As planned by @JenMylo during Community Summit
Tier 1: Getting to know WP
- setup/install, use all features, intro to concepts of themes/plugins/core/open source
- popular free plugins (the ones you put on every site you set up for someone)
- where to learn more (wordpress.tv, local communities, docs, etc)
- jetpack (outsource to jetpack team for content creation since third-party plugin)
- setting up a store (outsource to woo, other ecomm plugins)
Goal: they can set up a site for a small business with the most commonly requested features and customize it using the dashboard. they become able to contribute in support forums (beginner questions) and doing subtitles
Tier 2: Leveling Up (assumes knowledge of HTML and CSS)
- Troubleshooting basics (swipe old curriculum that @ipstenu is hosting still)
- Intermediate troubleshooting (create more learning examples like what’s in the basics but harder)
- Plugins & Themes: where to find them and what to do with them (how to tell a good one, dealing with conflicts, etc)
- Modifying Code – child themes, customizing with css in jetpack (for simpler things that don’t need a whole new child theme, also bc it’s what is used on WC sites so they can contribute there), looking at plugin code
Goal: they can do fancier sites, give better advice, do more in support forums, etc
Tier 3: Theming (assumes knowledge of html and css)
- build a theme from _s (borrow heavily from the themeshaper tutorial)
- php basics for theming
- design and ux for theming
- intro to the theme repo (include talk of licensing, code requirements for repo, etc)
- submitting a theme to the theme repo, how theme reviews work
Goal: they can build custom themes, can answer theming questions in forums, possibly start trying their hand at theme reviews
Tier 4: Specialized/Advanced skills
- Build a plugin (and into repo)
- Running multisite
- BuddyPress, member plugins
- Advanced troubleshooting
- Contributing to core
- JavaScript wackiness
- More advanced PHP
- all the things not covered in lower tiers
Goal: they can become a wp professional, can contribute to any of our contrib teams