Easy to create online courses with WordPress: The Ultimate Guide

Core points

• WordPress is combined with the Learning Management System (LMS) plug-in, and is a cost-effective and reliable platform for creating online courses. These plugins provide features in course creation, management, and maintenance.
• WordPress has a variety of LMS plug-ins, each with its own characteristics, such as LifterLMS, WP-Courseware, StudyPress, teachPress, Sensei and Educator. Which plugin to choose depends on the specific needs and preferences of the course creator.
• The WordPress LMS plugin allows course creators to develop comprehensive online courses with features including chapters and courses, course categories, student assessments, course exports, add-ons and integrations, and course certificates. They also support multiple languages ??and payment options.

Freeworkers or self-employed people want to create a safe and efficient platform at a lower (or no need) cost. Don’t worry, WordPress can easily create an online course system by combining the Learning Management System (LMS) plug-in!

The term "Learning Management System" (LMS) is often used to discuss online courses. LMS is a system for creating courses and training programs, and often also provides the functionality to manage these programs. There are many LMS online, such as Moodle, Canvas, etc. But if you have a WordPress site, why not integrate your LMS into the same site? You can easily create safe and efficient online courses and then sell them access to start building your online learning business.

Why choose WordPress to create online courses?

Because WordPress is free, reliable, and easy to use plug-in extensions, you can create online courses with WordPress at a lower cost. WordPress’s LMS plugins have amazing features, so it’s easy to create courses from scratch with them.

After the course development is completed, you need to maintain them. This can result in maintenance costs; however, the time and cost required may be less when using WordPress LMS plug-in. You may find yourself requiring less course and course maintenance, as these plugins have extended capabilities to automatically perform certain maintenance tasks.

After planning the basic elements of a course (title, content, membership or access plan), you should start thinking about which LMS plugin to use.

Learning Management System Plugin

LifterLMS

LifterLMS is a powerful LMS plugin that helps you easily create and publish engaging online courses. It comes with a student dashboard where learners can view their profile, course progress, profile, certificates, and more. It also has a personalized certificate system. Learners who want to register for your course can use online and offline payments.

WP-Courseware

Courseware is a learning management plug-in with a system that provides functions such as dynamic progress pages, problem marking, etc. Your course participants can also use this plugin to download the quiz results.

There is a tool called "Trace Card" in the Courseware plugin that is integrated into creating surveys and exporting gradebooks.

StudyPress

StudyPress will help you create multimedia learning content easily. They offer distraction-free full-screen mode functionality so learners can easily access the course. It also has a great drag and drop interface to create courses and courses.

teachPress

teachPress plugin supports localization. Your courses can be created in more than two languages ??to reach a wider audience. You can import publications in BibTeX format. RSS feeds for publications are also provided.

The plugin also has a shortcode so you can provide a course overview on any WordPress post or page.

Sensei

Sensei is an LMS plugin that provides different designs for different courses. This plugin is provided by WooThemes and can be easily integrated with WooCommerce for easy sales of courses online.

Note: WooCommerce is considered one of the best platforms for creating e-commerce websites. Its integration with LMS is very effective for both course creators and learners.

Educator

Educator plugin provides shortcodes that make it easier to integrate into your WordPress page or post. Educator supports a variety of payment methods, such as PayPal, bank transfer, checks, etc.

Select the perfect plugin for course development. You definitely want to check out this one. Many LMS plugins have similar features to each other, but the unique features of each plugin are the basis for your decision. I've used more than a few and think WP-Courseware and LifterLMS are most useful for my own projects.

Develop a course on your WordPress website

Now you will see how to start a demo course from scratch using the LMS plugin.

For the demo, I will use the LifterLMS plugin, a powerful learning management system. Here you will see valuable courses that can create for our audiences (engineers, professionals, researchers, etc.).

Create courses

Suppose you want a course on Java. You can easily create it using LifterLMS.

Figure 1: Create a course titled "Java Development Course"

Create chapters and courses

A course will consist of courses. You can easily create courses using plugins. It can help divide them by chapters. I've divided our course into two parts: "Core Java" and "Advanced Java".

Figure 2.1: Create the "Advanced Java" section in "Java Development Course"

Create as many courses as you like and add them to your course chapter. Also, mark the duration of the course.

Figure 2.2: Creating the first lesson

Figure 2.3: Adding courses to chapter

Course Category/Tags

Categories in WordPress group your posts, but in LMS, course categories group your courses.

Figure 3: Adding "Java" category

Student Assessment

Students or professionals visit your website to attend courses. After completing the course, you may want participants to evaluate what they have learned from the course.

Evaluation can be taken in the form of a test question. You can create quiz questions in the form of:

• Multiple choice questions
• First and wrong questions
• Fill in the blanks
• Multiple-line text questions
• Single-line text question

In Figure 4.1, you will see how to create questions for the quiz to evaluate students' performance.

