WordPress.org has officially launched its new “Learn WordPress” platform, a free educational resource that includes courses, workshops, quizzes, lesson plans, and discussion groups. The material spans the spectrum of WordPress experience from beginners to advanced, and and allows users to learn asynchronously at their own pace. After a successful beta launch in August, the platform is now ready for the public.
Traditionally, most WordPress learning opportunities have been in-person at WordCamps and local meetups. Since large gatherings have been put on pause this year due to the pandemic, the Learn WordPress platform offers a new way for users to stay connected. The discussion groups are a new event format similar to a virtual event that brings learners together at the same time to discuss a topic. Discussion groups are scheduled through Meetup.com and most of them center around workshop material.
“In addition to the wealth of valuable content available on Learn WordPress, the platform provides an opportunity for individuals to learn alongside other community members and become connected with a global network of WordPress users, developers, and contributors,” WordPress community manager Hugh Lashbrooke said.
A New Way to Contribute to WordPress: Create Learning Resources and Facilitate Discussions
Learn WordPress is launching with two courses: “Publishing with WordPress” and “Unleashing the Power of WordPress,” which covers basic customization topics. The project is open to contributions and anyone can submit an idea for a workshop.
The platform also includes more than 85 lesson plans that the Training team has been working on for the past few years. They are available as resources for people who want to run their own workshops.
Learn WordPress has several lesson plans and workshops on the topic of creating new blocks, such as Intro to Gutenberg Block Development. Many WordPress developers have yet to get on board with creating for the block editor and topics like this seems ripe for launching a discussion group with a series facilitated by an experienced block developer.
“The work on Learn WordPress has been a strong cross-team collaboration between the Community and Training teams, with the Marketing and TV teams also being really involved in making things happen,” WordPress community manager Hugh Lashbrooke said. “It’s been super encouraging to see such excellent work across so many teams to make this ambitious project a reality.”
Anyone can contribute to lesson plans and workshops, as well as facilitate discussions. If you want to get more involved in expanding and promoting the platform, you can join WordPress’ Training team for meetings on Fridays at 11:00 UTC and Tuesdays at 17:00 UTC in the #training channel on Slack.