Triage 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
Conduct a course cohort based on content from a Learn WordPress Learning Pathway. Using what was learned from the last two cohorts and the updated documentation, determine whether the course cohort framework is easily replicable and sustainable.
Project Overview
One of the Training Team’s goals this year is to run 1-2 outcome/project-based course cohorts. The goal during the first cohort 2024 was to apply what was learned from previous cohorts and further refine the Training Team’s framework for course cohorts based on Learn WordPress content.
Now that we have launched Learning Pathways, the aim of this cohort is to experiment with applying this framework to a predefined syllabus of content selected from a single learning pathway.
Start: October 13th, 2024 End: December 13th, 2024
October 13th – Publish announcement post.
October 25th – Sign-ups close.
October 28th to November 1st – reach out to cohort participants and add them to the #training-cohorts channel in SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
November 4th – Introductory message in Slack. Participants start working on course content.
November 6th – Synchronous call #1.
November 13th – Synchronous call #2.
November 20th – Synchronous call #3.
November 27th – Synchronous call #4.
December 4th – Synchronous call #5.
December 11th – Synchronous call #6, cohort wrap-up.
The Team Representative selection period each year is a special time where folks in the community affirm work ethic and confidence. The Training Team’s processes is designed to ensure fresh leadership and new perspectives guide the team while upholding team values from year to year. This year, the team is looking for two new reps to join current team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts.@digitalchild in 2025.
In October, members of the Training Team nominated seven contributors from the team. Current team reps (Jamie Madden and Kaito Hanamori) reached out to each nominee to confirm whether they accept their nomination before being added to the poll. Of these seven nominated, only two accepted their nominations. Two others mentioned that, while not being available to be a full-time rep, they’d like to be listed as a backup rep, should the need arise.
As only two nominees accepted their nomination and the team is looking for two additional reps, current team reps decided to skip the poll and move directly to the vetting process. We believe both nominees meet the criteria of a team rep and would be excellent representations of the Training Team to the WordPress project.
It is with great excitement we announce Jonathan Bossenger and Muhibul Haque will be joining Jamie Madden as Training Team reps for 2025! Keep reading below to find out more about next year’s team reps.
Jonathan Bossenger was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He currently lives in the suburbs with his wife and two growing sons. After spending his first 5 years of life after high school working in retail, Jonathan pivoted to software development and hasn’t looked back.
In 2011, he started doing some WordPress development work, and in 2015, he attended his first 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. in Cape Town. This led to contributions in the areas of documentation, coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., and, finally, community, where he was the most active. As a Community Program Supporter (aka Community Deputy) and WordCamp mentor, Jonathan’s focus was helping to grow WordPress meetups and WordCamps in Africa.
Jonathan joined the Training Team with the 2020 launch of Learn.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/ and contributed the first developer-focused video tutorial on Learn. In 2022, he was hired at Automattic as a sponsored contributor to the training team, hosting workshops and creating video lessons for developers.
After hours, Jonathan enjoys spending time with his busy family and their extracurricular activities, keeping fit with regular workouts, and practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His hobby is gaming, and he is currently working through his backlog of ever-growing Steam games.
Muhibul lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he enjoys life with his wife and their three-year-old son. He started his professional career in 2011, focusing on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While working in SEO, he realized the importance of having skills in web development, which sparked his interest in this field. In 2014, he made the full switch to work as a WordPress Developer, applying his skills in customization and development. Since then, he has been building his expertise and enjoying the creative challenges that come with developing dynamic websites.
Muhibul first became active in the community at WordCamp Sylhet in 2023, which inspired him to get involved with open-source projects. Since then, he is active on Training team and taken different roles like Training Team Administrator, Content Creator and now Training Team Representative. He is also active on Core, Themes, Docs, WPTV and Community Team as contributor.
When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and loves to travel. Seeing new places and experiencing different cultures gives him fresh energy and inspiration.
Jamie Madden has been involved in open-source long before WordPress’ first release. He made his first contribution to the Red Hat kernel in 1999. Since then, he’s been contributing to the WordPress documentation, testing, and, of course, Training Team.
