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Creating a Website

Parent Page(s): Conferences & Special EventsTools for Outreach & CommunicationWebsites & Databases

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

CENES

Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies

MPPGA

Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs Program

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.

  • Website Request
  • Training and Support
  • Further Resources
  • For Arts Faculty and Staff only.

  • Student Support

    For student support, please contact your IT Service Helpdesk. The contact information can be found here.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • For Arts Faculty and Staff only.

  • Please provide a detailed description for your request.

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.

  • UBC Content Management System Documentation
  • Video Tutorials – Introduction to UBC CMS

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.

  • Arts CMS Documentation

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.

  • Getting Started
  • Additional WordPress Resources

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.

  • Getting Started

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.

  • Getting Started
  • Full List of Current Shortcodes

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.

  • Getting Started
  • Full List of Current Plugins
  • CTLT Plugin Evaluation Criteria
Arts Instructional Support & Information Technology (Arts ISIT)
Faculty of Arts
1234 Street
Vancouver, BC Canada V0V 0V0
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