CIS 1151 Website Development: Preliminary Syllabus

Class:			
LAB:	
Suggested BOOK: Web Development & Design Foundations with HTML; Felke-Morris

Good material for this class can be found on: www.w3schools.com

Other materials will be made available via CANVAS or the Internet.

Official Superhero of Web Design: 
Spider Man

Instructor: Dr. Keith Tookey
Office: GREEN 117
Phone: x1286
Email: keith.tookey@vtc.edu 

Office Hours: after class,              
or by appointment
Appointments usually by ZOOM

CIS 1151 Website Development 
introduces web pages for commercial websites including use of and design with:
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), 
text, 
graphics; 
applying appropriate design, color, and art; 
size and placement of graphics 
image maps
creation of advanced tables
nested tables;
creation of forms that contain 
advanced input types and attributes, 
text areas, advanced lists; 
use of a validation tool to debug an HTML document.
www.w3schools.com

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/web-database-applications/0596005431/

IN THE NEXT CLASS:
CIS 1152 teaches the student implementation, monitoring, and deployment of a complete website and integration of the website with a database. Emphasis is on the PHP language and server-side processing. JavaScript is used when it’s suited to the desired task. Topics include authentication methods; form processing; form validation using HTML 5, JavaScript, and PHP; an overview of databases; PHP functions to interface with a database; and website security.  

Since most of you will take the next class BEFORE you take Database, database and SQL will be minimally covered in 1152.

Overview & Outcomes:
See above.  We will learn about Web pages. You will design one.  

Course Materials: 
Important information will be provided on the course CANVAS page.
There will be a backup site on Lemuria:
http://lemuria.cis.vtc.edu/~ktookey/web/LAB/index.htm. 

Assessment/Grading:
Most homework has a due date of ONE WEEK, unless otherwise announced.
All homework and projects are due not later than Term Study Day for the end of the semester.
No work is to be handed in during finals without permission given PRIOR TO Study Day.
Homework can be submitted by email or by CANVAS.
If submitting by email, include the name of your class (e.g. Web) as well as the assignment or topic in the subject of the email. Make sure your name is in a comment in any submitted file.
Programs should be completed within two weeks of being assigned, or risk not being graded.

Meetings:
Class meetings will be recorded AND available by ZOOM whenever possible. I will usually run class by ZOOM.  Students get the most from the class by attending in person, because of the number of small group activities.  

Semester Schedule:
I plan to have an exam in October, possibly the week after break, during the lab periods.  There will be a second exam near the end of the semester, perhaps during lab periods, the week of December 7.  It has not yet been decided if the exams will be take-home, open computer, or closed everything, and you are welcome to mention your preference.  The project grade counts as an exam.  Presentations of your projects may be done during the final exam period.
Exams (including the project) are 60% of your grade.  Exams will be 20% of your grade each.  Other homework (group and individual) will be 30%. Effort and participation, including check-ins as well as attendance, will be 10% of the grade.
At the end of the semester, it is hoped there will be time for you to focus on your final project. Class time will then essentially be interactive, focusing on projects. You will be asked to present your project to the class, if necessary using ZOOM, during December. You should be prepared to share your screen on ZOOM to present your project.

LAB meetings: Usually labs will involve small groups in person or, if needed,  in ZOOM breakout rooms. If you cannot attend labs in person, at lease attend synchronously.  If you cannot join live, you may be asked to coordinate with another person off line, so that everyone gets to work in at least pairs.  Labs are usually group work, followed by individual work. 
Group Work – There will be time when you will be working in small groups to solve problems, often in lab. Groups work together and hand in one solution.  Each member of the group must INDIVIDUALLY send to the professor your estimation of how much work was done by each member of the group.  Percentages MUST add up to 100%.  Examples from class may be freely used as models during group work.

Individual Homework – The best way you learn to write web pages is… by writing web pages!!  Individual work should be done without outside help, unless it is a group exercise.  Your solution should not match anything on the Internet or any work done by a classmate. However, you MAY use examples from class and work done by your lab group as a model for your individual work.  I do not get upset if you ask me or a peer for help finding a syntax error, but the work needs to be YOURS.

Attendance Policy:
Class attendance is required, even if by ZOOM. ZOOM has removed your excuses for absences.  You are responsible for material covered and announcements made whether you are there or not. Class sessions will be recorded when possible.  Attendance and class participation are included in your grade. It is solely the option of the instructor what to do about classes missed for any reason. If you MUST miss, an E-mail to my office must be made as soon as you know you will miss. You may come by office hours to review work missed, if needed. If you tell me at class time of a future absence, please also send me an email. Global Pandemics, Religious observances and College sponsored events may be a valid reason to miss class, but must be reported PERSONALLY BY YOU in advance, and you still need to learn missed material. There will be some small group work in this class. Missing a day on which there is small group work or a lab may mean that you need to do the work by yourself instead of with help, or get a ZERO for the assignment. If you do not attend class (in person or by Zoom) synchronously, you must check in by email at least once a week.

The Project: You must pick or design an appropriate project and submit it for approval by September 6th.  The project needs to be fully approved by the end of the second week of class. Your project should be a complete informational website, using HTML and CSS.

