Dev-squad GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ triage: Biweekly on Thursdays 07:00 UTC
Welcome to another edition of the Training Team’s Contributor Spotlight! In this series, we introduce one of our many valued contributors and invite you to learn more about their journey.
Meet Wes!
Wessel Theron, or Wes, is an Instructional Designer for the WordPress open-source project sponsored by Automattic. Born and raised in the vibrant city of Cape Town, South Africa, Wes and his family moved to New Zealand around 2018.
His rich background in teaching and content creation has equipped him with a deep understanding of learning processes. “I enjoy teaching and helping other people succeed,” Wes shares. This foundation inspired him to pursue a new path in instructional design, which is essentially the art of designing and developing impactful learning experiences and resources.
Wes outside the WWW
Beyond the digital world, Wes is happiest when he’s in nature, being active or traveling to places. A people person through and through, he highly values respect and kindness in his everyday life.
“I am a family man and love the outdoors. I have been married for 14 years, and we have three wonderful boys,” he happily says. He finds joy in spending quality time with his loved ones. Whether discovering new coffee shops, embarking on family outings, or simply soaking in nature’s beauty, anywhere is nice as long as they’re together.
Wes and WordPress
Wes started his WordPress journey in 2021 when he applied for the job as an Instructional Designer to create learning experiences and materials to teach WordPress users. He got the gig, and with that, the world of WordPress opened up.
“Since then, I have learned a lot and have tried to transfer knowledge through various mediums, such as video lessons, online workshops, and courses,” he says.
It also proved that the WordPress ecosystem is not only exclusive to those from tech backgrounds – because there are many aspects involved in running the technology.
His first contribution to the WordPress community was a video tutorial on regenerating thumbnails for image attachments. “It was exciting to have it published, but also daunting to realize that anyone in the world could view it,” he reminisces.
One of the most significant challenges Wes faces in his work is the dynamic nature of WordPress. While exciting, the platform’s constant evolution demands continuous updates and adaptations to the content that Wes creates. Balancing the creation of new materials with maintaining existing resources is an ongoing process.
When asked about the resources that help him navigate this evolving landscape, Wes relies on WordPress’ own documentation and on reaching out to subject-matter experts within the WordPress community. Additionally, many YouTube tutorials have inspired him along the way.
Milestones and Reflections
One of Wes’ proudest accomplishments within the WordPress community is the publication of the Beginner and Intermediate WordPress User Learning Pathways. This milestone represents countless hours of collaboration and dedication, and he is immensely grateful for the support of his fellow contributors.
Wes and Jamie Madden, a fellow Training team contributor
Attending WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2022 and WordCamp Asia 2024 were the moments Wes always cherished. These events allowed him to connect with fellow WordPressers, share knowledge, and immerse himself in the vibrant WordPress community.
For those considering contributing to WordPress, Wes offers this advice: “Reach out and start small. There will always be someone to help you get the ball rolling. Once you complete your first contribution and gain confidence while better managing your time, committing to new tasks will become easier.”
Wes also emphasizes that even a contribution that seems tiny to you is always appreciated. “It’s important to remember that every form of contribution is valued and appreciated,” he concludes.
(In)Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the one thing you would like people to know about you?
I love burgers!
Which of the skills that you possess was the most valuable when contributing to the Training Team/WordPress?
Teaching various skill levels.
What have you learned from being a contributor? It can be a personal or professional takeaway.
Embracing transparency.
Release early, release often, and iterate regularly.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Avoid getting entangled in the numerous opinions and perspectives out there.
What’s your favorite WordPress feature (can also be a blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. or pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party)?
I love patterns as well as the new Grid block.
Thank you, Wes, for all your dedication and contributions to the Training Team and the WordPress Open-Source Project!
Are you interested in contributing to the Training Team? Check out our Getting Started guide or join the Guide Program for mentorship with an experienced contributor. We’d be happy to have you join us!
GatherPress “is the collaborative effort to build a compelling event management application using open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. tools such as WordPress and BuddyPress. We’re creating the very network features we desire to host events and gather well.”
