The University of Montana
Department of Computer Science
Summer 2008
Instructor: Janet Sedgley Office Hours
(406) 370-4796 By appointment
janet.sedgley@umontana.edu (subj: CS181)
The goal of this class is to start you on your way toward becoming a web designer. Although we will cover 3-4 programs and 2-3 languages not all of the relevant information about designing for the world wide web can be covered in one semester. For one thing, while we start and progress along the journey, more techniques and tools will be discovered/ created every week. This is a rapidly growing and moving field.
I am responsible:
As we start out I will be presenting you with information in large quantities. Later in the semester the amount of information will seem less because you will have a conceptual framework and some basic foundation to build upon. There will be a time when I start functioning more as a consultant to you in your final project (the last few weeks of the semester). I will still be presenting subject matter but can then adjust my examples or my presentation schedule to jive with individual requests which I receive from the class.
You are responsible:
An online course requires a higher level of responsibility from you than a face-to-face class. For one thing, you don't have to face me on a Monday morning trying to hide the fact that you didn't read the assigned chapters. Nor will I walk behind you in a lab setting and be able to see that you are struggling to do the current tasks.
I am responsible for providing organized information, signposts, explanations and assistance. You are responsible for letting me know if you aren't getting it and aren't able to do the weekly exercises or make sense of them and need help.
This course offers a hands-on introduction to creating sophisticated websites that support users’ information needs. Course content covers website design, implementation, and evaluation. Requirements include creating websites, composing text and graphic files for the websites and understanding additional tools (such as scripts for interactive application and search engines) and additional elements (such as web page/database interactions and multimedia elements).
This syllabus is a guide and is subject to change as we progress during the quarter. Changes will be minor and always evaluated in the best interest of the class. This semester I expect we will work together diligently to attain the course objectives, yet have fun along the road to learning.
Entry Requirements
CS111, CS171 or permission of instructor.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide (http://www.cookwood.com/html/)
The class will be exploring several software applications, including Macromedia Dreamweaver MX and Adobe Photoshop. If you have copies of these already, great. Otherwise, we will be downloading trial versions of them for your personal use. Please don't download trial versions before I request you to do so. I've structured the class schedule tightly around the length of time these trials are valid. In addition, you will need use of a very basic text editing program (Windows Notepad, for example) and a file transfer program (which we will download as part of a class activity).
This course will consist of a combination of online readings, short videos, discussions in bulletin board format, and hands-on assignments.
My intention is that you create original work. If I discover that something you turn in for an assignment is plagiarized or only minimally tweaked, you will receive an F for the assignment.
Your performance in this class will be evaluated by several activities. As this is a hands-on course, your web site design and execution will carry the most points.
Activities and Grading: Assignments are usually graded based upon the information that was shared up to the week before the due date. If I am ever grading on a skill or knowledge presented later than that, I will explicitly state that fact. To be graded, assignments (unless otherwise specified) must exist on your class provided and administered web area. (This is provided through an external hosting company.)
Assignments are of three types: graded assignments, class participation assignments (which round out your experience and help the 10% of your grade that is labeled class participation) and the option for one extra credit assignment.
First webpage – 5%: To get you published quickly, the first assignment will be a single page with grading based on the correct structure of the page, whether you were able to place the file in your web space and whether the file is correctly labeled index.htm(l) or default.htm(l). These three items are worth 2 points, 2 points and 1 point respectively.
First website – 15%: Through this initial site of 4-5 pages, you will demonstrate mastery of elements learned in class lectures and discussions. This first site must be entirely hand coded; automated methods of webpage building are not acceptable and evidence of use of them will be considered as incomplete assignments. The assessment criteria will be based on layout, use of presented elements and concepts and effectiveness of navigation. Content will not be graded.
Second website – Photoshop comps – 10%: These designs will be peer reviewed.
Classmates review - First website & Photoshop comps - 5%:
Second website – 20% total: (This site will be peer reviewed.)
Final website – Sitemap – 5%: Mockups, wireframes, trial designs.
Final website – Templates – 5%: You will create 2 templates sans content for a focus on look and feel (and to get very comfortable with Dreamweaver templates).
Final website – 25%: The third site created will be your final project. This site will be produced in Dreamweaver with a generally assigned topic. As your final project this site will be more critically assessed for presentation style and ability to effectively focus on target audience. Details of final website requirements and grading criteria will be supplied separately.
Extra credit – more on this later.
Class participation - 10%:
Class participation happens in this class in discussion board & chat sessions: Participation in 5 of the 9 chat sessions held on Sunday late afternoon (Monday late afternoon of Memorial Day) 4-5 pm and Wednesday from 8-9 pm. I’m open to adjusting these times if they are impossible for anyone. Participation in discussion board should be equal to the grade you’d prefer to get: 90% or above if you’re going for an A, 80% or above if you are going for a B. This participation is expected by midnight of the day after a discussion board thread has been posted ... so the comments remain relevant and the conversation continues to flow. These are not “busy work” but a way to make an online class more vibrant and relevant to you.
May 20th, midnight: Introduce yourself in the discussion board.
May 19-20: Install trial copy of SmartFTP
May 21st, 8-9 pm: First opportunity for a chat
May 22, midnight: First webpage due up on your modwest area (5 %)
May 24-25 Install Photoshop first version
May 28th, midnight: First website due (15 %)
May 31-June 1: Install Dreamweaver 8
June 3rd, midnight: Photoshop comp posted to website (10%)
June 5th, midnight: Classmates reviews due (5 %)
June 10th, midnight: second site due (20 %)
June 13th, midnight: sitemap due (5%)
June 16th, midnight: templates due (5%)
June 20th, 5 pm: last site due (25%)
Assignments – General information:
Late assignments will be accepted at the cost of one third of a letter grade for each day it is late up to one week. I will not be accepting any assignments that are more than one week late.
Letter grades will be determined using a standard percentage point evaluation as outlined below.
My policy is to check email for class postings at least twice per day before 7 AM (Mountain Time) and again between 8 and 9 PM. Postings made after this may not elicit a response until the following day. (My goal is respond within 24 hours but because of spam filters and the quantity of email I receive, please “holler” at me if I don’t respond within 48 hours.) When sending an e-mail use ‘CS 181” in the subject line.
You will be asked at times to assess website examples including sites by your fellow classmates. In true collegial spirit, all comments should be constructive in nature. You are especially encouraged to engage your classmates with questions and/or difficulties encountered, and to help each other figure out how to work through the assignments.
In addition, you are graded on class participation. Your "presence" in class thus is important and is noticed. I expect you to enrich your experience and that of others by participation in the activities and discussions.
Students with disabilities should notify me at the beginning of the course.
The class is PG rated – as should be your web site.
If you are taking this course P/NP, 70 or higher is passing and anything below is not.
Drops/Incompletes: Please see http://www.umt.edu/catalog/acpolpro.htm#5 for information on drop dates for this semester. I follow the standard incomplete policy that can be found in the course catalogue.