Drupal Open Source Development Certificate
From Beginner to Intermediate to Advanced
Full Time - 11 weeks starting January 19th
Part Time - custom scheduled anytime one-on-one (ideal for experienced students)
Try Drupal - An extremly powerful Content Management System - Programming made easy!
In the 11 Week Program you will learn how to implement and modify Drupal to build dynamic web sites. We teach you in detail everything from basic installation to creating custom modules. You'll have the skills to make applications for nearly any need. Backend knowledge is important but so is themeing. Themeing controls the look of the site and our instuctors cover this is great detail. Other topics we teach are: e-commerce shopping carts, security, user interaction, forums, blogs, wikis, hosting, search engines, SSL, photo galleries, advertising, portals, calendars & more!
The best part of our course is our small class size. If there are any topics you'd like to learn our instuctors will be more than willing to help. We have the cutting edge knowledge of today's fast paced and competitive web sector.
Drupal Course Details
Drupal is extremely powerful and flexible. Sites go up fast and have all the features of major sites you've seen on the internet. This course is project-driven and is updated frequently to meet the demands of today's employers. Many large sites such as FedEx and Sun Microsystems are powered by Drupal. Drupal is the winner of the 2007 CMS (content management system) of the year!
Drupal has a robust user community and easy-to-use administration features. Our course covers all the important aspects of installing, configuring, customizing, and maintaining a Drupal-powered website. Instructors Gord, Rene and Nedjo explore blogs, discussion forums, member profiles, and other features while demonstrating the steps required to make Drupal perform. They also teach fundamental concepts and skills along the way, including installation, backups, and updates; security and permissions; flexible page layouts and CSS; menu navigation; and performance monitoring and disaster recovery. They also discuss how to select and install the community-supported modules that further expand Drupal's capabilities, and gives experienced PHP programmers tips on customizing page templates.
Program Ouline
Drupal Introduction
- Drupal is a leading CMS (Content Management System)
- What do you need to run Drupal? An overview of Drupal requirements
- The guts of Drupal. Learn how Drupal works
- Getting involved with the Drupal Open Source Community
Drupal Capabilities
- Some key Drupal terms to assist with the learning curve
- Know you way around the Drupal User Interface
Installation
- How to install XAMPP on your local computer
- Setting up the Drupal database. Learn how to set up a MySQL database for your Drupal CMS
- Download and installation of the Drupal CMS
- Troubleshooting your installation of the Drupal Content Management System
Tweaking Your CMS
- Clean URLs allow for search engine friendly URLs
- Backing up your Drupal installation
- Restoring from back up. Learn to restore your CMS to a previous back up
- How to update Drupal to a newer release
Drupal Admin
- An introduction to the Drupal administration menu
- How to input your Site Information
- Learn how to theme the look and feel of your Drupal CMS
- Learn how to add and place blocks
- Working with Drupal databases
- MySQL with PHPMyAdmin
Managing User Accounts
- Setting up security and permissions for your sites user base
- Working with site access
- How to create and manage Users
- Managing and customizing user profiles
- How to set up sitewide user contact forms
Customizing Your Site
- Creating a basic page with the Drupal CMS
- Working with your Drupal page layout
- How to create content in Drupal
- How to add and manage blocks
- Adding and using categoeis with taxonomy
Creating Content
- Creating Drupal nodes
- How to create different types of content
- Adding and managing Drupal content types
- Setting up and writing Blogs
- How to create and manage forums with Drupal
- Set up polls on your website
Content Management
- Categorizing content with taxonomy
- Output your sites content with RSS feeds
- Managing user comments on your content
Theming and CSS
- Configuring Drupal themes to change your sites lay out
- Changing your sites theme
- Finding and implementing Drupal themes on the web
- Using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Modules
- Finding contributed Drupal modules
- Installing Drupal modules on your website
- Configuring your Drupal modules
Modules You Can't Live Without
- Automatic Updates
- CCK - The Content Construction Kit
- FCK Editor
- IMCE
- Views
- Node Queue
Navigation
- Learn how to customize and manage Drupals menu system
- Categorize and lay out content using the book module
PHP
- Managing Drupal content templates with PHP
- Using the PHP programming language with the Drupal CMS
- Using PHP snippets
Launching Your CMS
- Launching your Drupal CMS
- Become a part of the Drupal Community at drupal.org
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A one-of-a-kind program taught by professionals in the industry
There is no better way to gain job-ready, industry standard skills than to learn from the people who design and develop with Drupal every day for hundreds of clients.
This Drupal Course is perfect for students to get up-to-date, job-ready skills from our professional development team, using pre-existing software and modules with some customization.
