UBC Course Block

The UBC Course Block is the replacement for the legacy UBC Course Shortcode plugin. It allows you to display information about UBC Course Sections directly on your website, using a user-friendly block-based interface. This block enables content creators to search for Course Sections by:

  • Campus
  • Academic Period
  • Course Subject
  • Course Code

You can then display detailed information related to selected Course Section(s) right within your WordPress pages or posts.

Block Editor Integration

If you’re familiar with the WordPress Query Loop block, the UBC Course Block will feel intuitive. We’ve designed it with a similar user experience in mind, allowing you to:

  • Build custom templates that define what information is displayed
  • Arrange and style the layout using the standard WordPress block editor
  • Use native WordPress block settings to customize the appearance to match your site’s design

This approach ensures that the block is flexible, extendable, and easy to use—without requiring any custom coding.

How to Use the UBC Course Block on Your Website?

To begin using the UBC Course Block, you’ll need to activate two required plugins—in the correct order:

  1. UBC WP API Inner Blocks
  2. UBC Course Block

Note: The UBC Course Block depends on the UBC WP Inner Blocks plugin, so be sure to activate it first.

Once both plugins are activated, you’ll be able to add the UBC Course Block to any post or page using the WordPress Block Editor.

To add the block:

  1. Open the editor for your page or post
  2. Click the “+” icon to add a block
  3. Search for “UBC Course Block”

How Does the UBC Course Block Work?

After adding the UBC Course Block to your page, the first step is to select the course sections you want to display.

In the Document Overview → List View, locate and select the UBC Course Block.

Once the block is selected, the Course Selection options will appear in the block settings panel on the right-hand side of the editor.

From there, you can filter the course sections by:

  • Campus
  • Academic Period
  • Course Subject
  • Course

This allows you to control which course section data is pulled and displayed on the page.

You can select multiple course sections by holding the ALT key (or Option key on Mac) while clicking items in the dropdown menus.

All dropdown values—such as Campus, Academic Period, Course Subject, Course, etc.—are pulled directly from the UBC Academic API. If a course or course section you’re expecting to see is missing, please:

  1. Confirm that the course or section is published in UBC’s system.
  2. If it’s still missing, contact UBC IT for support.

The Faculty and Department dropdowns are optional filters.
They allow you to narrow down the available options in the Course Subject dropdown to a specific Faculty or Department.

The UBC Course Block comes with a default template that automatically places and styles the course section details. This layout uses standard WordPress block settings for spacing, color, and typography.

For guidance on adjusting block settings (like padding, font size, and alignment), please refer to this document.

The plugin also includes a set of custom blocks specifically designed for displaying course section data. These blocks can only be used inside the Course Template block.

Here’s a list of the custom blocks provided by the UBC Course Block plugin:

  • Course Title
  • Course Number
  • Course Academic Level
  • Course Subject
  • Course Academic Period
  • Course Credit Units
  • Course Delivery Mode
  • Course Instructional Format
  • Course Section Title
  • Course Section Description
  • Course Section Dates
  • Course Section Status
  • Course Section Code
  • Course Section Location(Protected Behind CWL)
  • Course Section Instructor

API Caching and Data Updates

To ensure optimal performance, all responses from the UBC Academic API are cached for 24 hours. This means that any updates made to course data may take up to a day to appear in the plugin.

If you’re not seeing the most up-to-date information:

Please wait for 24 hours for the cache to refresh. If the issue persists after that period, consider reaching out to UBC IT for further assistance.