Recap: Sensei Pro LMS Demo for Learn WordPress

Attendees:

@burtrw @courane01

Chapter 1: Navigating Learn WordPress Courses

• Learn WordPress is a platform that offers courses powered by Sensei Pro.
• The courses are standalone individual things, and there are currently no cohorts or groups of students.
• To access the courses, users need to log in to their WordPress profile and navigate to the courses section.
• Users can view all available courses and select the one they want to take, and each course has an outline of its content and how long it will take.
• Sensei Pro powers the course layout and navigation, and users can mark lessons as completed and take quizzes to test their knowledge.
• Once a course is completed, it shows up as an activity on the user’s WordPress profile, but their grade is not publicly revealed.
• The course layout and design may vary depending on the theme used, but it typically includes an intro blurb and a course outline.
• There is a proposal to add a widgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. in the WordPress and Min dashboard to display upcoming events and provide quick start videos and courses.
• Currently, there are no courses in other languages, but the team is working with Polyglots to get everything translated.

Chapter 2: Enhancing the Learning Experience with Interactive Blocks and Videos

• Interactive blocks, such as flashcards, image hotspots, and task lists, can help break up the text and add interactivity to the course content.
• Interactive blocks can also be used to make certain activities or lessons required before moving on to the next section, which increases accountability for the learner.
• Single quiz questions can be added in the middle of a lesson, allowing for immediate feedback and ensuring that the learner is paying attention.
• Interactive videos can be created using video press or uploaded from YouTube or Vimeo. These videos can have break points added where the learner is presented with a pop-over containing additional content or a quiz question.
• The use of interactive blocks and videos can greatly enhance the learning experience by making the course more engaging and interactive.

Chapter 3: Making Use of Video

• Video chapters are a useful tool for making longer videos more accessible and user-friendly.
• Video chapters are typically created using timestamps in a text field or through the use of break points.
• Adding interactivity to videos, such as through video chapters, requires the user to be interactive as well, meaning they will need to physically stop the video and select a specific chapter.
• Professional training and education places typically go up to about three minutes for their video length, after which they start chaptering the video for easier navigation.
• When making use of video chapters, it’s important to keep accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (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), bandwidth, and multiple learning styles in mind.
• It would be useful to have a feature that recommends related courses based on the courses already taken or completed, possibly using taxonomyTaxonomy A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format. https://codex.wordpress.org/Taxonomies#Default_Taxonomies..
• Emails can be used to motivate individuals to complete courses and suggest related courses, but privacy implications should be considered.
• Reusable blocks could be used to display time-sensitive information across multiple courses without having to edit each individual course separately.
• The blockBlock Block 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. visibility feature can be used to schedule content and display it only to certain users or at certain times.
• Groups and cohorts can be useful for organizing users and tracking course progress, with the added benefit of reporting on which courses specific groups have taken.

Chapter 4: Navigating Sensei Settings

• Courses are automatically listed on the courses list, with the option to hide or show specific content
• Grading is not shown for privacy reasons, but reports can be accessed to track course progress
• Course creators and editors may not have full access to site reports
• The settings for emails and public student profiles can be adjusted
• Content drip is an option for spacing out lessons and course material
• Appearance settings can be changed, including options for video-heavy courses
• Captioning is required for tutorial and course videos, with plans to potentially integrate with video press
• Taking notes within Sensei and exporting them is a potential feature for the future
• A course page is in development, which may include a forum or discussion area for students to interact with each other and instructors.

Chapter 5: Improving the Course Experience

• Sensei Pro focuses on improving the course experience for students and motivating them to complete the course by using gamification techniques such as badges or achievements.
• The team is also exploring ways to increase student interaction within the course, such as community options and peer review of assignments.
• Sensei Pro is interested in incorporating TinCan APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways., which allows exporting of student data from one platform to another, making it easier for employers to track employee training.
• Sensei Pro is also exploring the use of public APIs to make their features more accessible to users and developers.
• It is important for course creators and reviewers to stay informed about new features and updates in order to create more interactive and engaging courses.