Why the training team is testing?
The training team manages the current Learn WordPress Online Workshops event scheduler. GatherPress would take the place of using the platform and have it “meet the diverse needs of event organizers and members” in the WordPress community.
Project Objective: Create and launch progressive user-friendly learning pathways tailored to different types of Learners on Learn WordPress.
Project Overview
The WordPress Training Team recognizes the need for a clear, structured, and user-friendly approach to presenting Learn WordPress content. This need has been confirmed by feedback from the individual learner survey and WordCamp EU Contributor Day attendees. As a result, this project aims to deployDeployLaunching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors. an improved Learn WordPress website experience that provides an easy-to-navigate, goal-oriented learning environment that caters to learners of different roles and skill levels.
This project will serve as a foundational start, establishing a framework and functionality that will allow for the expansion and growth of the learning system over time. To meet our objective, this project includes a website redesign that offers clear learning pathways to reach target Learners such as Developers, End Users, and Designers. We will also focus on making relevant content easier to find and the inclusion of a framework that classifies content by skill level. We believe this will enhance user engagement, improve learning outcomes, and increase user adoption of Learn WordPress resources.
Our journey will not end with the initial deployment of the new site. Rather, it is just the beginning of an iterative process of continuous improvement and expansion, leveraging feedback and data analytics to enhance the user experience continually.
We hope that this project will help us better serve the wider WordPress community by promoting knowledge transfer and ensuring a thriving community with diverse skills and abilities.
Develop a website redesign for Learn WordPress that delivers a clear, user-friendly pathway for learners of different levels, roles, and use-cases.
Enhance the discoverability and searchability of relevant Learn WordPress content through the integration of new search filters and content organization strategies.
Establish a skill level classification framework for Learn WordPress content that enables clear content filtering and search results based on learner needs.
Tasks
Planning
Tasks in this section scope out project parameters and requirements for the success of this project.
Project Management
Recruit project members
Establish cross-team collaboration points of contact
Information Architecture
Create outlines and storyboards that detail learning pathway components based on the proposed information architecture
Map out content to provide a proposed information architecture (i.e. content types, taxonomies, relationships) that integrates Pathways
Conduct targeted user research to validate content decisions such as language, information architecture, outlines/storyboards
These are tasks that Training Team Content Creators can help us accomplish
Outline specific skill levels and learning outcomes for each pathway.
Identify existing content that can be used within pathways.
Create outlines and storyboards that detail learning pathway components. (Either Miro or Google Jamboard will be used)
Develop a content creation guidelines that enable the Learning Pathways to scale, with a clear process for developing, reviewing, and updating content.
Deadline: November 2023
Develop new content where gaps exist.
Develop clear and concise learning pathways for target Learners.
Deadline: March 2024
Design
Cross-team collaboration point of contact: @fcoveram
These are tasks we will need to do in collaboration with the Make WordPress Design Team.
Develop a cohesive design concept for the Learn WordPress site.
Develop visual language for skill level classifications.
Ensure that the site design aligns with the learning pathways vision and goals.
Ensure that all visual elements are accessible and meet accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) standards, such as color contrast ratios and readable typography.
Deadline: January 2024
Development
Cross-team collaboration point of contact: @adamwood
These are tasks we will need to do in collaboration with the Make WordPress MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. team and Training Team developers.
Ensure that the Learn WordPress site redesign accommodates various learning pathways and skill levels.
Build out any new functionality required to support learning pathways and content classification.
Collaborate with content creators to ensure that the site structure and content is optimized for user experience.
Ensure that the site is optimized for searchability and discoverability of content
Implement user tracking and analytics features to capture data on user behavior and engagement with Learning Pathways.
Ensure that the site is optimized for fast page load times and is easily accessible on various devices, including desktop, mobile, and tablet.
Ensure that the Learning Pathways are integrated with any relevant third-party tools or services that may further enhance the user experience, such as social sharing, reminders and bookmarking tools.
Deadline: May 2024
Marketing
Cross-team collaboration point of contact: @sereedmedia
These are tasks we will need to do in collaboration with the Make WordPress Marketing Team..
