S Y L L A B U S
THE
Department of
Communication and English
The
learning goals for students pursuing a degree in Communication are meant to
develop and enhance their writing skills, whether expository, reflective or analytical;
or journalistic; or creative. The
program also aims to develop students’ conceptual analysis skills and critical
thinking; and train them in the use of the appropriate/required tools and
technology related to the field of Communication, in selected courses. The
Communication degree program also offers students the opportunity to benefit
from the
Course Title: Web Graphics, Coding, and Site Design
Course Number: COM319
Period: Fall 2008
Credits: Three hours.
Professor: Kristen Palana
e-mail: k.palana@aur.edu
office phone. 06/58330919 ext. 702
URL: http://www.kpalana.com
Time: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:40-5:05
Office hours: By appointment. My office is located on the
first floor of the
Course
Description:
This course will introduce beginners to the art of creating interesting,
intelligent, usable, and well designed web sites. Students will learn the tools
and techniques for creating well developed content, aesthetically pleasing
design, user-friendly navigation and site organization, and good site
functionality. By the end of the semester students will have created and be
able to maintain a fully functioning personal, club/group, or business oriented
website.
Prerequisite: COM215 or COM241 (-or
relevant demonstration of computer literacy/experience working with computer
imagery.)
Course
Learning Objectives:
In this course students will:
1. Understand the history and implications of the Internet.
2. Be able to create web pages using HTML code.
3. Be able to create web pages using the software program Macromedia
Dreamweaver.
4. Learn the aesthetics of web design, interface design, user friendly
features, and navigation strategies.
5. Be able to upload to and download from the Internet.
6. Be introduced to dynamic web features such as sound, video, interactive
features, forms, and animation.
7. Create an in depth personal website that includes a
resume, contact information, and portfolio of work (if applicable). Students
will be prepared by the end of the semester to begin entry-level or
internship-level work in the field of Web Design.
Course Learning Activities:
* Project 1 – Personal Web Page, Training Wheels ON.
This is the creation of a website in it’s most basic form using only HTML code.
Emphasis right now should be on functionality. There should be text, image(s),
and working links to other pages and class projects. This learning activity will
monitor the student’s progress toward achieving course learning objective(s) 1,
2, & 4.
* Project 2 – Interactive Story or Tutorial
Students will choose to create either an interactive web story or a tutorial
that teaches the user how to do something without the student having to be
there. There must be a minimum of 4 pages.This learning activity will
monitor the student’s progress toward achieving course learning objective(s) 1,
3, 4, 5, & 6.
* Project 3 –"The Ugly Duckling " –A Personal Website
Makeover.
Students will redesign and rethink their existing personal website. This is an
offline project on paper. Due in class will be:
1. A list of categories for the site. (home, resume, portfolio, etc…) If
students want an all-inclusive portfolio page, it should have its own category
list (paintings, drawings, photos, etc…)
2. A navigation chart for entire site
3. Interface designs (colors, fonts, themes, style) for the home page and at
least one secondary page such as resume or portfolio.
This learning activity will
monitor the student’s progress toward achieving course learning objective(s) 1
& 4.
* Project 4 – Le Portfolio
Students will create a new and improved Home Page and Portfolio with at least
one gallery in it functioning. This will be part of their personal website and
should follow the design and look determined by Project 3.
This learning activity will
monitor the student’s progress toward achieving course learning objective(s) 3,
4, & 5.
*Final Project – Personal Website, Training Wheels OFF. This is the
finished site. Everything should be working, there should be sufficient
content, it’s easy to navigate, and it looks good. This learning activity will
monitor the student’s progress toward achieving course learning objective(s)
1-7.
Assessment Tools
Students will be
assessed by the following:
Projects (detailed above) that will increase knowledge
of communicating visually as well develop technical computer skills, and the
final project.
Overall class participation, creativity, exploration
of concepts and ideas, technical proficiency, professional presentation of
projects, and participation in class critiques are other means of assessment.
Students are expected to be able to articulate what elements are successful
and/or what improvements could be made in their projects as well as their
classmates’ projects during class critiques.
Grade
tabulation:
All projects will be rubric graded.
