WordPress Credits Program Update ![rw-book-cover](https://make.wordpress.org/community/files/2018/04/cropped-wapuu-collector-pin-for-community.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Make WordPress Community]] - Full Title: WordPress Credits Program Update - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #open_source - #education Author: Make WordPress Community Source: Make WordPress Community (Website) Reference: https://make.wordpress.org/community/2025/08/22/wordpress-credits-program-update/ date created: 2025-08-22 00:00 --- # Title: WordPress Credits Program Update ## Table of Contents: - 🧭 Overview (#-overview) - 🧪 From Pilot to Beta (#-from-pilot-to-beta) - 🏗️ Infrastructure & Materials (#-infrastructure--materials) - 🧑🏽‍🏫 Classroom & Demos (#-classroom--demos) - 🎯 Next Steps (#-next-steps) - 🎓 University Partnerships (#-university-partnerships) - 🤝 How to Get Involved (#-how-to-get-involved) - 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Community Touchpoints (#-community-touchpoints) - 🙏 Acknowledgments (#-acknowledgments) - 📚 References (#-references) Note: The original post does not include internal timestamps; the sections above link to topical anchors for navigation within this note. ### References: - WordPress Credits Program Update post (Make WordPress Community) - Learn.WordPress.org virtual classroom - GitHub repository for program development - #wpcredits Slack channel - WordCamp US Community and Training Contributor Day tables, and Community booth schedule ## 📝 Summary: The WordPress Credits program, launched as a pilot with the University of Pisa, is moving from alpha to beta. Over recent months, the team has built program infrastructure, updated curricular materials for students and institutions, and tested a virtual classroom on Learn.WordPress.org. The next phase includes finalizing infrastructure, completing materials, visibility/awareness campaigns, and coordinating with Make teams to support student onboarding. Fidélitas University joins in the fall with an initial cohort of 15 students, with an aim to open participation to all majors by 2026. The post invites support from institutions (apply to participate), companies (sponsor or mentor), and contributors (join via GitHub or #wpcredits Slack). Community touchpoints include WordCamp US meetings and Contributor Day tables. Multiple contributors co-authored the update. ## 📖 Main Content: The Credits program transforms academic participation into recognized WordPress contribution, bridging universities, students, and project teams. The Pisa pilot validated feasibility and surfaced improvements needed for scaling. The team focused on: - Foundation: setting up technical and operational infrastructure. - Pedagogy: updating student and institutional materials to align with contribution pathways and learning outcomes. - Delivery: testing a virtual classroom instance on Learn.WordPress.org to support instruction, assignments, and mentorship. - Demonstration: preparing classroom demos to help the community visualize workflows and outcomes. Moving to beta requires finishing infrastructure, finalizing the curriculum package, increasing visibility (outreach, demos, calls for participation), and coordinating with contributor teams (e.g., Training, Community, Core, Docs, Polyglots) for onboarding support. Fidélitas University’s participation expands geographic and institutional diversity and sets a runway to include all majors by 2026—not just computer science. The program is led operationally by community contributors, with credit to Rita Robles Loaiza for spearheading the Fidélitas initiative. Community members can engage through: - Institutions: apply to join the Credits program. - Companies: provide sponsorships/mentorships to support students and capacity. - Individual contributors: collaborate in the GitHub repo and #wpcredits Slack. At WordCamp US, there are several in-person touchpoints (Community and Training tables at Contributor Day; Community booth at specified times), plus Slack for ongoing conversation. ### 🗒️ Notes - Program status - Progressing from pilot (Pisa) to beta; alpha learnings inform refinements. - Infrastructure and curriculum undergoing updates to support scale. - Learn.WordPress.org integration - Virtual classroom tested to centralize teaching and contribution workflows. - Demos planned to show classroom mechanics and expected outcomes. - Next steps - Finalize infra and materials. - Launch visibility actions (outreach, public demos). - Coordinate with contributor teams for onboarding pathways and support. - University expansion - Fidélitas University onboarded for fall with 15 students. - Goal: open to all majors by 2026. - Leadership credit to Rita Robles Loaiza (Associate Director of On-Campus Programs, Faculty of Computer Science). - Calls to action - Institutions: apply to host Credits for students. - Companies: sponsor or mentor cohorts. - Contributors: participate via GitHub and #wpcredits Slack. - Community touchpoints - WordCamp US: Contributor Day tables (Community, Training), Community booth times (Aug 28 at 14:30; Aug 29 at 11:15), Slack pings encouraged. - Acknowledgments - Post contributors: @celigaroe, @francescodicandia, @roblesloaiza, @4thhubbard, @peiraisotta. ## 📖 References: - WordPress Credits Program Update: https://make.wordpress.org/community/2025/08/22/wordpress-credits-program-update/ - Learn.WordPress.org (virtual classroom): https://learn.wordpress.org/ - #wpcredits Slack channel: https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ - Program development on GitHub: Typically linked from Make posts; search the Make Community GitHub org for “wpcredits” repository. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: The pilot with the University of Pisa validated the concept; the team refined the approach and is preparing to scale from alpha to beta. Paraphrase: The Pisa pilot confirmed the program’s viability and produced key insights. Using those lessons, the team is improving processes and moving toward a broader beta rollout. 