Jamie has been an active contributor in the Training Team since July 2022, and joined us as a Faculty Member in September that year lending his Subject Matter Expert and Editor expertise to the team.
You can reach out to the Training Team Reps in the #training channel in the Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
In June this year, the Training Team worked on creating thumbnails for content on Learn in preparation for the new site design that launched in August. Now, the site has just 70 more that need to be created to complete the content migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.. Anyone can help!
Please follow the steps below to help the team make the final thumbnails. You can leave a comment on the post once you have made some thumbnails, and a Training Team administrator will upload them to the site.
Open the content-tracking spreadsheet. (You’ll find the link in the Training team’s Slack bookmarks as shown below.)
Select the Tutorials sheet (tab) and choose a tutorial for which you’ll create a thumbnail. (Ignore anything with a “Deprecated” status.)
Put your name in the Thumbnail by column (column H) to claim it.
For those who speak a language other than English, see if there are any tutorials in your language and prioritize those first.
Step 2: Create your thumbnail
Create the thumbnail by going through the thumbnail creation guide, also following these important points specific to this project:
Vary the colour palette and slide template style. Try not to repeat the same template or colour palette on consecutive images. The goal is to end up with something a bit random like this:
And not end up with something where there are a lot of the same colour-palette variations repeated next to each other, like this:
Copy-paste the tutorial title into the text area of the thumbnail generator, from the column that says Tutorial Title – for copying (use for thumbnails). It’s not obligatory to use the title in your graphic; if you find a great image to represent the tutorial, feel free to use one of the templates without text. (More on finding images below.)
We are not using Faces or Guest names for these thumbnails. If you’ve chosen a template with any Faces (avatars), click the Faces component and click the eye icon next to it to hide it, or right-click the component and select the “Show/Hide” option in the menu.
Similarly, if you’re using a template with Guest names, select the Speaker component and and click the eye icon next to it to hide it, or right-click the component and select the “Show/Hide” option in the menu.
If you’ve chosen a template that features an image (other than the ones that feature a preselected 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. Editor image), replace it with an 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. image from the WordPress Photo Directory, Openverse, or Pexels. Make sure no credit is required in the image’s license terms.
Step 3: Export, upload, and record your thumbnail
Export your thumbnail by following the handbook instructions. Rename the file using this naming convention: yyyy-mm-dd-name-of-tutorial Example: 2024-06-13-introducing-the-twenty-twenty-four-theme for a tutorial titled “Introducing the Twenty Twenty-Four theme.” (Do not use any spaces or uppercase letters in the file name.) The file will automatically be given the .png extension by the generator – don’t change it.
Upload the thumbnail file to the Google Drive in the Courses Tutorials folder. (You’ll find the link in the Training team’s SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. bookmarks. Screenshot above.)
In the spreadsheet’s Thumbnail URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org column, paste the URL from the Google Drive by clicking the three dots next to the file > Share > Copy link.
Leave all other columns blank, unless you receive further instructions.
If you haven’t been able to upload thumbnails for all the ones you “claimed” in step 1, go back and remove your name next to that piece of content so someone else can get to it.
Summary: This post proposes resegmenting the current Learning Pathways content into shorter courses. This is expected to improve the learner experience and increase course completions. Please share your thoughts below.
On the 2nd of August, the new Learn WordPress site was launched, with a new type of content called Learning Pathways. Learning Pathways are a series of courses that guide learners from beginner to advanced skill levels in a specific field or discipline.
The WordPress Foundation recently emphasized the importance of increasing the number of course completions on Learn. It was highlighted that value lies not in the number of people who register for courses but in those who complete them. This prompted an investigation into the structure of Learning Pathways and the insights revealed by the data.
Current Learning Pathway courses are lengthy, with the number of lessons in each course ranging from 20 to 59. Course statistics show that the number of learners who progress through a course diminishes from lesson to lesson, with some courses seeing two-thirds of learners dropping out by the 10th lesson.
Lesson completion rates are stable throughout a course, though, and even show an increase in some courses. This indicates lessons in the later parts of a course are as relevant and engaging to users as those in earlier parts of a course.