Develop a strategic marketing plan for promoting Learn WordPress learning pathways.
Identify target audiences within the three groups of Learners and develop targeted campaigns for each group.
Develop clear messaging that speaks to each Learner group’s specific needs and pain points.
Track engagement and optimize marketing efforts over time.
Partner with the content creators and designers to create promotional materials, including blog posts, social media graphics, and email marketing campaigns, to promote the Learning Pathways effectively.
Over a year ago, members of the Training team had a vision to overhaul the entire Learn WordPress site in order to better serve learners. Now, that dream is finally a reality. A cross-team effort in tandem with other groups, including MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. and Design, the project involved dozens of people in roles including visual design, development, instructional design, project management, and more. A small army of volunteers even created hundreds of thumbnail graphics to adorn lessons and courses! Huge thanks are due to everyone who contributed to this project.
Details
Learn WordPress offers a selection of high-quality educational resources. After conducting research and consulting the WordPress community, the site’s structure was simplified, streamlining both the information architecture and content types. The new focus is on lessons, courses (a collection of lessons), and Online Workshops. The result? A new user experience and navigation that makes it easier to find the learning materials you’re looking for.
The updated homepage versus the previous design.
Among new approaches the site takes is the introduction of Learning Pathways, intended to guide learners from beginner through intermediate to advanced levels in the area of WordPress that’s most relevant to them. To start, two courses in each of the User and Developer Learning Pathways have launched:
A new Learning Pathways landing page. More courses will come in the future.The updated course layout versus the previous design.The updated Online Workshops calendar versus the previous design.
A new design brings the site’s look and feel in line with other refreshes—such as the ones for Developer Resources and the Showcase. Just considering the homepage, it’s clear that the design is now more in tune with the rest of the site.
On the development front, a new block child theme was created. This builds on the parent theme used for all the previously redesigned sites and integrates blocks from the Sensei LMS (Learning Management System) pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party, which powers the courses and lessons on Learn WordPress, much like it did prior to this redesign.
What’s next
The launch of the revamped Learn WordPress site is just the beginning.
Two more Learning paths are on the horizon, geared toward designers working with WordPress and those who would like to contribute to the WordPress project. More courses for users and developers are currently in the works—keep your eyes peeled for Intermediate Plugin Developer and Advanced WordPress User.
With the new focus on lessons and courses rather than content for educators, two content types highlighted on the old site are being repurposed. Tutorials—short, bite-sized videos on a narrow topic—will become lessons, while lesson plans will become facilitator notes attached to the more relevant lesson. In the meantime, tutorials and lesson plans are still available through direct links.
Making courses available in multiple languages is one of the priorities for the next phase. Until now, adding multilingual content has been a cumbersome process, but the team is looking into using a plugin to facilitate this, and testing is already underway.
The team will also be exploring new ways to reach new learners by tracking engagement and optimizing marketing efforts over time.
Finally, the development team will continue to fix bugs and make enhancements. Follow this GitHub milestone to see what’s already under consideration.
Learn more or get involved
Have suggestions or found a bug? Please submit an issue in the Learn GitHub repository. If you’d like to get involved, join the #trainingSlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel. And please share Learn WordPress with anyone who you think might find it useful.
As mentioned up top, this project was a huge group effort. Check out the list of contributors in the News announcement post. Big thanks as well to everyone who reviewed Learning Pathways lessons—your keen eyes and thoughtful suggestions made a huge difference.
These two pathways were created over the past six months thanks to the work of a small collaborative team of scriptwriters, audio recorders, video editors, and reviewers. Without their efforts, we would not have these Learning Pathways ready for launch.
However, our work is not yet done. There are still two more developer-centric pathways that need to be created:
Intermediate PluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party Developer is the current priority and is an extensive course, spanning eight modules and 50 lessons. Splitting up the workload among several people will make creating this key Learning Pathway more manageable and faster. Can you help? We’re looking for contributors with various levels of experience:
Scriptwriting: Research lesson topics and write draft scripts that meet the lesson’s learning outcomes.
