Classroom and times

Hall Building room 517 (Computer lab); Supplementary classroom: Hall 623

5:45 pm to 8:30 pm Tuesday

Instructor

Chitu Okoli

E-mail

desc395@okoli.org (#1 way to reach me)

Phone

(514) 848-2424 x2967

Office

GM 209-23 (2^nd floor of the Guy-Metro JMSB Building)

Office hours

10:00 am to 12:00 noon Tuesday, or by appointment

Tutor

desc395tutor@okoli.org

Textbook (required)

Internet & World Wide Web: How to Program. 2004 (3rd) edition. By Deitel, Deitel, and Goldberg. Published by Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-145091-3.

Course website and e-mail

• The course website is located at http://chitu.okoli.org/desc395.
• You will be expected to check your e-mail at least once every day, since this is the primary means of communication for this class. I will only e-mail the address I find in MyConcordia, so be sure to keep this address current. You are responsible to act on all communications sent to this e-mail address.

Required materials

For this class, each group will need to subscribe to a web hosting service for at least the four-month period of this course. Any package is permitted that gives you at least one domain name, 100 Mb of web space, FTP access, PHP 4 functionality, and a MySQL database. One affordable, reliable service that meets these requirements is the one that I use myself, the 1and1 Business Package (not MS): http://www.1and1.com.

Course overview

The objective of this course is to provide a solid foundation to the theory and practice of the technical aspects of website development. The course has three main components. First, after introducing website development in general, we will cover the creation of static websites following W3C standards using XHTML for structure and CSS for format. Next, we will cover client-side dynamic website functionality with a comprehensive tutorial of JavaScript, following the ECMAScript standard. Finally, we will cover server-side dynamic website functionality with database interaction using PHP. The group project will integrate all aspects of the course.

Prerequisites

COMM 301, and at least one course in any programming language. Prior knowledge of databases and SQL is very helpful, but not required.

Reading assignments

You are required to read the chapters from the textbook specified in the course schedule before the start of class. If you don’t read them before class, you will most likely be lost during the class material coverage. You are required to do the self-review exercises at the end of the chapters, though these will not be collected or marked, since the book provides you the answers. You are also strongly encouraged to do as many of the other exercises in the back of the book as possible, since most of the exam questions will be based on these. Finally, since web development is an enormous field, you are encouraged to freely browse and read the web resources at the end of the chapters, and those on the course website.

Assessments

Grading policy

Department of Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems grades are based on the official grading system described in the University Calendar as follows:

“A” is for outstanding performance, far above the average result

“B” is for very good performance, above the average result

“C” is for satisfactory performance, the average result

“D” is a marginal pass, below the average result

“F” is a failing grade, indicating inadequate and unacceptable results

There is no official “mark-to-grade equivalence scale”, e.g., that 50 is a “pass”, or that 50-52 is a “D-”. Faculty members individually or collectively decide what constitutes an “A”,  “B”, “C”, etc.

Participation

As you keep up with the readings and assignments, I expect you to come to class with questions and with answers to other students’ questions. In addition, I will post an online discussion forum that you are required to read and contribute to every week. You can post questions to other students in the class, and you can answer them. You will be graded on your participation and contribution both in class and on the online discussion.

Homework assignments

There will be three homework assignments that will consist of practical exercises that will give you an opportunity to apply what you are learning. There will be three such assignments, worth 5 points each.

Late submissions: Assignments must be submitted at the beginning of class to be considered on time. Late submissions incur the following penalties: –10% if submitted more than 15 minutes after the start of the class; –20% if submitted after class on the same day due; and –10% for each day late after that. I accept e-mail submissions if I receive them before class starts; otherwise, they will be marked as late.

Tests and examinations

There will be two tests and one final examination. All tests and exams are cumulative, because web development is cumulative. However, each test or exam will focus on the most recent course material. The specific content, dates, times, and locations will be announced in class.

Important Note: In accordance with the DSMIS Department policy, your average on all tests and exams together must be at least 50% to pass the course.

Term project

The purpose of the project is to give you the experience of creating a live, standards-compliant website with client-side dynamic functionality, and database interactivity on the server side. The project is to be done in groups of four people. Each group member must submit a Confidential Peer Evaluation form. Your individual grade for the group project will depend partially on your group grade, and also on how your peers evaluate you. So be a team player! The project is described in detail in a separate document.

Academic honesty

You are required to read the document describing the Academic Code of Conduct. Then I require you to sign and submit an Academic Honour Pledge. I will not return any graded work to you in this class until I have received your signed Honour Pledge.

The group projects must be done only by the members of the group. All other course work must be done individually. Because of the nature of website development, you are expected and encouraged to refer to multiple outside resources, but all sources used must be properly cited. This is normal and professional. I will provide detailed instructions for appropriate citation and use of outside sources for this course and for website development in general.

Any violation of the Code of Conduct will constitute academic dishonesty and will be handled through the appropriate university channels. If you have any question about what might be a violation of the Code, ask me directly and I will gladly clarify you. Thus, claiming to have misunderstood is not an acceptable excuse.

Make-up policy

Only students who miss a test or exam for university-approved and verifiable reasons will be allowed to take a make-up test. Even then, except in the most extreme circumstances, no student may miss a scheduled test or exam without receiving permission before the test. Make-up tests might be significantly different in format from the regular tests, and will be administered at a time of my own convenience.

Attendance policy

Attendance is required for this class. You are expected to arrive and depart this class promptly at the scheduled time.

Miscellaneous

• It is the responsibility of the student who misses a class period to remain informed of the material covered in that period and to catch up and stay up-to-date.

• Any changes to the tentative schedule will be announced in class. It is the responsibility of the student to remain informed of such changes.

Schedule (subject to change)