Benefits of shorter courses
Long learning pathway courses can be daunting, leading to learner fatigue and decreased motivation. By breaking these courses into shorter courses, we can enhance the learning experience.
Shorter courses allow learners to concentrate on one topic or section at a time. This focused approach prevents the feeling of being overwhelmed by too much content, making it mentally easier to commit to the learning path. Shorter courses will help learners experience a sense of achievement more often and progress at a manageable pace.
Completed courses are already included in learners’ .org profile, which is expected to encourage the completion of shorter courses.
Feedback request
We would appreciate feedback from the Training Team on whether you support restructuring our content into a more digestible format. This shift could make the material easier to consume and potentially improve learner engagement.
Now that the new Learn WordPress is out in the world, we want to have a steady flow of new learners discovering the site and taking advantage of the valuable resources it offers.
This post is intended to gather ideas on which recurring activities the team should prioritize first, with the goal of bringing more learners to the site. Please provide your feedback by September 10, 2024 Sept. 24, 2024.
Potential types of activities include:
Marketing initiatives
Increasing the Training Team’s presence at WordCamps
Providing learners and contributors with resources to easily promote Learn WordPress in their networks
Here are some initial ideas to get the ball rolling. Please add your thoughts on which activity you think would be good to try first, and a few words on why. If you have an idea that’s not already listed here, feel free to add it in a comment.
Workshops & events
Conduct course cohorts regularly using Learning Pathway content.
Host workshop-style events at WordCamps using Learning Pathway content.
Host Online Workshops in different locales.
Work with Community/Polyglots to enroll community members to host these.
24 hours of Online Workshops, course cohorts, and other programming.
Create a system for interacting with and supporting Learn WordPress learners. For example, create a forum or SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel where learners can ask course-related questions.
Other outreach/promotion
Have an active presence at flagship WordCamps, 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. events, etc. Could include:
Presentations, workshops, booths, have organizers add Learn in flyers, etc.
Highlight the benefits of companies/organizations using Learn WordPress content in their business/activities.
Print up cards/small flyers with Learn WordPress URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org/blurb/QR code. Offer them to MeetupMeetupAll local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. organizers and hand them out at WordCamps, including flagships.
Paper “tents” with a QR code directing to Learn.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/ for use at 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 on the Training Team table.
Connect with companies and freelancers offering WordPress services and have them promote Learn WordPress as a training resource for their clients and employees.
Connect with community colleges and schools that could benefit from incorporating Learn WordPress into their programs. See if there’s a database that tracks which colleges or schools include WordPress in their curriculum or extension programs.
Engage local Meetup organizers more to help advocate for and promote Learn WordPress within their communities.
Use Meetup’s email system to inform or update learners or members of new courses and learning pathways.
Explore how we can leverage YouTube as a funnel for promoting Learn WordPress.
Get Learn WordPress resources added to the WordPress dashboard so that all WordPress users would see the available resources in a prominent place.
Reach out to WordPress thought leaders for endorsements of our Learning Pathways to enhance credibility and adoption within the broader community.
Looking forward to hearing folks’ feedback over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks to Ben Evans, Wes Theron, and Jonathan Bossenger for their input.
For a number of years, community members have have had the idea of sharing learning resources with users in the wp-admin dashboard (example 1, example 2, example 3.) The idea came up again in recent brainstorming sessions by the team – Drawing new learners to the new Learn.WordPress.org. These ideas have so far revolved around adding a widgetWidgetA 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. to the admin dashboard. While a great idea, this requires a bit of developer/design time and so far hasn’t been achieved.
In this post, let’s brainstorm other ways that learning resources can be shared with users in their dashboard without needing to create a widget. Let’s discuss by Friday, November 8th. Any ideas we like we can then take to designers and developers to workout a solution with them.
Why introduce Learn during onboarding to the CMS?
Learning Pathways are proving to be Learn’s most successful content to-date. In Learn WordPress site remake: First two months, @zoonini shared how Learning Pathways are seeing completion rates higher than industry standards, video retention rates that continue to grow, and high leaner satisfaction reporting.
