Course Title: WordPress Development and Website Design

Course Overview: This course introduces students to WordPress, a popular content management system (CMS) for building websites. Students will learn how to set up, customize, and manage WordPress websites, including themes, plugins, content creation, SEO, and more.

Course Duration: 8 weeks (2-3 hours per week)

Module 1: Introduction to WordPress

  • Overview of WordPress and its features
  • Advantages of using WordPress for website development
  • Installing WordPress locally and on a web server
  • Understanding the WordPress dashboard and admin interface

Module 2: WordPress Basics

  • Understanding WordPress terminology (posts, pages, categories, tags)
  • Creating and managing content (posts, pages, media)
  • Organizing content with categories and tags
  • Customizing user profiles and roles in WordPress

Module 3: WordPress Themes

  • Introduction to WordPress themes and their importance
  • Installing and activating themes in WordPress
  • Customizing theme appearance and layout
  • Using child themes for customization and updates
  • Best practices for choosing and customizing WordPress themes

Module 4: WordPress Plugins

  • Overview of WordPress plugins and their functionality
  • Installing and activating plugins in WordPress
  • Exploring essential plugins for SEO, security, performance, and more
  • Configuring and customizing plugins to extend WordPress functionality
  • Best practices for managing plugins and updates

Module 5: WordPress Customization

  • Customizing WordPress themes using the Customizer
  • Adding custom CSS and JavaScript to WordPress themes
  • Creating custom page templates and template parts
  • Customizing WordPress menus, widgets, and sidebars
  • Using the WordPress REST API for customizations

Module 6: WordPress Security and Maintenance

  • Understanding common security threats in WordPress
  • Implementing security best practices (strong passwords, secure hosting)
  • Using security plugins to protect WordPress websites
  • Performing regular maintenance tasks (updates, backups, monitoring)
  • Troubleshooting common WordPress issues

Module 7: WordPress SEO

  • Introduction to SEO (search engine optimization) for WordPress
  • Optimizing content for search engines (keywords, titles, meta descriptions)
  • Configuring SEO plugins (Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack)
  • Creating XML sitemaps and submitting them to search engines
  • Monitoring and analyzing website traffic with Google Analytics

Module 8: WordPress E-commerce and Membership Sites

  • Introduction to e-commerce with WordPress (WooCommerce)
  • Setting up an online store with WooCommerce
  • Managing products, orders, and payments in WooCommerce
  • Creating membership sites with WordPress plugins (MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro)
  • Configuring membership levels, subscriptions, and access controls

Module 9: WordPress Multisite

  • Understanding WordPress Multisite and its use cases
  • Setting up a WordPress Multisite network
  • Managing multiple websites from a single WordPress installation
  • Configuring and customizing individual sites within a Multisite network
  • Best practices for managing and maintaining a WordPress Multisite network

Module 10: Advanced WordPress Development

  • Introduction to custom post types and taxonomies
  • Creating custom fields and meta boxes in WordPress
  • Developing custom themes and plugins for WordPress
  • Using WordPress APIs and hooks for customization
  • Deploying WordPress websites to production servers

Module 11: WordPress Performance Optimization

  • Understanding website performance optimization
  • Analyzing website performance with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights
  • Implementing performance optimization techniques (caching, minification, lazy loading)
  • Optimizing images and media files for web delivery
  • Monitoring and maintaining website performance over time

Module 12: WordPress and Accessibility

  • Understanding web accessibility and its importance
  • Evaluating WordPress themes and plugins for accessibility
  • Implementing accessibility best practices in WordPress websites
  • Testing WordPress websites for accessibility compliance
  • Improving usability and inclusivity in WordPress development

Module 13: WordPress Design Trends and Best Practices

  • Exploring current design trends in WordPress websites
  • Understanding user experience (UX) principles for WordPress design
  • Implementing responsive design techniques for mobile-friendly websites
  • Incorporating multimedia and interactive elements in WordPress designs
  • Best practices for designing visually appealing and user-friendly WordPress websites

Module 14: WordPress Community and Resources

  • Getting involved in the WordPress community (WordCamp, Meetups)
  • Exploring online resources for WordPress developers and designers
  • Contributing to the WordPress project (core, themes, plugins)
  • Staying up-to-date with WordPress news, updates, and releases
  • Networking and collaborating with other WordPress professionals

Module 15: Capstone Project

  • Students will work on a capstone project to apply the skills learned throughout the course
  • Project topics may include building a custom WordPress theme, developing a WordPress plugin, creating an e-commerce store, or redesigning an existing WordPress website

Assessment:

  • Assignments and projects after each module
  • Mid-term and final exams covering the entire syllabus
  • Evaluation of the capstone project