You will be called on to design and develop your complete web page.  You must footnote any idea that is not yours, and include a references section.  You will be asked to present your project to the class during the last week of classes and/or finals week for the semester.  Presentations, done in class or through ZOOM, if necessary, are just as much part of class as lecture, and will be tested on. This project should be the kind of quality work you would be proud to show prospective employers.  The project shall be equal in points to an exam.

Exams – Exams may include short written questions designed to assess conceptual knowledge , or may require you to design or test a tiny web page.  Exams will be given on or about the dates indicated in the syllabus. Expect two exams.  Unlike the lab assignments, exams are expected to be done entirely on your own. The purpose of these exams is to assess how well you have mastered the material; working with others would render that assessment meaningless.   A take home or open computer exam will often involve developing a small web page.

Procrastination 
One of the easiest ways to fail this course is to put off doing required work. Procrastination is usually fatal in this class.  If you are having trouble completing work, the BEST thing to do is to go to office hours early and often. The WORST thing to do is to wait, hoping the homework will magically complete itself.  It won’t. You learn by doing; procrastination interferes with learning. Assignments should be done one week from when they are assigned, unless otherwise announced. If you need an exception for a due date, discuss it with me during office hours. If you are not visiting office hours, normally you do not get an exception to the due date policy.
The target grade for completion of homework is ONE WEEK from when it is assigned, except for the project.  No credit will be given for assignments handed in later than TWO WEEKS.  Assignments do not complete themselves―if you are having difficulty, ask for help! If you need flexibility on due dates for any reason, ASK.

Punctuality: Showing up late is a problem, and you risk missing important announcements and foundational material. If you are not present when class begins, you may not get credit for attending that day.  Attendance by ZOOM counts, if you are present when class begins.

Failure to Complete Work:	
Do not leave a lab period early unless you have completed the full lab.  During and after a lab period is often the best time to get help for this class.  Anyone who fails to do required work, misses an exam, has inappropriate classroom conduct, or has serious attendance problems, will be warned and if the problem is not corrected will be failed.  Failure to hand in or present an assignment is sufficient grounds to be dropped.  (Keep a backup copy of anything important.  NEVER hand in the only copy. I have now had three semesters running where a student lost everything when a computer broke down. Consider emailing drafts to yourself.)  

Makeup Exams:
If you need to take an exam at a different time, you must arrange it BEFORE the week of the exam.  (For a take home exam, you must complete it in the specified time period.)  If you will miss due to unforeseen emergency, you MUST email me as soon as you know you will miss, and not later than the time of the exam.  If I have not received a communication from you (or your next of kin) by the day of the exam, you will get a zero on the exam.  Only students who have called as soon as reasonably possible will be allowed a makeup option. If you miss an exam for a campus event, you MUST take the exam early. I need to know IN ADVANCE if you need to take the exam in the Learning Center, or cannot attend class to take it in person. 

Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is a core value which insures respect for all. VTC expects that students will conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner and respect the intellectual work of others.  Please ask about my expectations regarding permissible or encouraged forms of student collaboration if they are unclear.   At minimum, all sources of help must be reported.  The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is a 0 for the work in question.  Academic Honesty violations will be reported.
Collaboration in a classroom small group project is perfectly fine; forming study groups is an excellent idea; collaboration on individual assignments is academic dishonesty unless approved and reported in advance.

Classroom and Student Conduct:
Please do your part to make the classroom a constructive learning environment for everyone by restraining from engaging in distracting behaviors. Unprofessional behavior by students during the course is grounds for dismissal from the class. 
Use of cell phones or any other distraction from class counts as an absence.  Please be on time.  Be professional. If your behavior or attire becomes a distraction in the classroom, you will be warned, and if the problem is not corrected, you will be removed from the class.

Commitment to a Positive Learning Environment:
If you are picked on, bullied, harassed, discriminated against, assaulted, or suffer any other problem which interferes with your participation in the learning environment, please contact the appropriate office.  Faculty are legally required to report problems, such as physical assault, if they become aware of them.  Your instructor is willing to help, or find you help, if you need it. Your privacy will be respected, even for situations that must be reported.  Every student deserves equal opportunity to participate in the class. 

CANVAS and email:
Announcements for this class will be made by email, or via CANVAS.  You are responsible for knowing anything that is posted on CANVAS for this class. 

Adding/Dropping and Withdrawing from the class
The final day to add or drop a course, or Withdraw with a W, is on the academic calendar.

Center for Academic Success
All students are strongly encouraged to utilize available resources, for help in the writing and revision process. In addition to offering invaluable tutoring services in English, Student Support Services provides all students access to innovative assistive technology practices and systems. The Center for Academic Success operates facilities in Randolph Center (Conant Hall), and in the 400 Building of the Williston Campus. Appointments are available on a regular basis, free of charge. Please visit them for more information, either in person or via their presence on the Vermont Tech website.   

Accommodations for learning disabilities
Anyone who feels they may be eligible for an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment to discuss the course format and the sorts of support that may be needed.  I rely on the Learning Specialist’s Office for assistance in verifying the need for accommodations and developing accommodation strategies.
Robin Goodall, Vermont Technical College Learning Specialist is available at the Center for Academic Success, (802) 728-1278, or by email at rgoodall@vtc.edu. 

Additional resources:
If anyone needs additional resources, please feel free to ask the professor for help in obtaining services.