Seven Reasons to Use a WordPress eLearning Platform

Instructional designers (IDs) who are reevaluating the LMStheir organization uses or considering a change in approach, as well as thoselaunching new corporate learning initiatives, might consider using a WordPressplatform. Before making a decision on using WordPress, it’s important to notethat the platform is available via two paths: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

• WordPress.com hosts free blogging platforms or WordPress-powered websites. It’s possible,with an inexpensive upgrade, to use a custom domain here. These websites offerfewer bells and whistles than WordPress.org sites, but dozens of themes areavailable to format web pages, and upgrades are available that provideadditional features.
• WordPress.org offers a package for downloading; designers and developers then create and hosttheir own WordPress-powered websites. This path offers far moreoptions—hundreds of plugins, more themes, and access to the code behind thesite. It’s also possible to create a WordPress.org site using third-party hostingand even management of the site.

IDs might consider a WordPress-powered site for manyreasons, some of which are listed below. When weighing the options, it’simportant to remember which features are available only on WordPress.org sites.

Why use WordPress?

1. WordPress is a free, open-source platform thathas evolved way beyond its origins as a blogging platform. It’s easy to learnand enables creation of both static content (web pages) and changing content(posts). WordPress offers “themes” to set up the appearance and function ofpages and posts, and it allows some customization—limited in a WordPress.comsite, considerable in a self-hosted site.
2. WordPress powers more than a quarter of websitesonline. Powerful media organizations use it for their blog platforms: TechCrunch,CNN, and the New York Times useWordPress, among many others. The official IBM recruitment site is powered byWordPress, too. Why? WordPress excels for frequent posts of new content as wellas multimedia, mobile-friendly, and interactive content. Many themes supportresponsive content, so learners can use it on any device.
3. The WordPress community offers support andmore—much more. Community member forums provide advice and help in solvingproblems; members provide guidance to newbies, and they create plugins thatextend the features and functions of WordPress. Thousands of plugins areavailable for content creators who use the WordPress.org self-hosting platform.Written and video tutorials abound, making it easy to learn how to useWordPress.
4. Plugins, written in the PHP language, make it easy to add functionality or new featuresto a WordPress.org website. Using plugins, it’s easy to: add a membershipmanagement function to register learners for courses and, optionally, chargefor access; add a shopping cart; create social media spaces or a curatedcontent site for learners and employees; and create an events calendar or a task-trackingpage. Need interactivity? Add the H5P plugin. Someone has likely created a plugin for just about any web feature imaginable.Some plugins are free; some are purchased—along with support for use and troubleshooting.
5. Coding experience is optional. Anyone can createand edit content, embed videos, or add photo galleries—all withoutunderstanding a single HTML code. Widgets make adding some types of content andfunctionality drag-and-drop simple, things like a list of recent posts or theability for readers to subscribe to new content. IDs who want to peek under thehood can see the code, format and design the look of the content, and add inmetadata tags that make it easier to share content on social media platforms.Developers can tap into JavaScript libraries, use or create plugins, and tweaktheir websites to their hearts’ content.
6. A WordPress.orgsite can function as an LMS for robust eLearning programs. WordPress is alreadythe largest content-management system on the Internet, if you consider the vastnumber of websites and blogs powered by WordPress. IDs who want to make WordPresstheir LMS will need to use the self-hosted version from WordPress.org (butremember—hiring third-party hosting and management is always an option forthose who can’t or don’t want to do that in-house). It’s possible to thenpurchase an LMS plugin; several are available. Depending on the desired features,it might also be possible to assemble the requisite pieces using other plugins.With this approach, IDs need only to create content and a well-organized coursestructure; add plugins that allow restricting access to content andinteractivity and maybe a section where learners can discuss and share content—andan LMS is born. Those who need more sophisticated functionality—or prefer tofocus on creating content—are advised to consider the LMS plugins.
7. WordPress has a small footprint and is highlycustomizable. IDs can decide what features the eLearning program needs andinstall plugins to add only those features. Many LMS and CMS solutions includepredetermined feature sets that can make them complicated to learn and resource-heavyto install and use—although, in the end, learners don’t use most of thefeatures. The petite profile also makes WordPress easy to host on a sharedhosting platform, which can be ideal for a small—or distributed—company thatdoesn’t have vast server resources available for eLearning.

Want to learn more?

WordPress might—or might not—be the ideal solution. Severalsessions at DevLearn 2017 Conference & Expo will explore LMS options, including WordPress.Find out what industry peers are doing, learn more about WordPress, and explorethe future of eLearning. DevLearn will be held October 25 – 27 in Las Vegas,Nevada.