This certificate is currently offered by request only. The next available class begins 2/5/2024 and runs through 4/26/24. Please contact our office at ce@greenriver.edu or 253-333-6030 for assistance in registering for this course.
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) for website and blog design. Learn all the initial steps and the required elements for having a website; identify how to build a simple WordPress website or blog; customize your WordPress site by hand-coding HTML, CSS, and PHP; and and apply search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve your website ranking and much more.
THE PROGRAM
The WordPress Certificate is offered through our partner, Learning Resources Network, Inc. (aka UGotClass). It is composed of three, month-long courses:
1. Website Set-Up – 1 month
- Website Design Planning: a step-by-step process
- Domain purchase: how to research, plan and purchase
- Hosting sign-up: company research, choosing a plan and signing-up
- Pointing: pointing your domain to your host
2. WordPress Fundamentals – 1 month
WordPress Introduction
- Content management systems
- WordPress installation
- Creating pages and content
- Blogging and widgets
Themes
- Where to find themes
- How to analyze themes
- Reviewing themes main features
Plugins
- What plugins do
- How to find and install them
- Reviewing a few popular and required plugins
WordPress Maintenance
- Updates
- Security check
- Backup
- Users
3. Advanced WordPress – 1 month
WordPress Advanced Features
- Finding codes related to each WordPress webpage element
- Modifying page by hand-coding HTML
- CSS
- PHP
SEO in WordPress
- Effective SEO technotes
- Effective plugins
- Enhancing a WordPress ranking on search engines
WordPress Site Maintenance
- Step-by-step walkthrough
- Regular WordPress site maintenance requirements
WordPress Site Security
- Updates
- Security check
- Backup
- Setting up users
HOW IT WORKS
An invitation into the online classroom will be emailed to you the Wednesday before the class begins. The subject of the email invitation will be "Lern – Classroom Invitation". Please click to accept the invitation, and from there you will create a password and will be able to access the classroom. If you haven't received an invitation by the Thursday before the course begins, please forward your confirmation email to info@ugotclass.org, and a staff member will resend your invitation.
Once inside the online classroom, here's what you can expect.
Participate When You Want
The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.
What You Will Do
Each course is composed of several units. For each unit, you will:
- Access the online readings
- Listen to the audio presentation for the unit and view the slides
- Take a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
- Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants
The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self-quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.
Discussion
The discussion for each unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time, day or night. Your instructor will log into the discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.
COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS
1. Make at least one comment every week in the discussion.
- The comment should show thought and be more substantive than just “Yes, I agree.” There is no length required for comments.
- Replies to other comments and responses to other participants count as comments (in most cases your instructor values replies and responses as comments).
- Questions and online discussion facilitative comments also count as long as there is some thought to them.
2. Take the self-quiz at the end of every unit.
- You must score 80% or higher.
- You may retake any self-quiz as often as you need to get to the 80% score.
Completion Timeline
RECOGNITION
A pdf Certificate of Completion is issued by UGotClass at the end of the program.
HELP
Once the program has started, please direct all questions to info@ugotclass.org.
- The requirements should be completed by the last day of the course.
- Individual instructors may extend the deadline upon request.
- If, for any reason, you are not able to complete the requirements during the course, UGotClass will provide you with their Course Transfer Option. The course Transfer Option allows you to retake any or all of the same UGotClass online course at a future offering within the next 12 months at no extra cost.