Project 1: 10%
Project 2: 10%
Project 3: 15%
Project 4: 15%
Final Quiz: 10%
Final Project: 30%
Homework and Class Participation: 10%
AUR grade values
94 – 100 points =
A “Excellent”
90 – 93.99 pts = A-
87 – 89.99 = B+
83 – 86.99 = B “Good”
80 – 82.99 = B-
77 – 79.99 = C+
70 – 76.99 = C “Satisfactory”
60 – 69.99 = D “Poor”
59.99 – 0 = F “Failing”
Grade
Dispute Policy:
Please
note that grades are given according to AUR Grade Values. This means average
projects will receive a C, good projects a B, excellent projects an A, etc. The
reasons for each grade will be spelled out clearly in project rubrics and on
corrected quizzes. If students do feel that they were given an incorrect grade,
please address the issue with me personally after class in a respectful way.
More often than not students are given the highest grade possible for the
quality of work submitted and grade disputes are not encouraged unless a
glaring discrepancy was made. Please also note that the final grade for the
semester also includes scores for overall participation, attendance, and
punctuality.
Course
textbooks:
Web Design: A Complete Introduction by Nigel and Jenny
Chapman.
John
Wiley and Sons LTD. 2006.
All other reading materials are in the form of hand-outs in class.
Suggested
texts:
Web Design in
a Nutshell. 3rd Rev. Ed. By Jennifer Neiderst.
O’Reilly Media. 2006.
Any book specifically for the ins and outs of Adobe
Dreamweaver.
Additional
Costs: The lab fee for this course (50 Euros per
student) is used for the maintenance of the Multimedia Lab and production
equipment.
Courtesy
Policy:
Compared to
similar design/studio courses, our time slot is incredibly short at only 1 hour
and 25 minutes per session. Please try to keep distractions and late arrival to
an absolute minimum.
Make sure your cell phone is turned off. If you have
an emergency situation that requires your phone to be on, please speak with me
first. Ringing cell phones, late arrival, leaving early, and walking in and out
of class while class is in session is disrespectful to your Professor and to
your fellow classmates and will result in the lowering of your Class
Participation Grade and Overall Grade.
AUR Attendance Policy
“Attendance is required in all classes at The American
University of
Kristen
Palana’s Specific Attendance Policy:
Any student with more than two unexcused absences will
get a half letter grade off their final grade for every unexcused absence
beyond two. Please note that each two lates count as one absence.
An unexcused absence is one without a valid medical
justification, or a written note from the Provost. No make-up exams or quizzes
will be given without a documented medical excuse. Incomplete grades are not
given.
If You Miss
Class:
Please use the class contact sheet (given out after
the add/drop period) to email or phone a classmate who can lend you their notes
and help you get back on track. In this course it is important to stay on top
of material since so much is covered. *Please do not email your professor for a
briefing on what you missed, as it’s not possible to sum up an entire class in
a short email. After you have made an effort to contact a classmate and catch
up, your professor will be happy to give you individual help by appointment.
AUR Academic
Integrity Code & Policy against Plagiarism
“Integrity is fundamental to the academic
enterprise. It is violated by such acts
as borrowing or purchasing assignments, including but not limited to term
papers, essays, and reports; lending to or producing assignments for others
(either for or without payment); using concealed notes or crib sheets during
examinations, copying the work of others and submitting it as one’s own; and
otherwise misappropriating the knowledge of others. Such acts are both dishonest and deceptive:
the work submitted to instructors is not the work of the person whose name it
bears. In consequence, the sources from
which one derives one’s ideas, statements, terms, and facts, including internet
sources, must be fully and specifically acknowledged in the appropriate
form. Failure to do so, intentionally or
unintentionally, constitutes plagiarism.”
-- AUR Student Handbook, 2006/2007, p. 15.
Suggestions:
Back-up all work in progress. I recommend saving your
projects under different names literally every time you make a change. It just
takes one quick click…and could save you hours (if not days) of frustration.
Always back-up everything!
Expect the unexpected. If you have an assignment due
on Wednesday, try to get it done a few days before. That way, if and when you
are having technical problems, you will have some extra time to fix mistakes
and troubleshoot. Remember: It is always better to show what you are working on
than to show nothing at all. We can try to solve the problem in class if
necessary.
