Designing a Multi-device
WordPress Course Site

A case study, presented for WordPress in Higher Ed

Paul D Hibbitts 
          @hibbittsdesign 

How many mobile devices do you use daily?

Why use WordPress for
multi-device learning?

Key WordPress Strengths (to me)


  • Learning
    • Discussions (Commenting and add-on Forums)
    • Networked learning (Blogs + RSS, Twitter, etc.)
    • Collaborative (Ratings, User Levels, etc.)
    • Mix of public and private (via log-in and shortcodes)
  • Platform/UI
    • Huge, and welcoming, community 
    • Support for a wide range of plug-ins
    • Flexibility of Front page
    • Embedding of third-party objects, via HTML
    • The easy  “hackability”of PHP

Options for multi-device delivery of  WordPress (course) sites



Responsive Web Design (RWD)




My Favorite Framework for WordPress – (Twitter) Bootstrap


  • Grid-based layout
  • Support for responsive design
  • Interface components (e.g. tabs)
  • Javascript snippets (e.g. dialog boxes)

Are you currently supporting multi-device
friendly WordPress course sites?

Multi-device delivery is (or soon will be) easy, but doing it well is not

Multi-device Course (Companion)
Site Challenges


  • In-context learning
  • Design process
  • Student expectations

How Might “Mobile Learning” be
Re-defined in a Multi-device World?


  • Ubiquitous
  • Situational
  • Connected
  • Personal

Multi-device Experience Goals


  • Conceptual and visual consistency
  • Content and functionality parity
  • Seamless task transferability
  • Think ecosystem, not isolated devices
  • Optimize physical interactions on every device

Multi-device
Learner Experience Goals


  • Engaging
  • Organized
  • Relevant
  • Appealing

Time for Questions or Comments


  • What we’ve covered so far 
    • Why use WordPress for multi-device learning?
    • Multi-device support is now easy, but doing it well is not
    • Multi-device course (companion) site challenges
    • “Mobile Learning” in a multi-device world
    • Multi-device experience goals
    • Multi-device learner experience goals
  • Coming up
    • A guided tour of a multi-device WordPress course site

A guided tour of a
multi-device WordPress course site...


Simon Fraser University (SFU) Computer Science Department,
a mid-size university with three campuses in Western Canada.

http://cmpt-363-133.hibbittsdesign.com/ (built with WordPress 3.6)







 











Next Steps





Plug-ins That Might be Helpful


  • Broken Link Checker
  • Browser Specific CSS
  • Category - RSS widget menu
  • Countdown Timer
  • Dave's WordPress Live Search
  • Floating Menu
  • Hide Admin Bar From Non-admins
  • Logged in User Shortcode
  • Multi Rating
  • My Calendar
  • Remove Dashboard Access
  • Sidebar Login
  • Simple:Press
  • User Specific Content

Thank you! Any Questions?



Chrome App Launcher


http://chrome.blogspot.ca/2013/12/a-new-breed-of-chrome-apps-now.html

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