Participant Orientation

Welcome to the orientation session for using this site as part of your Overseas and Off-Campus Programs participation. Here is a background on how you’ll use this site, and below is what you’ll do during orientation:

Login and edit your profile. The first step is to login to the site and supply some basic information about yourself.
- Login at the home page footer or under Participants > Participant Login.
- To edit your profile, go to the admin bar at top right, click on your name and select Edit My Profile. Then follow the instructions here to finalize your display name, bio, and avatar.
Confirm your student record. Your student record will connect you to your overseas program, and give you your own page.
- Go to your program page, and check to see if your name is listed as a program participant. If it is, your student record is ready to go!
- Finally, check out your own page by clicking your name on your program page, or searching for your name under View/Search Participants. Here you’ll see your name, bio, and avatar listed in your profile, and all posts and projects you’ve done on this site.
Do a post. The most basic thing you will do on this site is a post; here’s general help on posting, and here is help on using the WordPress mobile app for posting from your device. Your program leader may have given you an assignment for the post you’ll contribute in advance, or you may just compose one or more test posts as part of this orientation. In either case, here are the items you should include in every post (* are required):
- *A good descriptive title
- *Post content as specified by your program leader
- *One site category (e.g., Ecuador Spring 2015) must be checked, but no tags or global tags, and only one category, please!
- A geotag, showing a location related to the post…this way your post shows up on a map of all geotagged posts, and on a little map on your program landing page.
- A featured image, one simple way to add imagery to your post…this way your post has a nifty banner, and a thumbnail next to summaries of posts. Make sure it’s at least 1200 pixels wide, then it will show up as a lovely backstretch image at top.
(Optional) Start a project record. In addition to posts, this site allows you to document any special projects you work on as part of your overseas program. These projects will be displayed separately from posts, in special summary and map pages. Here is more info on how to start your project record; ask your instructor for guidance as needed.

If you get your profile and student record ready to go before you leave, if you master the art of posting, and if you start a record for a project you’ll do while overseas, you’ll be set to share your experiences with the world once your program begins!

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