This course builds on the basic aspects of HTML, web design, and multimedia programming that are presented in 741 (the prerequisite to this course). It provides an overview of web design concepts, including usability, accessibility, information design, and graphic design in the context of the web. It also provides an introduction to important and emerging web site technologies.
Important note regarding prerequisite knowledge: I will expect that you have a solid base of prior knowledge about basic HTML and CSS coding and the use of UNIX in a command-line environment. You should be familiar with basic HTML and CSS coding (using text editors), use of Photoshop (or other graphic editor), and basic design principles for the web, as well as UNIX commands for creating, deleting, renaming, and changing permissions for Files and directories. I recommend the Visual Quickstart books on HTML and UNIX as a good reference for these topics, along with the Non-Designer's Web Book. In addition, in this course I assume that you have basic programming skills -- the particular language is not important, but an understanding of programming concepts is important.
Students are expected to use valid and well-formed XHTML 1.0 (Strict) and CSS (Level 2) for all work in this course. Some work with HTML5 APIs, tags, attributes, and ideas and some work with CSS3 will be encountered by students taking this course. All coding must be done "by hand" within a text or programmers' editor. Do not use Dreamweaver® or other such drag-and-drop editors, as they conceal too much of the code for our purposes.
The latest editions as well as used copies of the following texts should be available at the bookstore:
- Webmaster in a Nutshell
- Information Architecture
These texts are recommended as probably being useful
Your DCE ID and password actually gives you access to multiple systems here at RIT. In this class, you'll need a DCE account in order to access "Gibson," RIT's UNIX system that will store your WWW pages. You'll also need it to access RIT's webmail service. You probably already have this account, but if you don't (of if you have problems with it), bring your student ID to the ITS Help Desk to get your DCE account set up.
A nal letter grade will be assigned from points that you have accumulated (e.g. A = 90-100%, B = 80-90%, etc.). I do not grade on a curve, so if every student does "A" work, then every student gets an "A" (or a "D", as the case may be...).
It is important to understand that if you complete all the requirements for an assignment, that is only sufcient for a grade of "C" (i.e. "satisfactory work"). To receive an "A" for an assignment, you must go beyond the basic requirements, and show creativity, initiative, and excellence. The grade of "A" is intended for work that is clearly superior, rather than average.
If you wish to dispute your final course grade, you must do so before the end of the quarter following this one; after that, documentation of your work may be discarded.
You are expected to attend every class. Missing just one class means you've missed a half week of material, which is 5% of the material for the entire quarter. If you absolutely must miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what materials you've missed and to do the readings & exercises associated with that class.
Participation is more than simply showing up, however. I expect you to be an active participant in the learning process. That means asking questions when you don't understand a concept, helping others if you finish your work quickly, and being actively engaged in the class.
For this quarter, you can add/drop a class on or before <<must look this up>>. After that date, you must withdraw from the course, which will show on your transcript as a "W".
Participation is more than simply showing up, however. I expect you to be an active participant in the learning process. That means asking questions when you don't understand a concept, helping others if you finish your work quickly, and being actively engaged in the class.
RIT has a specific policy dealing with academic dishonesty., which is available online at:
The Information Technology Department also has a specific policy dealing with academic dishonesty, which is also available online at:
It is extremely important that you understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Please read the RIT & IT Department Academic Honesty Policies.