Instructor: Debby Kilburn
Telephone: 791-2467
Email: debby@collegeteacher.org
Office: SM-104
Course URL: http://www.collegeteacher.org/
Message Board: http://www.collegeteacher.org/classes/
ICQ: 127174826
AIM: fourhweb
The official description:
A course for students who wish to incorporate the advanced features of Hypertext
Markup Language when designing web pages. Students will learn to use server
side includes and cascading style sheets to streamline site management. They
will learn how to incorporate multimedia into their websites. Students will
complete lessons, which will result in the development of their own personal
home page. Students will be required to complete a team website project. The
skills learned during these lessons are basic to advanced web development.
Text and Materials
Required:
*Designing
Web Pages with Cascading Style Sheets - Skylar
Recommended:
*Web Style
Guide – Lynch and Horton
*HTML 4.0 Specifications – http://www.w3.org/
TR-REC-html40/
Highly Recommended:
*Cascading
Style Sheets, Second Edition: Designing for the Web – Lie, Bos
*Homepage
Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed – Nielsen, Tahir
Software Requirements:
*Windows notepad or similar HTML editor
*FTP software (WS-FTP is available for no cost to students)
*Newest versions of Internet Explorer,
Netscape, and Opera recommended. Older versions of each not a
bad idea either, for viewing purposes.
Useful Resources:
*World Wide Web Consortium - http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/
*W3 Core Style Sheets - http://www.w3.org/StyleSheets/Core/
I expect students to be punctual, prepared and polite. You will be an asset to your classmates and will understand the material we are covering in class better if you have read the chapter and tried some of the exercises ahead of time.
A successful student in this class will be very self-motivated. In class I will present the techniques and the mechanics of HTML, but it is up to you to take the time to explore and expand your skills. As with anything, the more you practice, the more skilled you will become. For a 2-unit class, you can expect to spend 3-6 hours a week working on the computer outside of class. I am very aware of the computer situation on campus, but unless there is a major technical failure, I won't accept the excuse “I couldn't get on a computer” when assignments are due. Please plan your time, pace yourself, and don't put off things until the last minute. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the dates listed in the calendar. If you are unable to make it to class, turn in the assignment ahead of time or send it with a classmate.
By enrolling in this class, I assume you have basic web design skills under your belt. This would include the ability to hand code tables and forms, to manipulate text formatting, to create several types of lists, and other basic coding skills. I will not spend a lot of time teaching the basics; however we will spend all semester fine-tuning them.
If you find that you are having difficulties with an assignment, please let me know. I am always willing to help in whatever way I can. However, if you find that you must withdraw from class, please do the paperwork. I never drop students from my classes. It is not my responsibility to do so. I will have to assign a grade at the end of class.
The main ways I communicate with students is through the class discussion forum. You are expected to check the discussion forum on a regular basis to stay informed of class business. I post articles pertaining to webmaster and web design topics on a regular basis.
If you do not already have one, you will need to sign up for one of the free email services. See the class homepage for links. All messages to me must have the following subject line: “P053: Your Name: Topic”. Messages without this subject line may be lost or ignored.
I am also available through AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and ICQ. Refer to the
top of the syllabus for user names. If you see me online, assume my office door
is open and feel free to contact me.
This is a very tentative schedule and is subject to modification at any time.
8/26 : Welcome to Class
9/02 : Introduction to Style Sheets (Skylar - Ch1)
9/09 : Understanding CSS Selection Techniques (Skylar – Ch2)
9/16 : Font and Type Properties (Skylar – Ch3)
9/23 : Box Properties (Skylar – Ch4)
9/30 : Color & Backgrounds (Skylar – Ch5)
10/7 : Tables & Lists (Skylar – Ch6)
10/14 : Positioning Properties (Skylar – Ch7)
10/21 : Designing with CSS (Skylar – Ch8)
10/28: Midterm Workshop
11/4 : Midterm Workshop
11/11 : Multimedia
11/18 : Multimedia
11/25 : Final Project Workshop
12/2 : Final Project Workshop
12/9 : Final Project Workshop
You are in this class because you are interested in learning more about web design. Successful web designers put in many hours learning new skills and techniques. It is a field that is constantly in motion. Successful designers are: curious about how things work; very self-motivated; able to work in groups and teams; constantly pushing the boundaries of their skills.
Having said that, I will not assign a bunch of busy work. There will be plenty to do and learn without that! You will be graded on the following:
25 % Participation Message board postings, resource directory links, peer reviews,
etc.
15 % Case Study project
30 % Midterm CSS Site 3-5 pages
30 % Final Project 5-7 pages
I expect project websites for this class to adhere to certain standards. Unlawful materials will not be accepted, including, but is not limited to, pornography and warez. Students are expected to respect the work of others.
Class Standards
Clean coding minimizes typographical and syntactic errors. Your source code
should be well commented throughout. Someone who did not write your code should
be able to view it and understand what you are doing. All work turned in will
adhere to the following standards. Points will be deducted from assignments
failing to comply. I reserve the right to modify these standards as needed.
The Code
The Page
Directory Structure