Search above for help guides, contact us by email at arts.helpdesk(at)ubc.ca for general inquiries, or visit us at Buchanan C105 (for the Arts Learning Centre) or C113 (for IT and AV assistance).
Creating a Website
Arts ISIT provides website templates for personal, departmental, or conferential uses. These templates are built using WordPress, an open source platform that is friendly for new users and rich in features.
The Arts templates are based on the UBC Common Look and Feel (CLF), which provides a responsive design that adapts to almost any device or platform. They are intended to provide Arts departments, schools, and programs with the means to facilitate student and faculty recruitment, communicate with the UBC community, and support alumni relations, all while unifying the look of the Faculty’s online presence and providing mobile access.
Sample Websites
Key Features
- Easy to maintain
- Hosted at and supported by UBC
- Provides consistent appearance and user experience across different Arts websites
- Supports faculty/staff profiles and event announcements
- Can integrate course information from the Student Information System
- Dozens of additional customizations, plugins, and features
Getting Started
If you would like to use an Arts website template or have any questions regarding training and support, please fill out one of the forms below.
Tutorials
Introduction to WordPress
Learn how to get started on WordPress with detailed tutorials on how to customize your website, create site structures, add content and functionality, and invite new users.
Introduction to Arts CMS
UBC WordPress with additional customization options. Learn how use modules, update course information, and additional functionalities to add visual elements to your website.
Useful Website Features
Gravity Forms
This is a plugin for creating forms on WordPress, which you can customize for visitors to your site to fill out. Forms can be used for a number of services, such as event/program registration, user feedback, inquiries and concerns, or purchases. Note that Gravity Forms cannot be used to transmit sensitive information, such as student numbers, CWL credentials, and private personal information.
UBC Cart
The UBC Cart plugin allows you to display products such as merchandise, tickets, and journal issues on your website. It can be integrated with UBC’s ePayment system to allow you to collect online payments from users.
Shortcodes
Shortcodes are a simple way to enhance your website, without having to know or learn computer languages. Developers have already written all the complex code, so you just need to use a condensed version to invoke their functions. For example, you can add tabs to webpages, create photo slideshows, put text into columns, and more.
Plugins
A plugin is a general term for a tool that provides additional functionality for your website, but has been developed by a third-party organization. They allow you to expand your website’s functionality beyond what is offered to you out of the box.
For example, UBC has developed a plugin that retrieves course information from the UBC Calendar. This means that you can create pages on WordPress that display all the courses from a particular department, taught in a given semester, by all the instructors in a department, and so on.