HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CSI 252 Introduction to Web Page Design

On Line Course (3 credits)

Instructor	Melinda J. Mesick
Office and Phone	No Set Hours - Primarily e-mail (appts can be made), 552-2306
On Campus Meetings	Two on campus meetings are required for exams - initial orientation is recommended.
E-Mail	mmesick@hcc.mass.edu

Course Description and Objectives Description:

This course provides students with a conceptual methodology beginning with the questions that should be asked before content is designed and implemented on the web and continuing through the stages of web site development from preparation and design to implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of the site. HTML will be utilized to learn the basics of web site development; in addition, current web page generators and animators for web page design will be employed. The course will examine a running case study that illustrates the types of decisions and issues a real company faces throughout the web site development process. Students may not receive credit for CSI 231, CSI 260 and CSI252.

Methods of Instruction:

As one would suppose, this class will not be using some of the standard methods of instruction. Because we will not be meeting 1, 2 or 3 times a week, the student must be much more proactive in participation.

We will be using a combination of on line discussion, team work, special projects and homework. Class participationis valued and encouraged. It will be accomplished through the bulletin board, e-mail and team projects. Certain interaction will be mandated via assignments, but the hope is that after a short time, the class will have created an on line community.

There will be approximately one assignment per week, a team project, a final individual project, quizzes and 2 exams. You are required to come to campus for the two exams.

WebCT and email are our primary communication tools and because of this, you should spend some time in the first week becoming familiar with WebCT's capabilities (if you are not already). You will be expected to check it for announcements and other information at least every weekday.

Attendance Policy:
Attendance is not required in the traditional sense in this course. There will be no particular time that you will have to be online. However, though attendance in general is not required, there is an attendance policy:

Once a week I will check your log in history for WebCT. If you haven't connected in more than a week, the process from that point will be:

You will receive a message asking you to contact me (if I have a reliable e-mail address).
If I don't hear back within 2 days, I may withdraw you from the course with an AW (administrative withdrawal which indicates lack of attendance).

Finally, if you miss a test or quiz (or have dropped out of the team project), or miss handing in more than 3 of the assignments (without explanation) you will be withdrawn with an AW (Administrative Withdrawal). If you choose to not do any of the assignments (some people have) then let me know and I will not withdraw you for this reason. You still have to be in contact with me however.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If for some reason you have to be away from your computer for more than a 3 weekdays then contact me before you have to leave (at least 2 days) and we can work something out. The important thing is communication. If you have to leave in a hurry, please have someone else get in touch with me. I need to know what is happening.

One of the great pitfalls of the on line learning environment is that it is easy to fall out of circulation and I do not wish to lose any of you. Please be sure - I understand the demands on you. The reason you are probably taking this course is that you have such crazy schedules. I am willing to make allowances for your busy schedules, but if you neglect the class for more than a couple of days it will be very difficult to catch up. Please share with me when you are having difficulties completing the work. Do not just disappear.

Methods of Testing and Evaluation:
Methods of testing and evaluation include weekly homework, quizzes, two exams and a final project. A tentative breakdown of your grade is as follows:

Homework/Quizzes	30 %
Exams	40 %
Final team project	15 %
Final individual project	15 %

These may be adapted throughout the semester.

Late Policy:
Homework and Projects will have a specific date and time that they will be due. They will be submitted electronically in two different ways. If you don't get it in by the due date, you will not get credit for that assignment but you still may need to do the assignmnent to continue with the next one.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you ever have a problem with a due date, speak with me.

You will be expected to send me (via e-mail) all the files needed in your homework/project assignments. You may want to zip these up using some compression program, but it is not always necessary. Secondly, you will be expected to post the team and individual projects in a special place on WebCT so that all your classmates can see what you are doing as well.

ADVICE: Start EARLY. I always accept assignments early.

Quizzes have a specific 24 hour period where you must take them. If you do not, you will not get credit for them - ne exceptions. You are expected to log on every weekday and so you must to know when the quizzes are availbale. Quizzes are closed notes and closed books. They will focus on the most recent work we have been doing in class.

Cheating:

Cheating is defined as:
         Using illegal sources (exams and quizzes are closed book and notes)
         Representing someone else's work as your own. Note: Asking for general help from others is ok, but do not copy work. The purpose of this course is to learn the material. I again encourage you to speak to me (verbally or electronically) if you are having problems with due dates.
       If you are caught cheating you will fail the course.

Materials:

Text Book: Patrick Carey - New Perspectives on HTML and XHTML (Comprehensize) published by Course Technology, ISBN:0-619-26747-X

Other materials:

Several websites.

Other recommended texts

This course WebCT site

Notepad (or simple text editor) and a web site editor

CSI 252 Tentative Course Outline:

Week:	Specifics:	Reading:
Week 1	Course Information, Introduction to web pages and Design Issues	Tutorial 1
Week 2	Basics of web sites	Tutorial 2
Week 3	Design, Color and Graphics	Tutorial 3
Week 4	Tables	Tutorial 4
Week 5	Exam and Forms	Tutorial 6
Week 6	CSS	Tutorial 7
Week 7	Image Maps	Various
Week 8	Multimedia	Tutorial 8
Week 9	Frames	Tutorial 5
Week 10	Scripting	Tutorial 10
Week 11	Exam 2
Week 12 on	Discussion about packages and finishing projects	Various

It is important to remember this schedule is tentative. As the semester progresses, I may be adjusting it accordingly.

Office for Students with Disabilities:

Holyoke Community College is committed toproviding students with disabilities equal access to the full range ofprograms offered by the College. If you are a student with a disability,please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities (Donahue 131,552-2417) to make accommodations. I am happy to work together with thisoffice to make this a good experience.

What You Should Know Before Taking ThisCourse:

This will hopefully outline some of the knowledge and equipment you will be expected to have to successfully complete this course. Please read through this carefully.

You need to be very familiar with using the internet - I will not be teaching you how to surf the web. You should know how to use both the major browsers (Netscape and IE), do simple adjustments to the properties of browsers and you should have fast and reliable access to the web (or a very patient attitude).
You need to be able to use e-mail easily. You need to know how to do attachments primarily and you should be able to access your e-mail every weekday.
You should be able to download files and plug-ins (and install them) from the web if needed.
Know the basics about your operating system. I will not be teaching basic computer skills. You should understand file structures, how to organize your files, move, copy and create folders and files.
You also should be familiar with using a simple text editor. We will be doing much of the course using Notepad (before we go to web editors) and you should know how to use an editor like Notepad or some other text editor (not MS Word).
Finally you need to have a flexible attitude. Anytime you use technology there is a chance that you will encounter problems. Have a good attitude about it. If there are some problems that occur we will work through them together. I am a fairly reasonable person when I am addressed with a reasonable attitude. Don't let things get out of hand. There will usually be a solution to any problem that arises.

You have probably heard this before but it is worth repeating. This course will take as much time as one that you take in the classroom (probably and maybe a little more). It is a good idea to schedule regular time during the week that you will be working on the course.