2) Original idea: Next steps include finalizing infrastructure and materials, launching visibility actions, and coordinating with contribution teams for onboarding; Fidélitas joins with 15 students, aiming for all majors by 2026. Paraphrase: Immediate priorities are to complete the program’s backbone and curriculum, expand outreach, and align with Make teams to smooth student onboarding. Fidélitas will begin with a 15-student cohort this fall, building toward university-wide participation by 2026. ## 📰 Newsletter: Learning web development meets real-world impact: the WordPress Credits program is graduating from pilot to beta. After validating the model with the University of Pisa, the team has tested a Learn.WordPress.org virtual classroom, updated curricula, and is prepping demos so you can see how student contributions flow into WordPress. This fall, Fidélitas University is joining with an initial cohort of 15 students, with plans to open participation to all majors by 2026. If you’re an educator, apply to bring Credits to your campus. If you’re at a company, consider sponsoring or mentoring a cohort to grow the next generation of contributors. Individual contributors can jump in via the #wpcredits Slack channel and the GitHub repo. Heading to WordCamp US? Swing by the Community and Training tables at Contributor Day, or catch the Community booth during the posted times to get involved. Web dev that counts—toward your skills and toward the open web. - Learn.WordPress.org classroom: https://learn.wordpress.org/ - Join the conversation on Slack (#wpcredits): https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ - Program update: https://make.wordpress.org/community/2025/08/22/wordpress-credits-program-update/ ## ✅ Action Items: Prompt for alignment with your Developer Advocate/OSPO trajectory: “Analyze how this article advances open-source advocacy, contributor engagement, and education within the WordPress ecosystem. Explicitly map: - Advocacy: Where the program invites diverse stakeholders (universities, companies, individuals) and how sponsorship/mentorship models support sustainable contribution. - Contributor Onboarding: Identify concrete pathways (Learn.WordPress.org classroom, Contributor Day tables, Slack/GitHub) and propose improvements to streamline new-contributor journeys. - Curriculum & Pedagogy: Evaluate the updated materials for outcomes in PHP/JS/HTML/CSS/Git skills; suggest lesson plans, projects, and as - Summary: The WordPress Credits program is progressing since its pilot launch with the University of Pisa. Over the past months, we’ve been focused on setting up the infrastructure, preparing updated materia… - URL: https://make.wordpress.org/community/2025/08/22/wordpress-credits-program-update/ The [WordPress Credits](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/wordpress-credits-contribution-internship-program/) program is progressing since its pilot launch with the University of Pisa. Over the past months, we’ve been focused on setting up the infrastructure, preparing updated materials for students and institutions, and testing the virtual classroom on Learn.WordPress.org. We’re also preparing demos of the student classrooms so the community can see how the program will work in practice. The initial pilot was designed to validate the concept and provided us with valuable insights. Building on that foundation, we continue to refine the approach and are preparing to scale as we transition from alpha to beta. Our next steps include: finalizing the infrastructure, completing program materials, launching visibility actions, and coordinating with contribution teams to support student onboarding. We’re excited to welcome Fidélitas University into the program this fall, starting with 15 students and building momentum toward opening participation to all majors by 2026. This couldn’t have been done without Rita Robles Loaiza ( [@roblesloaiza](https://profiles.wordpress.org/roblesloaiza/) ), who has spearheaded this initiative as the Associate Director of On-Campus Programs at the Faculty of Computer Science. We’d love the community’s support in this next phase. Here are a few ways to help: * **Educational institutions**: If you’d like to bring WordPress Credits to your students, please [apply here](https://airtable.com/appIzQKfwTn5dyPVp/shrYvY0CDNIkILIre). * **Companies**: Learn more about how you can support the program through sponsorship or mentorship [on this page](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/wordpress-credits-contribution-internship-program/get-involved-company-guide/). * **Contributors**: Join the discussion and help us build the program in the [GitHub repo](https://github.com/WordPress/WPCredits-Tracker) or in the [#wpcredits](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0959D2M3T8) Slack channel. If you’ll be at WordCamp US next week and want to connect about the program, come find us! You can join the Community and Training tables at Contributor Day, visit the Community booth on **August 28 at 14:30** or **August 29 at 11:15**, or simply ping me on Slack. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far! Your support is helping us build meaningful bridges between educational institutions, students, and the WordPress project. The following people contributed to writing this post: [@celigaroe](https://profiles.wordpress.org/celigaroe/), [@francescodicandia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/francescodicandia/), [@roblesloaiza](https://profiles.wordpress.org/roblesloaiza/), [@4thhubbard](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/), [@peiraisotta](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/)., WordPress Credits Program Update, Make WordPress Community, 01k39c5s4n03q8jcn38jxrt363.