The Beginner Learning Pathways are ideal for someone starting out in their journey with WordPress. By adding reference to these in one’s onboarding experience, we anticipate better engagement with the CMS and better retention through onboarding.
Current reference
Currently, I could only find one instance of Learn referenced in the WordPress dashboard. This was under the About menu in the top-left. While a start, this link is difficult for users to find and lacks content of what information is presented when clicking on the link. I believe we can introduce Learn resources better.
Ideas
Add a reference to Learn in the Help box
Every wp-admin page has a Help box one can open from the top-right. We could add “Learning resources on Learn WordPress” under “For more information:”
Add a link to the Beginner User Learning Pathway in the 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. editor Welcome Guide
The Welcome Guide is clearly aimed at new users. This would make it an ideal location to link to the Beginner User Learning Pathway specifically. We could achieve this by adding a slide to the guide.
Add references in the default comment on a new install
A new install of WordPress comes with a default comment. Most experienced users probably do not read this comment any more. But it would be another location we could highlight the Beginner User Learning Pathway to new users. A reference could be added under the GravatarGravatarIs an acronym for Globally Recognized Avatar. It is the avatar system managed by WordPress.com, and used within the WordPress software. https://gravatar.com/. introduction.
Share you thoughts
How do these ideas sound? In what other ways could we introduce Learn resources to new WordPressers during their onboarding to the CMS? Please leave your thoughts below by Friday, November 8th.
In the WordPress open-source project, each team has Team Representatives, abbreviated as Reps. It’s time again to nominate the next round of Training Team Reps. (For a quick refresher of Team RepTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. roles across the WordPress project, see the Team Reps post on Team Updates.)
Summary: The team is looking for two more people to join @digitalchild in the Training Team Rep role next year.
The Role
Training Team Reps serve for approximately 2 consecutive years, using the first year to get familiar and the second to train the incoming reps. You can read more about the Training Team Rep’s role in the team handbook.
Details of 2025’s openings
The Training Team strives to have three team representatives at a time in order to ensure redundancy and diverse opinions in leadership. This year, @piyopiyofox and @kaitohm conclude their two year terms and will be stepping down from the role. @lada7042 is also stepping down due to personal reasons.
@digitalchild stepped in as Interim Team rep in June this year and has successfully co-led the the team during the temporary absence of other reps. For continuity’s sake, we’ve asked Jamie to continue on as team rep into 2025 and he has happily accepted! Thank you for being available to serve the team for another year, Jamie.
Therefore, the team is looking for two more people to join Jamie in the Training Team Rep role next year.
Anyone can nominate a Training Team Rep. Self-nominations are welcome, too! To nominate someone or yourself, please comment on this post. If you would like to nominate someone in private, please reach out to @kaitohm or @digitalchild.
Nomination Opens: October 4, 2024
Nomination Closes: October 25, 2024
Team reps will confirm each person nominated meets the vetting criteria at our weekly meeting on October 29th. They’ll then reach out to those nominated to confirm if they would like to accept the nomination. Only those who accept their nomination will be added to the poll, so feel free to decline a nomination if you don’t feel like this is the right fit for any reason.
Step 2: Vote for Team Reps
If there are more than 2 nominees who accept nomination, we will organize a poll to select the Team Reps.
Training team members can vote to select new Team Reps.
Voting Opens: November 5, 2024
Voting Closes: November 25, 2024
Step 3: Announce Team Reps
New Team reps will be announced on November 26 28, 2023.
Step 4: Onboard/Off-board Team Reps
New Team Reps will be onboarded during December, including 1-2 synchronous calls. This will allow the new team of reps to decide on new weekly meeting times before the year is out and get set up for success in 2025. Out-going Team Reps will be off-boarded during December also.
Time to Nominate!
Are you ready? It’s time to nominate folks to serve as our Training Team Reps for the new term! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.
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.
A pillar of the Italian WordPress community, Margherita is a great example of the magical things that can happen when you dare to say, “Why not?”.
Let’s get to know her.
***
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your background?