Voice recording: Taking an existing script and recording the audio portion of a video lesson.
Video editing: Merging a script with a voice recording and compiling a clear and engaging video lesson.
Content creation: Taking an existing script (or researching and writing your own) and producing an entire video lesson
Reviewing: Watching a completed video lesson and reviewing it for technical accuracy.
While the Plugin Developer pathway is the immediate focus area, the Advanced Developer pathway also needs some work. Many modules on that pathway still require further thought and additional lesson topics. If you are an experienced WordPress developer and you have thoughts and ideas about the high-level topics that should be covered in any of these modules, please leave your comments on the GitHub issue.
After discussion, the Training team has decided to go forward with retiring the Faculty Program, in order to streamline processes, help the team run more efficiently, and free up people’s time to focus on higher-impact areas.
The Faculty Program consisted of a group of Training team members who helped establish team processes, catch up on a backlog of tasks, and set up the team for future success. With the team evolving over time, it became evident that many Faculty members were no longer active on the team, many roles were under-used and difficult to recruit for, and the program required time-consuming administrative overhead. In addition, needing to apply to be part of the Faculty program could be seen by contributors as a barrier to doing certain types of work on the team. In addition, the now-established Guide Program serves as a welcoming path for people to get more involved with the team’s activities.
Process
The plan includes:
Adding a new area in the handbook, outlining the history of Learn.WordPress.org and the Training team. This section will include the names of past team reps and Faculty members, so that folks’ contributions are visible and recognized in the context of the Training team’s history.
Shifting the work done by the current Faculty Admin group to a smaller group of administrators, starting with the team reps. Additional admins will be added over time, while the current admin needs of the team are reassessed. We will likely look for Training team members who have made consistent contributions over the last 6-12 months.
Updating the handbook to remove the Faculty Program section.
Below is a detailed schedule outlining the tasks to be performed and target completion dates.
If there are any questions about this process, please feel free to drop them in the comments.
Once again, a big thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Faculty Program over the years. Your invaluable help has made the Training team stronger than ever.
Deadline
Item
Notes
2024-07-18
Access updates
– Update access as needed, including Canvas with login info – Let people know if any access has been changed
2024-08-08
Research & write new handbook page compiling a history of the Training team
– Collect names of all past & current team reps and Faculty program members – Include a general history section – Draft page – Share page with Training team for feedback – Make revisionsRevisionsThe WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update. The revision system allows you to see what changes were made in each revision by dragging a slider (or using the Next/Previous buttons). The display indicates what has changed in each revision. as needed – Publish page
– Determine what Slack changes are needed – Archive current Faculty channel – Review and update Slack bookmarks and pinned channel items in #training and related channels
2024-08-29
Process updates
– Go through all team processes and make a list of what will need updating, in collaboration with team reps
2024-09-12
Handbook updates
– Update old handbook pages as needed, based on discovery above. – Unpublish pages related to the Faculty Program – Keep a log of which pages were unpublished, to be included in final project update
2024-09-12
Help Scout updates
– Go through all Help Scout Saved Replies and update as needed
The WordCamp US Contributor Day will be taking place on the 17th of September 2024! In preparation for the day, we’d like you to share ideas of what contributors at the Training Team table can get involved with that day.
You can read our Preparing for a Flagship WordCamp Contributor Day handbook page to learn more about how the Training Team prepares for Flagship WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Contributor Days.
The new Learn.WordPress.org is launching soon, complete with four courses in the User and Developer Learning Pathways. Your help is needed to QA/test the new site! Please follow these steps and report any bugs you find.
Testing steps
Log into WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ if you’re not already.
Tutorials archive (not shown in navigation but still reachable until they’re converted to lessons – GitHub) – also spot-check individual tutorials
Also test the search box and filters on this page
Lesson Plans archive (not shown in navigation but still reachable until they’re converted to facilitator notes – GitHub) – also spot-check individual lesson plans
Test any course you like by registering and going through its lessons and quizzes. If you’re short on time, here are a few examples of courses with just two lessons and a couple of quizzes:
If it’s a new report, create a new GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ issue in the Learn repository using the Feedback template.
