ENVS Program

Lewis & Clark Environmental Studies

ENVS Course & Project Portfolio Templates

Templates and instructions created by Alex Groher-Jick and Tasha Addington-Ferris (ENVS ’18) & Jim Proctor

Overview

With student help, the ENVS Program has assembled simple templates students may use to document their courses and projects. These templates were created in a single-page, full-width scrolling format that emphasizes the flow of narrative we strive to create in our digital scholarship. The templates display both process and outcomes of our scholarship in a manner that is professional and engaging to readers. We used Beaver Builder, a widely used and respected page builder plugin, to create these templates. Below are instructions for how to prepare for, install, and edit these templates for either a course or project portfolio.

Preparation

Here are some important steps to do before you install the templates. Please read and follow these instructions carefully; if questions, email DS multisite help.

  1. Make sure you have defined the following for your course or project; these will be displayed at bottom of the template:
    • A post category for all related posts
    • (For projects) A Zotero tag or collection for all related references
  2. It’s best to be organized!:
    • If you are developing a course portfolio, ask yourself: what are roughly three main sections, objectives, or key questions for this course? You will organize summary material based on these main divisions, so give some thought to this in advance.
    • If you are developing a project portfolio, pay close attention to the Doing Situated Research help page, in particular the hourglass diagram and rubric, as you will document your situated ENVS project in this manner. Also, you will need to activate MapPress Pro on your site, and enter an API key to display maps (contact us for the API key).
  3. Activate the Genesis DamBuster plugin to allow full-width content on your Genesis theme. (This is fuller than your theme’s full-width option!)
    • Go to Genesis > DamBuster to edit global settings—the default hides basically everything on your page, which you generally don’t want. UNcheck all DamBuster options under (a) Header, (b) Above Content, (c) Below Content, and (d) Footer.
    • When you’re done, the only checked options should be on Template Width and Background.
  4. Activate the Beaver Builder plugin, and learn a bit about using it below!

To learn about Beaver Builder, see here for getting started info, and here for information on Beaver Builder modules. You may also watch the below video for a walkthrough; you will not start from scratch like they do, but the skills are the same.

 

Installation

Now you are ready to install the default Beaver Builder course & project portfolio templates we have created for you.

  1. Go to either the course portfolio or project portfolio template page. Take a look to see what the default template looks like before you edit it.
  2. You need to save (not view) the linked template file on that page; depending on your browser you’ll do this differently.
    • Chrome or Firefox: Control (right)-click on the link and choose Save Link As…. Then choose where to save the file and click Save.
    • Safari: Control-click on the link and choose Download Linked File As…, then follow above.
  3. On your dashboard, go to Tools > Import, scroll down to WordPress, and click Run Importer.
    • After you click the Run Importer link, select the .xml file that you just downloaded, then click Upload File and Import.
    • Don’t worry about the Assign Authors and Import Attachments options; just click the Submit button.

Editing

Once you have installed your desired template, you can edit it. You’ll do this on a new post or page.

  1. Start a new page; this is where your portfolio will go. Don’t enter anything in the page content, but make sure to edit these things:
    • The title (this will show at the top of your portfolio; you can edit it later if you wish).
    • If you have a sidebar theme and default layout, go to the Layout Settings metabox and change it to full width.  
  2. Now, click the Page Builder tab at the top of the content box next to Text Editor; this is how you use Beaver Builder.
    • You will be guided to the Layout Templates window. Navigate to Your Templates, then click the template you just imported. You’re now ready to edit it!
  3. Carefully follow editing instructions on the course portfolio or project portfolio template page. Note that all text and images are replaceable! Make sure to customize them for your needs.
    • Important: Not everything you edit in Beaver Builder is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get); i.e., some items will look different (usually better!) when you save your page.
  4. If you wish to do further edits or significantly add to/change the default template in Beaver Builder, feel free to do so! The templates are only made to get you started easily.