Figure 4.1: Quiz

Figure 4.2: Quiz Settings

Export course list

Suppose you have some courses on your WordPress website for students and professionals. After success, the number of courses created on your website increases dramatically. So to avoid confusion, you can easily export the course list in XLS/CSV format. A list of courses with fields and details can be easily generated with just one click of a button.

Add-on-components/extensions/integrations

Address will create new features for your course. You can use them to add more features to your courses that have proven to be very beneficial.

Addresses or extensions can be used to enable functionality by you can easily check the course progress of any student. Extensions are also provided to meet other needs, such as adding the ability to easily create media attachments.

Integration with other plugins is very important for extending the functionality of LMS. Integrate with BuddyPress, WooCommerce, or other plugins you may want to use in your WordPress website. For example, integration with Gravity Forms will help you create amazing forms instantly.

In Figure 5, you will see some extensions that can be added to LMS.

Figure 5: Add-ons

Free or paid

You can give courses to your audience for free for a period of time and after building a brand, sell them at a price that suits your audience.

Learners don't have to worry about payment services, as these LMS come with many payment options, such as:

• PayPal
• WePay
• Skrill

Figure 6: Payment options for paid courses

Course Certificate

You can easily generate certificates for learners manually or automatically after they have successfully completed the course.

Figure 7: Creating a Certificate

Course feedback/comments

Good feedback and ratings are the goals pursued by course creators. Not only course creators, but those who want to buy courses will also view reviews and ratings. Therefore, participants can choose to leave comments after completing the course.

Localization

According to a global survey of Internet users, the language with the highest Internet usage is English. It lists English as the language of the Internet user's population around 25.5%. What about the rest? Targeting global audiences with the localization capabilities of WordPress plug-in. Develop courses in different languages ??to gain a wider influence.

Figure 8: Survey; Source: Internet World Statistics

Summary

In this article, you learned how to create an online course in WordPress and provide it on your website. You also learned how to extend your course with add-ons. Start your journey and find an easier way to create a WordPress-based course platform, which in turn will enable you to teach others!

Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress Learning Management System

What key functions should be paid attention to when choosing a WordPress Learning Management System (LMS)?

When choosing a WordPress LMS, you should consider several key features. First of all, course creation and management should be simple and intuitive. LMS should allow you to create and organize courses, add courses, topics, quizzes, and assignments. Secondly, user management is crucial. LMS should provide tools to manage students, track their progress and provide feedback. Third, consider the integration capabilities of LMS. It should be seamlessly integrated with other plug-ins and tools such as WooCommerce for selling courses, bbPress for forums, and BuddyPress for social networks. Finally, LMS should provide powerful reporting and analysis capabilities to help you track and improve your courses.

How to sell my courses using WordPress LMS?

Most WordPress LMS plugins are integrated with e-commerce plugins such as WooCommerce, allowing you to sell courses directly from your website. You can set different pricing models, including one-time purchases, subscriptions, and memberships. Additionally, some LMS plugins offer built-in payment gateways, so you don't need to use external e-commerce plugins.

Can I customize my courses using WordPress LMS?

Yes, most WordPress LMS plugins offer high levels of customization. You can design courses that match your brand, add multimedia content like videos and images, and create interactive quizzes and assignments. Some plugins also offer advanced features such as little content, which you can schedule content to be published over time.

How to use WordPress LMS to track student progress?

WordPress LMS plug-in usually provides comprehensive tracking and reporting capabilities. You can monitor students’ progress, view their performance on quizzes and assignments, and gain insight into their learning patterns. Some plugins also provide analytical tools to help you improve your course based on student performance and feedback.

Can I use WordPress LMS for corporate training?

Of course. WordPress LMS plug-in is versatile and can be used for a variety of educational purposes, including enterprise training. You can create courses that suit your employees’ needs, track their progress and provide feedback. Some plugins also offer features like certificates and badges to motivate and reward learners.

Can I create multilingual courses using WordPress LMS?

Yes, many WordPress LMS plugins support multilingual courses. They integrate with multilingual plugins such as WPML, allowing you to create courses in different languages. This is especially useful if you have a diverse student population or offer courses internationally.

Can I use WordPress LMS to provide certificates and badges?

Yes, many WordPress LMS plugins allow you to provide certificates and badges to students after the course is completed. This can be a great way to motivate students and provide them with a tangible record of learning.

How to make sure my courses are accessible to all learners?

To ensure your courses are accessible, select WordPress LMS that meets network accessibility criteria. This includes features like keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility and color contrast options. Also, consider providing transcripts for video content and using clear and simple language in course material.

Can I create a community around my courses using WordPress LMS?

Yes, many WordPress LMS plugins are integrated with social networking plugins such as BuddyPress, allowing you to create a community around your course. You can set up discussion forums, enable private messages, and allow students to create profiles and connect with each other.

What kind of support can I get from WordPress LMS providers?

The support levels vary from WordPress LMS provider to different WordPress LMS providers. However, most offer comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and self-service forums. Additionally, many providers provide direct support via email or live chat. Some also offer advanced support programs for additional assistance.

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