About

This page was created for INFO 281 – Global Issues in Summer 2018. Group members were Sunshyne Buckarma, Kimberly Cole, Kristi Henry, Myeong Lee, and Crystal Van Dee.

This page was built using WordPress and the following plugins:

  • Namaste! LMS – This is a free WordPress plugin with options for paid upgrades. The plugin uses custom posts in WordPress to create Courses. Courses are divided by Lessons. Modules, which will exist between Courses and Lessons, are coming soon. They are in beta now, so we opted not to install them because tech support is limited for free accounts. Namaste LMS also lets you create assignments. Assignment completion could be linked to BadgeOS (see below).
  • BadgeOS  – This is a free WordPress plugin that allows site administrators to link Credly accounts to WordPress pages. Issuers create Credly badges that are embedded with data. BadgeOS allows administrators to set up steps that must happen before a badge is awarded. Badges can be awarded automatically after completing specific actions on the website, or they can be awarded after an administrator has reviewed a submission. Badges appear on user profiles on your CMS (see below for more details). Users also receive emails that allow them to share Badges via social media. Or, after issuing a badge, admins can generate a pdf certificate of the badge that can be printed. The documentation on the BadgeOS website, particularly their screencast tutorial section, is very useful
  • BadgeOS BadgeStack – This is a free add-on for BadgeOS. It automatically creates different badging quests and levels. You can use them or edit them for your own badges. It’s useful just to see how the structure works and to test examples.
  • BadgeOS Community Add-on – This free add-on integrates BadgeOS with BuddyPress
  • BuddyPress – Free plugin that adds community functions to WordPress. It allows for more robust profiles, which can display badges. BuddyPress also has a feature for groups, but we did not experiment with it much.
  • wpForo – Free plugin for forums. It works well with BuddyPress.

We also used a free Credly account to create test badges.

Familiarity with WordPress is required when using these plugins, but programming skill is not. Patience is another requirement. Most of the setup involved watching tutorials and trial/error. Nonetheless, this test site was built in just over a week. With even a modest budget, educators can purchase upgrades to make the tasks even easier (and to receive tech support). The site could be installed on an already existing domain as a separate WordPress installation. The hardest part would be to develop content. Luckily, the hierarchical structure that is used in creating websites is similar to the organization of a binder full of print material.