Hi! I’m Margherita, born and raised in a small town in Italy, where the landscape is made up of hills dotted with wheat fields, sunflowers, vineyards, and olive groves. There is no traffic noise and that is good, but the downside is that I often struggle with a bad internet signal.
A freelance web designer since 2013, Margherita is active across the community, contributing to several teams:
A Translation Coordinator for the Training Team.
A Project Translation Editor (PTE) of the 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. Learn WordPress Project in Italian.
An editor of the Italian Rosetta website and a manager of the Italian Community’s social channels.
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. co-organizer and speaker.
What do you do outside of WordPress (professionally or in your spare time)?
I share my life with Lorenzo, my husband since 1996. I have two sons, Filippo (28) and Pietro (17), and a cat named Dori.
I enjoy traveling and learning about places, people, foods, cultures, and traditions. I have also been singing in a choir since 1991.
I collect lipsticks (or other make-up) and stationary—pens, colored pencils, and notebooks (can you see why I love going to WordCamps?!). And I’m always up for pizza night.
How did you first discover WordPress, and when did you decide to use it for your projects?
I started to work as a web designer in 2012, after taking a professional course. In that course, they taught us how to use Joomla, so for a year I worked in a small agency churning out, on average, a classic 5-page site a week. One day, a client showed up with a very specific list of requests for her site. Searching the various marketplaces, I managed to find a WordPress theme that matched all those requests; I didn’t even know WordPress existed before then. And so, with a good dose of audacity, I said “Why not?” and launched into installing WordPress.
I was surprised to find that there were already plenty of resources and tutorials in Italian on various tech blogs.
The second thing I was amazed at was how fast the installation was. At that time, we used to upload the files via FTPFTPFTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol which is a way of moving computer files from one computer to another via the Internet. You can use software, known as a FTP client, to upload files to a server for a WordPress website. https://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients.. We did this manually for each client. With WordPress, I uploaded half (or maybe less) of the files compared to Joomla, so I was already saving time. And then, once the files were uploaded, it took only three clicks to complete the installation.
Since that day, I have never gone back.
What was your first contribution?
I started contributing in 2016, organizing the meetup in the small capital city of my province, Ancona. I toyed with the idea in my head for a long time. It seemed strange that no one had done it before, and it took me a year to convince myself to do it.
With time, I realized that organizing a meetupMeetupAll local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. was a way of contributing, as much as writing code.
What motivated you to start contributing to the open-source project?
One reason was to avoid feeling lonely when working at home, which is typical among freelancers living in remote areas. In my neck of the woods, going to work in a coworking space with other people, just to not be alone, means driving 30 kilometers (~19 miles) of curves to get to “civilization.” This would not be sustainable in either ecological or economic terms. But once a month, for the meetup, it can be done 😃
How did you feel seeing your work reach so many people?
I wrote to various local online news outlets to publish the first meeting, and about 40 people showed up, mostly out of curiosity. I had never attended any WordCamps or Contributor Days, nor had I spoken in public, but now I had to—I was the “hostess.” I am, and always will be, grateful to WordPress and the community for enabling me to evolve, grow, and empower myself as a person and as a professional.
Perhaps only recently, after so many years of contributing, do I really get the sense that those extra hours I spend at the PC translating strings, writing posts, or posting on social media reach many people. Now and then, I am filled with giddiness, thinking about both the “responsibility” and the collective usefulness of what I do. And I am deeply grateful for that.
What drew you to the Training Team?
On this, too, we could write a book. Heavens, I do not have the gift of brevity! In 2022, I participated, without any expectation about the outcome, in the selection for the WordPress Foundation’s Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship. I ended up being one of three recipients.
It was a dream come true: Me, embarking on a 16-hour intercontinental flight almost solo at 46 years old, with very poor English-speaking skills, to attend WordCamp US in San Diego. I felt like I was in a fairytale.
I may have already seen something online about Learn WordPress, but I didn’t really know what the team was doing. The only certainty I had was that no one else in Italy was working with them. And since I was living my “American dream,” I once again thought, “Why not?”. Why not try to get other people in Italy involved in translating existing training material and producing tutorials in Italian?
