WordPress

While Desire2Learn is, and will continue to be, the primary web platform supported by DE, we recognize the need for open (not password protected) faculty web space for content. To continue to support faculty websites, DE is supporting a website tool called WordPress.

D2L or WordPress?

The primary difference between Desire2Learn and WordPress is the level of openness you wish to have for your content. WordPress sites are open and visible to anyone on the web, while D2L sites are password protected and available only to students in your course.

Additionally, Desire2Learn sites are primarily course based, and the development of the course shells for those courses must be managed each term by the instructor in cooperation with Data Management and DE Support. A WordPress site is not linked to enrollment and once a site is set up, it requires little ongoing administrative maintenance beyond content changes.

We’ve put together a chart outlining a few of the differences between D2L and WordPress

Feature WordPress Desire2Learn
Is the site open or closed to everyone on the Internet? open closed
Do students require a username and a password to access the content? no yes
Is the system web-based, requiring no special software beyond a web browser to edit or create content. yes yes
Do you use copyright material provided to you by a publisher? no yes
Do you want to use a discussion board, online quiz, or dropbox? no yes
Does the system require coordination with Student Services with regards to course creation, student data, and usernames and password management. no yes
What is the level of student administration within application. low high
What is the level of course administration within application. low high
Are there RSS feeds for students to subscribe to newly published content? yes no

Note that the two platforms are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You can have both running at the same time if you have a clear vision of how the two platforms work, what they are used for, and what benefits and drawbacks of each one.

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