GitHub Repository Template for Course Websites

This template is designed to simplify the creation of educational course websites that automatically publish via GitHub Pages, powered by GitHub Actions. Built using Material for MkDocs, this template offers a sleek, responsive design that enhances the learning experience. Perfect for educators and trainers looking to deliver content online, this repository provides a robust starting point that includes necessary configurations and detailed documentation. With just a few clicks, you can see your site go live effortlessly!

Installation

Click in the green Use this template button, then select Create a new repository.

Enter a name and description for your new repository. Ensure the Include all branches checkbox is checked.

Then click on Create repository.

Now, the GitHub Actions will build and deploy your site for the first time. Visit the Actions section to monitor the progress. Once ready, your site will go live.

To view your course site URL, click on the gear icon in the About section and then check the Use your GitHub Pages website checkbox.

Usage

Just clone the repo and modify the files using VSCode, or make changes directly on the GitHub website if you're comfortable with it.

This website is built using Material for MkDocs. You should read their documentation to understand what's going on. Simply put, to modify the site structure, you need to change the mkdocs.yml file.

You can modify the nav section to create new pages and sections:

nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started:
      - Welcome to the course: welcome.md
  - Lectures:
      - lectures/index.md
  - Material:
    - material/index.md
  - Instructor:
    - instructor/index.md

Everything is writing using Markdown files in the docs folder. Just add new .md files or modify existing ones using Markdown Syntax.

Every time you push a change to the main branch, the GitHub Actions process starts again, and your site is generated and published. In a few seconds, you will see your changes go live!

Additional Features

Material for MkDocs Philosophy

This is the philosophy behind Material for MkDocs. If you like these ideas, then this course website template is right for you:

Design principles

• It's just Markdown: Focus on the content of your documentation and create a professional static site in minutes. No need to know HTML,CSS or JavaScript – let Material for MkDocs do the heavy lifting for you.

• Works on all devices: Serve your documentation with confidence – the underlying layout automatically adapts to perfectly fit the available screen estate, no matter the type or size of the viewing device.

• Made to measure: Change the colors, fonts, language, icons, logo and much more with a few lines of configuration. Material for MkDocs can be easily extended and provides tons of options to alter appearance and behavior.

• Fast and lightweight: Don't let your users wait – get incredible value with a small footprint, by using one of the fastest themes around with excellent performance, yielding great search engine rankings and happy users that return.

• Accessible: Make accessibility a priority – users can navigate your documentation with touch devices, keyboard, and screen readers. Semantic markup ensures that your documentation works for everyone.

• Open Source: Trust 20,000+ users – choose a mature and well-funded solution built with state-of-the-art Open Source technologies. Keep ownership of your content without fear of vendor lock-in. Licensed under MIT.

Google Analytics

Go to Settings, Enviroments, github-pages.

In Enviroment secrets sections, add a new secret with your GA Key:

Name: GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_KEY
Value: UA-XXXXXXXXX-X