Finding training content in your own language is one of the best ways to democratize publishing: Language is a great tool for bringing people together, and not knowing English well is an insurmountable obstacle. With this in mind, I came home from WCUS 2022 set on doing something—even just a first step—to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy Learn WordPress.
Could you share any challenges or obstacles you faced when starting to contribute and how you overcame them?
I don’t think I faced any particular obstacles in the beginning. These came later. First, during the pandemic. Carrying on with the meetup was difficult. While everyone was connected online, giving webinars and workshops, I felt overwhelmed by too much content being offered online. It was difficult to resume meeting in person, just getting out of the house and meeting in groups with people.
The other obstacle I face now is just a lack of resources—both in terms of people involved and time. There are so many things I would like to do, but the Italian community, as active as it is, is very small and almost 100% volunteers; there are very few people sponsored. So I often find myself doing boring, repetitive yet paid activities, when I would much rather be working on WordPress projects.
Were there any specific resources that helped you along your journey as a contributor?
More than tools or documentation, it was the people I met who made a difference in my contribution journey. Without them, who have been a source of stimulation, inspiration, and empowerment for me, I would not still be here. I would like to name names, but the list would be very long, and I would risk forgetting someone. To them, I often dedicate thoughts of love.
Can you share any memorable moments or achievements while contributing to WordPress?
Well, receiving the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship was one of the unforgettable moments of my life. Another was being able to start a small “chapter” of the Training Team in Italy. We are slowly beginning to get organized to produce content in Italian.
What advice would you give to someone interested in contributing to WordPress?
Get started: no matter which team you pick, the important thing is to get started. And if you have any doubts, always ask because you can always find someone willing to sit, even virtually, and explain how things work. A good way to do this is to participate in the Contributor Mentorship Program.
***
(In)Frequently Asked Questions
Which tutorial changed the way you work with WordPress?
I don’t know if this can still be found on the site, but learning how to work with WebP images in WordPress has helped me to optimize image management on the websites I build, and teach my clients, as well.
Thank you, Margherita, 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!
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!
It’s been two months since Learn.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/ launched on August 1, at approx. 22:00 UTC. This post compiles some information on how the site performed during August and September 2024.
Please note that in most Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including Coursera, the average completion rate is typically low, ranging from 3% to 6%, with variation depending on course difficulty, engagement, and whether students paid for the certification.
Video retention rate
The video retention rate for Learning Pathway courses was 59.3% in September compared to 57% in August.
Learner satisfaction
After a learner finished each course, they are prompted to complete a satisfaction survey. One of the survey questions is: “How useful did you find this course/Learning Pathway?” Below is the learner satisfaction rating for Learning Pathway courses in August and September:
Note that some of these figures don’t represent a full month, if the course was published mid-way through a month.
The feedback survey also includes open-ended questions on how the course could be improved, and asking what learners got out of the course. Suggestions for improvements range from adding more quizzes and offering courses in more languages, to adding interactive projects and slowing down the demos.
Here’s a sampling of comments from learners about what they got out of the course:
Beginner WP User
“This course is a must-watch for anyone looking to truly understand the world of WordPress. It provided me with clear, actionable insights and practical skills that have significantly enhanced my ability to navigate and utilize WordPress effectively.”
Intermediate Theme Developer
“While I’ve built custom themes with WordPress for over 15 years, I’m fairly new to 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. themes. This course was a great overview that also gave links for more reading. It’s making learning much more fun, thorough, and structured, and I hope it is creating good standard habits for all of us as we build block themes well into the future.”
Intermediate WP User
“It is a very good course. Every lesson and video are going through each aspect of WordPress, and they help to learn each topic through very helpful examples.”
Beginner WP Developer
“Jonathan and Learn team! Thank you for making this course. It is useful for a beginner as well as someone who may have learned these concepts from various places in bits and pieces, but would like to do a nicely linked refresher! The course covers all the key concepts beautifully and helps the learner with some good foundational knowledge!”
Thank you to @psykro and @west7 for their contributions to this post.
