Spring 2024
Section 1 (CRN 12742)
3pm - 4:40 pm
Tuesday/Thursday
Clark C235
Section 2 (CRN Section 2 (CRN 15574))
5pm - 6:40 pm
Tuesday/Thursday
Clark C235
The JTC372 course will provide a foundation for those who will work in developing or managing web sites. Topics covered include standards-based layout, beginning to intermediate Cascading Style Sheets, graphics preparation and design principles.
This course is intended to provide an overview of current tools and technologies appropriate for prospective communication professionals. Students are required to develop an original web site project that provides practical experience in current practice in web development.
The course will make extensive use of the Brackets Code Editor and Adobe Photoshop.
This syllabus is subject to change. An updated version will always be available at the course web site (www.jtc372.net). A printable version of this syllabus is available at www.jtc372.net/syllabus-printable.html.
For the latest information about the University's COVID resources and information, please visit the CSU COVID-19 site (https://covidrecovery.colostate.edu/).
Topics
Topics covered in the course include:
Grading will be based on a point scale for each assignment. Course letter grades will be the standard A = 90%+, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, and so on. +/- grading will be applied. A+ will be awarded at the discretion of instructor for truly superior work.
| Assignment | Date Due | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Exercises and class participation | Weekly | 20 |
| Project ideas |
TBA |
0 |
| Site specification | TBA | 5 |
| Preliminary content | TBA | 5 |
| Style and layout |
TBA |
10 |
| Test | TBA | 20 |
| Preliminary design and usability report | TBA | 15 |
| Final Web site project and report | TBA | 25 |
All course readings will come from various on-line sources. There will be no course textbook.
COVID-19: We will follow all university policies related to COVID-19 while meeting in person.
Phone policy. Cell phones are to be silenced and put away during in-class lecture. Failure to observe this policy will result in the following, and in each case the student will be asked to either place silenced phone on center table or leave the classrom:
In this course, you will develop a web site project. This web site must be for an organization. Organizations must be real or one that will actually be established. Personal web pages will not be acceptable for a project in this course. If you have an alternate idea for a project to present information on a topic, please see me. Be advised that I will take a highly skeptical approach based on previous experience teaching this course.
In previous semesters teaching this course, I have come to expect a very high standard for both design and content in the final projects. Many of the best projects in this course approach professional standards. You will need to carefully choose an appropriate project that has sufficient depth of content without being overwhelming. Ideally, you site should have 6-8 pages of content.
Students are encouraged to pick a subject for their project that has personal relevance to themselves. Special encouragement is given to selection of projects that reflect personal experience, entrepreneurial efforts and diversity.
Some important guidelines:
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. There is a very strong correlation between attendance and project grades, since this is a lab course and the vast majority of the material you need to know and the techniques you need to develop in order to complete your project will be covered in class. If you miss class more than twice or you are habitually late, it will be reflected in your final grade. If you work efficiently, you should be able to develop your project and complete your reports in the lab time given. Any extra time you have in the lab should be devoted to development of your project.
Readings: It is required that you read the assignments as the class exercises will reinforce the concepts required in the readings. Your reports will require that you address the concepts presented in the readings and your project will be evaluated based on the principles in the readings. Additionally, concepts discussed in the readings will be covered on the test.
Class behavior: Web surfing, texting and checking email during class is also not acceptable. Discussion of relevant subject matter during lab time is acceptable, but please keep conversations to a minimum. Lab time is to be devoted toward exercises and your project.
Honor Pledge: The course will adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of the Colorado State University General Catalog and the Student Conduct Code.
Ben O'Connor is a contract web designer/developer. He has developed dozens of web sites for corporate clients. In addition to his contract work, Ben worked for a startup internet company, Cybercrop.com, and assisted in the development of an agribusiness web-based trading application.
Ben is intimately familiar with design concepts, graphic design and optimization, Cascading Style Sheets and coding in HTML. He also has extensive experience in developing database-driven sites using Lucee, PHP and MySQL, and in administering web servers using Apache.
Some recent web sites Ben has worked on:
Ben is also a working musician who
plays 80-100 dates in an average year in the Rocky Mountain region.
Contact:
benjamin.oconnor@colostate.edu
970-988-4290 (cell)
Office Hours: By appointment
Course Web site: www.jtc372.net