sites.gcu.edu

Websites & Blogs (CampusPress)

If you’re a student and looking to gain access or create a new website or blog, please see the information below.

sites.gcu.edu comes to GCU from CampusPress, which is a WordPress-powered platform designed for higher education websites. Using CampusPress, GCU users can create and manage a website or blog using GCU-branded templates with pre-vetted plugins and blocks. To start using CampusPress, go to sites.gcu.edu.

Create web pages with no coding experience with the WordPress website builder
Personalize your website with a variety of plugins and branded themes
Quickly duplicating pages and reusing design patterns
Blogging options
Previewing and scheduling pages/posts

What are blogs & course websites?

Blogs and websites built with CampusPress are flexible online spaces built for numerous teaching purposes from distributing course information online to facilitating collaboration and building digital literacy and communication skills. Course websites are built by the instructor or collaboratively with students using a template-based, WordPress system and have a variety of tools and plugins as well as privacy settings to choose from.

Why use blogs & course websites?

Blogs and websites allow for a wide variety of teaching and learning exercises. Students can collaborate by building a shared, public or private online resource, can post and comment on documents or multimedia content, link to external resources, share resources with others outside of the GCU community, and engage in other contemporary online practices relevant to internet communications; such as blogging, social sharing, and other desktop or mobile-friendly activities. CampusPress can work in conjunction with Halo or be an alternative system used for sharing content and collaborating online. For example, instructors can connect their course website directly to Halo, allowing student users to pass-through to CampusPress more seamlessly.

Considerations for using blogs & course websites

Unlike the Halo Learning Management System, CampusPress cannot be used for grading, formal assignment submissions or traditional discussion board posting. Learners may also need to be taught how to develop and use a blog or course website.

Getting started with blogs & course websites for Faculty

CampusPress is free to use by faculty provided there is a formal course number associated with the site. Campus Technology is available to help with getting started, adding student users, and advising on tips and tricks. See this page on how to create a class site.

What are digital portfolios or e-portfolios for Students?

Digital Portfolios are dynamic online spaces where students can reflect, publish, and share individual or collaborative content. Students can use CampusPress to create an ePortfolio, a powerful feedback component that uses a template-based system.

Why use e-portfolios?

E-portfolios are a flexible resource where students and faculty can collaborate on developmental (project-based), reflective (self-awareness and learning), or representational (showcasing and sharing) experiences. CampusPress can be used in the classroom or across the curriculum. Your GCU CampusPress account will expire one year after separation from GCU, which will allow you the opportunity to showcase you learning experience to prospective employers. You only need give your prospective employer the web address of your e-portfolio.

The learning purposes of digital e-portfolios include:

Reflecting upon learning processes and outcomes.
Organizing and presenting learning accomplishments.
Developing self-assessment skills.
Representing and sharing learning experiences in an online platform.

Considerations for using an e-portfolios

CampusPress allows individualized or template-based online learning spaces and is not meant to be a content-delivery tool, a Halo replacement, or a platform for discussions.