Our design and development team and school are located next door to each other, so you will be able to interact with our team of designers and developers while they are at work. You will gain valuable experience with access to a real development studio.
This is a 100% instructor led program, taught by our own web development team. Instructors are in the classroom with students at all times, either instructing or helping with assignments. Help can also be found from all members of the northStudio.com team, including interns, co-op students, faculty and other staff members throughout the buildings. It's a busy place, so there is always someone to help with whatever you are working on.
The course curriculum is continuous and each module flows perfectly into the next so that you understand the process and development techniques needed to build functional web sites for all types of clients, as we do every day.
Previous computer skills are required.
Students who have completed the Web Development and Internet Marketing have met all prerequisites. Other's may apply to be exempted from the WDC prerequisite.
We strongly encourage students to have a current understanding of basic web site technology, including but not necessarily all, of HTML, XHTML, CSS, browsers, keyboarding, and a half hour conference with one of our administrators. Students with demonstrated problem-solving skills will be more successful.
Each component of the course will be taught by an industry professional currently working in the industry. You will also have speakers from northStudio.com's design, programming, and Project Management Departments to gain real world understanding and to see real client projects.
- Gord Christmas
- Rene Hache
- Nedjo Rogers
View northStudio.com DRUPAL Projects
northStudio.com is our web development division and a Drupal community peer. Successful VSBT graduates may apply for an internship position with northStudio.com to to learn from real world solutions. Many of our interns have gone on to full time positions at northStudio.com
View web sites for harpists, trampolines, whale watching, helicopters, computers, accommodation, elections, medicine, restaurants and more. Some course material will be taken from our team of senior and junior Programmers' experiences who are currently working at northStudio.com.
... students who would like to create and design web applications for personal or professional use in large organizations, design and development studios, or even to work on a freelance basis building applications, programming and maintaining Internet and Intranet web sites.
Software: no software is needed
Books: Three books are required
The computers we make available to our students are all brand new within the last few months, and are loaded with all software and hardware needed throughout the Program.
Our computers are all brand new with 19’ Flat Panel monitors
- AMD 64 3200+
- 2G of Ram
- A8N-VM Mother Boards
- DVD Burner
- Floppy
- Wireless Internet
- 200GB Hard drives
If you have your own laptop you can use our wireless connection.
You will independently plan, and complete your own basic web application or e-business solution that meets or exceeds the needs of either your client or you personally. You will choose a web site that you would like to develop for yourself, a client, potential client, or friend. This project does not have to be just a pretend web application or e-business solution. We encourage all students to create a real-world application. Hosting will be provided by northStudio.com with an IP address for as long as you are a student. This includes an e-mail address and area to FTP or transfer files. The hosting account comes with all the extras including bulletin boards, guestbooks, password protected directories, email lists, error pages, scripts, chat rooms, SQL databases, PHP and more.
Upon completion of this Program you will be able to: develop dynamic, interactive web applications and e-business solutions for personal or professional use in large organizations, design studios, or even to work on a freelance basis designing, developing and maintaining Internet and Intranet web sites.
Including:
• Getting Comfortable with theming
• Better understanding of HTML elements
• Understanding drupal architecture
• Advanced CSS techniques and workflow
• Determining client needs
• Maintaining/updating your drupal site
• Fundamentals of PHP
• Fundamentals of MySQL
• XAMPP: setting up your own test server
• Going Live
• Cross-browser testing
• Module: finding, testing
• Creating your own module
• Setting site for SEO
• Working with a developer/designer
Upon successful completion of your web application you will be awarded a Drupal Developer and e-commerce Certificate.
If you have previously completed the Web Design Certificate Program you will also be awarded a Web Developer Diploma.
There is a growing demand for web designers and developers today. Employers regularly call us to ask for potential graduates ready to develop or maintain web sites.
We are conveniently located across from the Saanich city hall, next door to HSBC Bank, Tim Horton's and Yoshi Sushi. Other amenities include:
- Boston Pizza
- Tim Horton’s
- Save On Foods
- Mother Computers
- Little Caesars
- Subway
- Walmart
- Fairway Market
Optional Internship Work Experience Program (IWEP)
The Internship Program (IWEP) complements the Web Design Program and solidifies the classroom experience while providing a large portfolio for student use.
You work along side us in a busy studio, interacting with clients and eventually designing and building web sites from start to finish. While refining your skills working independently and with our design team, you may build as many as 15 full web sites, depending on your aptitude, and may maintain as many as 200. Students will be encouraged to develop their own style and work methods, and will have plenty of time to use all the things they learned in the classroom. We have many students requesting internships. All VSBT students will be given priority in seat availability.
