areas such as entrepreneurship, technology, and leadership. You can also pursue other passions — with courses on financial literacy, social media, even drawing and music theory, you will be able to grow and develop in the areas you care about, both within and outside your degree.

Sign up and start your journey to learning skills that will get you a step closer to enterprising your degree and standing out in a global world of work.

Getting started

You will receive an activation email from the UFS via LinkedIn Learning. Don’t delete it! You must activate your LinkedIn Learning account using this activation email. You will have the option to connect through your personal LinkedIn profile (recommended) or activate your account using your ufs4life email.
  • Once you’re in, browse around for your UFS recommended courses
  • Take a course, learn something new, and apply it in your day-to-day life

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If you run into issues with logging in, contact us. For technical issues once you are up and running, you have the option to click for help throughout the system, with access to LinkedIn Learning's FAQs, as well as the ability to connect via email, live chat, or phone.

News Archive

Compassion improves psychological well-being and reduces emotional distress
2017-09-27

Description: TEDxUFS   Tags: TEDxUFS

Participants in the Kindness Project sharing a
Random Act of Kindness with the cleaning staff,
Mathabiso Sehlabaka and Madineo Mokoena.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

Various studies have reported that the cultivation and practice of compassion may result in improved self-esteem, a decrease in depression and anxiety, increase in subjective well-being, and overall improvement in physical and psychological health. This is according to Counselling Psychologist, Tobias van den Bergh, during the Kindness Project (KP) on the Qwaqwa Campus.

“Students that are involved in this project have shown statistically significant improvements in overall well-being and compassion towards themselves and others,” said Van den Bergh, the project leader and Head of Department: Student Counselling and Development, Qwaqwa Campus.

“In addition, student participants of the compassion-based intervention showed a decrease in their experience of debilitating emotions and depressive symptoms, as well as a significant increase in measurements of positive affect (an indication of life vitality), self-compassion, and well-being. Humans appear to be genetically programmed to be kind. Studies have shown that the same brain structures that are activated when we procreate (i.e. have sex) or eat chocolates, are activated when we are kind. Thus, it means showing an instinctive predisposition towards compassion for our kin and others. Kindness also appears to be contagious. Whenever we observe kindness or experience kindness ourselves, we are much more likely to be compassionate towards our fellow human beings,” he said.

The KP is based on the Science of Compassion, with participants completing a four-week compassion-based intervention where they learned about and practised self-compassion and compassion towards others. In the last week of the programme, participants completed various Random Acts of Kindness off and on the campus.

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