Mention in your issue that the report is for the new Learn WordPress site.
If you have the ability to assign the issue to a GitHub Project, select “WordPress.org Redesign” project, and if possible, also the “LearnWP Website Development” project. If not, no worries – leave Project blank and it will be assigned for you.
The thumbnail creation process is still ongoing, so some lessons and other content “cards” do not have custom thumbnails yet. You can still help create more thumbnails – get all the details.
While suggestions for future enhancements are also welcome, the priority at the moment is to find urgent bugs that may affect the launch.
The dev team will prioritize bugs that are blockers to launch, with other issues set to be addressed post-launch.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure whether something has already been reported or isn’t actually a bug. Better to report it just in case.
Deadline
Please log all GitHub issues by July 17, if possible.
Thank you in advance for helping make the new Learn WordPress the best it can be!
For those who are new here, the WordPress Training Team helps people learn to use, extend, and contribute to WordPress through educational content hosted on Learn.WordPress.org.
Meeting recap notes are one of the best ways to get started contributing to a team, and you can find details on how to write notes in this handbook page.
Content Overriding Issue: As mentioned in the Slack channel, original content was overridden by a translated version. Thank you to everyone who communicated and resolved the issue.
Important Reminder: Please DO NOT assign translated lessons to a course. Publish them as standalone lessons.
Updates:@piyopiyofox has updated the handbook page. See the Slack post “Translating and Publishing a Lesson”
Tutorial Deprecation: To reduce content types on the Learn WP site, Tutorials are being deprecated and will be converted into Lessons (Tutorial data migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.#2393). A note has been added to all Tutorial-related handbook pages. Once the conversion is complete, these pages will be fully retired.
Join us for an opportunity to discuss and collaborate on learning pathway content. Whether you’re working on content or interested in contributing, this is the perfect time to meet, ask questions, and find projects to work on. Meetings alternate between two time zones each month
Come and Contribute
This Week’s Focus: Review 10 issues following the content review guidelines.
Feedback Awaiting Validation: 25 issues need validation. Refer to “Validating and Applying Content Feedback” for guidance.
Topics Awaiting Vetting: 4 issues need vetting. Refer to “Vetting Topic Ideas” for guidance.
Good First Issues for Developers: Currently, no issues require development. Refer to “Developing Learn WordPress” for instructions.
Validated Feedback Awaiting Fix: 20 issues need fixes. Faculty Editors should follow the “Validating and Applying Content Feedback” guide.
Contribution Acknowledgement
Badges Awarded:
At the end of the month
Props:
Special thanks to @devmuhib for uploading many thumbnails and organizing a local Contributor Hour to create more thumbnails.
Any other props for this week? Please add to the thread.
Contributors in the Community:
Check out an interview with content creator @west7 in the recent WP Briefing podcast discussing Learning Pathways and their benefits for WordPress learners.
If you have topics for the meeting, please comment on this issue.
Contributors in the Community:
Check out @zoonini‘s presentation, “Untangling Templates,” from WC Canada. Look for the live stream or replay.
You can see all meetings scheduled on this meeting calendar. If you are new to the Training Team, then come walk through our onboarding program to get to know the team and how we work. And if you have questions, feel free to reach out in the #training Slack channel at any time.
Over the years, there have been a few discussions about creating formalised certifications for WordPress, most notably in 2013 as seen on Torque and WP Tavern. While those discussions are nearly 10 years old, they are still relevant and, now that an open learning platform for WordPress exists, this is a good time to revisit those conversations.
Before we get anywhere near implementation, let’s take a step back and gather some initial thoughts on how a WordPress certification should be approached. Certifying open-source software has some inherent challenges, but also some wonderful advantages. With that in mind here is some interesting content to review:
Since this is an exploratory post and not a proposal for anything concrete, please comment with your answers to the questions below, as well as any other thoughts you have about this topic:
What benefits would certifications provide?
What would be some effective ways to use certifications in the WordPress space?
What potential pitfalls need to be kept in mind, should we proceed?