COURSE OUTLINE
*This
outline is subject to change. Tentative: Guest speaker or field trip. TBD.
Schedule
Week 1: Introductions:
Days 1 and 2: History of the
Internet, Introduce class website, Examination of sample sites (good and bad
and what is possible: Shockwave, Flash, Java, etc…), Introduction to HTML,
Discuss the programs and get student information for E-mail/Web accounts.
In Class Assignment: Begin to create first, simple web page using HTML code and
image using SimpleText.
For Next Week: Get required book.
Week 2: More fun with HTML:
Days 1 and 2: Colors, text, sizes,
fonts, images and background tiling. Linking. Beginner’s aesthetics: Do’s and
Don’ts, Mail links, Image placement. Uploading.
In Class Assignment/Homework: Work on Project #1. Using Dreamweaver, put your
page(s) online.
For Next Week: TBD
Week 3: Uploading and Working with Images:
Days 1 and 2: GIFs and JPEG’s,
Optimizing images in Photoshop, web palette, Transparencies. Animated GIF
In Class Assignment: Work with images, experiment with transparencies, and work
on Project #1. Try a simple animated GIF
For Next Week: Project 1 will be due.
Week 4:
Day 1: Project #1 Due. Project #1 critique. Organizing navigational
flow. Using Web Design Software: Introduction to Dreamweaver. Windows and
tools. Introduce Project #2.
Day 2: In Class Assignment/
Homework: Recreate pages using a WYSIWYG editor (Dreamweaver)
For Next Week: Create brief storyboard and flowchart for Project#2.
Week 5: Tables and DIVS
Days 1 and 2: Tables and DIVS
lesson. In Class Assignment/ Homework: Work on placing images in tables with
text. Upload using Dreamweaver. Work on Project #2.
For Next Week: TBD
Week 6: Sound and Audio
Days 1 and 2: Sound on the Web
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Experiment with adding sound to your pages.
Continue to work on Project #2.
For Next Week: Continue to work on Project #2.
Week 7:
Day 1: Project #2 Due. Project #2 Critique.
Day 2: Information design,
Interface design. Knowing your audience. Ingredients of a good web site.
Introduction to Project 3. Brainstorming exercises for personal website.
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Start working on rough-draft versions of category
lists, navigation chart, and design ideas for Project #3. Be ready to show and
discuss next class.
For Next Week: TBD
Week 8: Makin’ It All Look Better
Day 1: Go over ideas and sketches.
Examine well-designed sites. Fun with rollovers.
Day 2: Project
#3 Due. Project #3 critique.
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Make final drawings, lists, and charts for
Project #3.
For Next Week: TBD
Week 9:
Day 1: Introduction to Project #4.
Creating Web Photo Galleries. Linking them to your main pages. Strategies.
Modifying galleries to fit in with your site in Dreamweaver. Day 2: Galleries review and work in
class on Project #4.
For Next Week: Work on Project #4 according to Project #3 designs.
Week 10 :
Days 1 and 2: Review homework. Work
on Project #4 in class. Review of previous topics and individual help.
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Use class time to get your portfolio galleries
online and/or redesign other site pages according to your Project #3 designs.
For Next Week: Project 4 will be due.
Week 11:
Day 1: Project #4 Due. Project #4 critique.
Day 2: Introduction to behaviors and
advanced rollovers. Final Quiz Review.
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Make a page that uses behaviors and advanced
rollovers. Have it link to your site.
For Next Week: Have homework ready to be looked at.
Week 12:
Day 1: Final Quiz
Go over homework. Slicing up images.
Day 2: Sliced up images continued.
Advanced rollovers. Discuss the business of freelance web design. Client expectations
and annoyances. Discuss working on an already established website.
In Class Assignment/ Homework: Work on Final Project.
For Next Week: Make individual appointment for Friday December 5 or Monday,
December 15.
Week 13: In Progress Work/ Individual Help
No Class: Work on final project.
Each student will be required to fill out an in-progress evaluation of another
student’s website. It will be due via email on Thursday, December 11, 2008.
Week 14:
Final Projects Due.
Presentation
and Critique
Wednesday,
December 15, 2008. Multimedia Lab. 4-6PM.