INTM 3100.01 Programming for Web Communications

Webster University
School of Communications
Dept. of Electronic & Photographic Media

Fall 2015
Wednesdays 9:00–11:50 a.m.
26 August–16 December 2015
Sverdrup 106

Instructor: Scott Granneman

You can also read my full CV.

Course Description

Students learn the application of interactive media to the Internet. The course addresses concepts and strategies for integrating interactive function and design in the World Wide Web context. Students learn how to organize information and design the interactive function of a Web-based delivery system. The projects in this class are publications of Web sites that have interpreted and applied interactive design and function in their Web site. Prerequisites: INTM 1600 AND INTM 2200 OR permission of the instructor.

What You're Going to Learn

Basically, HTML & CSS & how to put them together correctly to create a website.

Learning Outcomes

• Ability to implement an appropriate planning strategy for developing websites.
• Ability to produce functional, flexible, & versatile websites.
• Ability to locate, evaluate, & critically assess current & emerging technologies for developing websites.
• Possess a good working knowledge of HTML & CSS.
• Experience creating various small website projects.
• An awareness of the process in creating a website & the various roles needed in that process.

Mini-Topics

During each class I will take a few minutes & discuss a mini-topic for 15 minutes or so. Some of these mini-topics include:

Requirements

Texts

There are no required books. Readings will consist of articles, analyses, & ephemera from the Internet. Virtually everything you need can be accessed via my website; however, when it's appropriate I will recommend books useful for further study & reference.

OK, if you just have to kill a tree, I highly recommend Jon Duckett's HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites. But it's not required.

Jon Duckett’s JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development is also very good if you want to learn JavaScript.

Tasks

In order to participate fully in this class, you need to sign up with GranneClass, an email discussion group hosted by Yahoo Groups.

To subscribe, send an email with a short sentence explaining who you are to granneclass-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To send and receive email, you do NOT need to be a Yahoo member.

To view archived messages, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/granneclass; note, though, that you must be a Yahoo member (which is free and relatively painless) to use the group on the Web.

Please note that my web development course at Washington University also uses GranneClass. Cross-pollination is a good thing in nature; I think it will be a good thing in this case as well. If a message is meant for students at a particular university, I will preface the subject with either "WASH U" or "WEBSTER" to indicate to whom it is directed.

Grading

Your grade will be based on the following factors:

• Class attendance and participation (20%): You are expected to attend class prepared to learn and discuss the topics with your fellow classmates. We may also work on in-class exercises, and you are expected to take an active part in those exercises.
• Projects (80%): We will practice HTML & CSS in & out of class with a series of assigned projects involving the use of these technologies. Think of them as open-book tests, since you will be allowed (heck, encouraged!) to use your class notes, websites, & any other resources you can access. IMPORTANT: You must either show me that you have completed a project within two weeks of its assignment date or asked me for an extension. Neglecting to do so will result in a failing grade for that project.

Grades will be based on an average of the above as follows:

100 A+
94-99 A
89-93 A-
86-88 B+
83-85 B
79-82 B-
76-78 C+
73-75 C
69-72 C-
66-68 D+
63-65 D
59-62 D-
0-58 F

At any time you can ask me how you’re doing in the course & I will show you.

How the Class Works

This course is based around the idea of flipped teaching. Instead of coming to class to hear a lecture & then going home to do work, we’re going to flip that.

I’ve made videos for most of the lectures in this course, & you will watch those at home. Some videos are 2 minutes long, while the longest is around 40 minutes; most are around 10 minutes or so. When we’re in class, I’ll review important or tricky stuff, answer questions, & walk around to help or grade your work.

Note that all grading will be done by the two of us sitting together. I will never accept homework turned in via email or any other way that is not collaborative.

If you want to show me some code that you’re confused about or need help with, please go to Pastebin, do the following, & then send me the URL:

• Enter your code into the box
• Set Syntax Highlighting to HTML or CSS
• Set Paste Expiration to 1 week

Policies

Accommodation of disabilities

Webster University is committed to providing accommodations and/or services to students with documented disabilities. If you have registered as a student with a documented disability and are entitled to classroom or testing accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the course.

Drops and Withdrawals

The Drop/Add & Withdrawal dates are listed each semester on the University website, in the University catalog, & in the Course Description book. If the course is dropped within the Drop/Add period, no notation of the course will appear on the student’s transcript. Withdrawals that take place after the published Drop date will result in the dreaded “W” appearing on the student’s transcript.

Privacy

Some random student assignments or projects may be retained by the School of Communications for the purpose of academic assessment as it relates to student learning outcomes. In addition, I may keep some assignments to show future students. In those cases, the student’s name and all identifying information about the student will be removed from the assignment or project.

Academic Integrity

This course will follow Webster University’s policies concerning academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty will result in failure for the assignment in question & referral to the appropriate individuals, who have discretion to impose a stricter penalty.

While academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams and quizzes, it also includes plagiarism in written assignments. Plagiarism is not only passing off someone else’s work as your own, but also giving your work to someone else to pass off as their own. It also includes submitting work from another course. While I strongly encourage you to discuss your work with each other in and out of class, and while you may research issues together, your work should be your own.

Any papers you submit must be your work alone, and must include citations to all references in your work. Please include the URL, or Web address, for articles and resources found on the Internet.

If you have any questions about academic integrity, please bring them to me before you do anything that may jeopardize your grades, your education, & your future!

Distractions

I have no problem with students using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone during class for academic purposes; in fact, I would do the same thing. However, please do not use your personal device (or the computer on your desk) during class to conduct personal business such as Facebook, email, or IMing. This reduces your concentration & participation and distracts others around you. Repeated distractions will reduce your grade for the course. Please do what you need to do to keep cell phone distractions at a minimum.

Netiquette

It is paramount that we respect each other in class & online. Follow this simple rule: disagree with the idea, but not the person. In other words, it’s OK to say “That’s a bad idea, because …”, and it’s not OK to say “You’re a bad/stupid/inconsiderate person, because …”.

If you have an issue with a classmate’s behavior online, please bring it to me privately by emailing me at scott@granneman.com.

If you’d like to find out more, please feel free to read The Core Rules of Netiquette, by Virginia Shea.

Tech Support

Need my help diagnosing a problem you’re having remotely? Something won’t install, or won’t work?

1. Download & install the free Jing, which works on both Mac OS X & Windows.
2. Record what you’re seeing on your computer screen, up to a maximum of 5 minutes.
3. Upload the resulting video to screencast.com (also free).
4. Send me a link to the video.

In the email you send me, include the following information:

1. What you did.
2. What you thought should happen.
3. What actually happened.
4. Why that’s a problem.

If you’re talking about a public webpage, don’t forget to include the URL!