5 WordPress Plugins for Education

By: Justin Ferriman • September 2, 2015
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networkingThe presence of WordPress has grown in the education sector over recent years.

There are multiple reasons for this, but some of the main reasons are because it is flexible and easy for administrators (teachers) to use.

In the early years WordPress was used primarily for blogging purposes. However, we’ve evolved past using it just for class blogs.

Today it is used to deliver courses, quizzes, points, certificates, assignments, and much more. Entire course interactions can take place online adding a blended learning approach to the content.

The adaptability of WordPress, particularly with plugins, is one reason why we see it used so often in the education industry. In fact, there are even talks about a WordPress conference specifically for this reason.

If you are an educator and are interested in creating your own site to supplement your class, then you should also check out some of the plugins below (all of which are free).

5 Free WordPress Plugins Perfect for Education

BadgeOS – A free plugin that makes it possible for creating assignments, administering badges, awarding points, displaying leader-boards, and so much more. A perfect way to add an element of gamification!

BuddyPress – The most popular plugin for creating an online community. If you have multiple classes then this is a must-have solution so you can separate students and control their interactions with one another.

bbPress – The perfect plugin for creating class forums. Encourage students to discuss course content, even share their assignments in an effort to receive feedback. If you are using the BuddyPress, then bbPress is an optional feature already.

Flashcard for WordPress – Flashcards have been around for ages, so why not include them in your site? They are effective and helping students to retain information via reviews or memory games.

Google Drive Embedder – Leverage Google’s excellent tools for education with this nifty plugin. You can easily embed documents from the entire Google Drive catalog.

Each of these plugins provides a useful function for your online course. To tie them altogether, you can use a WordPress learning management system like LearnDash (which integrates or is compatible with each of these solutions).

If you are curious as to how you could start a classroom LMS, don’t hesitate to contact us – we’d love to discuss your options and if LearnDash would be a good fit for your goals!

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter