MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
CIS 3303 COURSE SYLLABUS

revised 1/08/2007

GENERAL INFORMATION

Course number: CIS 3303
Credit/Contact hours: 3
Term: Spring, January 15 – May 11, 2007
Course title: Web Site Design
College website: www.mansfield.edu

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Instructor name: John Phillips
Instructor office location: Elliott 205 C
Instructor office hours: online at http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/
Instructor telephone: 570-662-4554 (however, it is best to contact me via e-mail)
Instructor e-mail address: jphillip@mansfield.edu

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Description

The student is introduced to the basics of web site design using HTML and a variety of tools including Adobe/Macromedia Studio software. The student will learn to create web pages using Dreamweaver, web images using Fireworks, and web animations using Flash.

Prerequisite: none - however, it is assumed the student has very good computing skills; otherwise the student should first take CIS 1103 or similar introductory computing class.

Textbooks

HTML Introductory Concepts and Techniques, 4th edition, Introductory, Shelly/Cashman/Woods, 2007, Course Technology, ISBN 1-4188-5935-4.

The Web Collection Revealed: Macromedia Dreamweaver 8, Flash 8, and Fireworks 8, Deluxe Education Edition, Bishop/Shuman/Waxer, 2006, Course Technology, ISBN 1-4188-4307-5.

Software

The HTML textbook for this course assumes you have access to a computer running a Microsoft Windows operating system.

In addition, you need to have access to the individual packages that make up the Adobe / Macromedia Studio 8 software. An older version of this software is installed on all of the computers in the Elliott 207 computer lab and on the two library graphic workstation computers. The older version is called Macromedia Studio MX 2004 and should work for our assignments as well with just a bit of tweaking. See me if you have the older version and need extra help.

If you would like to do your work on your home computer then you can download the 30-day trial versions of Dreamweaver 8, Flash 8, and Fireworks 8. When the trials expire then you would have to complete your assignments at the school or install the trials on a second computer if you have one. If you decide to use this method then only install the one package we will be using that month and not all of them at once. That way you can stretch out your use of the trial software to 90 days.

Please wait on installing this software until we are ready to cover it. I will provide you with directions on downloading and installing the software at that time.

If you want to have a copy of this software for the long term and not mess with trial versions then you can buy the educational version of the software. This software is available from a number of educational vendors listed on the Adobe web site at http://www.adobe.com/buy/reseller_edu_us.html. I have had good luck in the past dealing with http://www.diskovery.com out of Florida where they are selling Macromedia Studio 8 for $299. I know that is a lot of money but consider that the list price is $999 and that this is professional grade software. Feel free to shop around. Once again, you do not need to buy this software to take this course as the trial versions or the college computer lab software should suffice.

Equipment and supplies

Access to the Internet is required either using your own computer or by using a computer in the school's computer lab. You should keep a backup copy of all work you do on diskettes or a CD or a USB flash/pen drive. I strongly recommend getting a USB flash/pen drive. A small inexpensive one should work well for this course.

Course Websites

Visit http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/ for this syllabus, office hours, and other course information.

Visit Blackboard for class announcements, assignments, and the discussion board (http://www.mansfield.edu/blackboard.htm).

Course Outline

  1. Learn the basic terms and concepts associated with web design
  2. Create and edit an HTML web page using Notepad
  3. Use HTML to add links, images, and formatted text
  4. Use HTML to create a table
  5. Use Fireworks to work with bitmap and vector graphics
  6. Use Dreamweaver to create an advanced web site
  7. Use Flash to create web animations

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

Class schedule

This is an online course. Log onto Blackboard every day or two if possible. Be sure to carefully read the announcements as they are posted.

Grading scale and policy

Final grades will be calculated using the following standard scale (refer to the Mansfield University Catalog for grades that can be awarded).

A >= 90%
B >= 80%
C >= 70%
D >= 60%
F < 60%

I may choose to differentiate final grades with plus and minus subdivisions as outlined in the catalog. I reserve the right to bump up any borderline grade where the quality of online participation was excellent. For example, I would strongly favor bumping a final grade of 89% from a B+ to an A- if and only if the online participation was consistently excellent over the course of the semester.

Course Item

% of Grade

Quizzes

20

Assignments

50

Projects

30

Late work policy

Assignments are posted well in advance. Late work will be penalized. Please do not wait until the last minute as computer and network problems are very common and are not a very good excuse for being late. Count on having some problems and complete your work early so that you will not be penalized.

Instructor's expectations

This is an online course. As such it requires a certain amount of self-discipline in order to be successful. If you have very limited computing experience and/or have a hard time following written directions, then you may find the on-campus sections of this course more to your liking. This online course places an emphasis on self-directed hands-on experimentation. You will need to spend a large amount of time exploring the course topics in a hands-on environment, either on your own computer or on a computer in one of MU's computer labs. Please allocate plenty of time in your schedule for this course.

Academic Integrity

Any work you submit should be your own work and not someone else's. However, feel free to help each other solve occasional problems encountered on the assignments. Browse other students' posted work, on-line web sites, and other books for ideas. Do be careful; if you copy another's work and you do not give credit for it, that is plagiarism. It would be especially bad to copy another student's work and then make a few changes to it and submit it as your own. Please do not do this. If you are in doubt then discuss the situation with your instructor.

Withdrawal Policy

The last day to withdraw from this course with a "W" grade is published in the Ac          ademic Calendar. It is the responsibility of the student to complete and submit the necessary forms to the Registrar's Office. An official withdrawal would entitle the student to a grade of "W" in the course.

Syllabus statement for students who may have “exceptionalities:"

Any students with documented psychological or learning disorders or other significant medical conditions that may affect their learning should work through Mr. William Chabala in our Counseling Center (101 Hemlock Manor, Phone: 662-4695; e-mail wchabala@mnsfld.edu) to provide me with the appropriate letter so that I may serve their particular needs more effectively. If you have an exceptionality that requires class or testing accommodations, Mr. Chabala will work with us to identify and implement appropriate interventions.

Syllabus Change Policy

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus and course timeline as the course progresses.


COURSE TIMELINE

Week

Activity

1

HTML chapter 1; Quiz 1

2

HTML chapter 2; Quiz 2

3

HTML chapter 3; Quiz 3

4

HTML chapter 4; Quiz 4

5

Fireworks chapter 1 - bitmaps, shapes, and text

6

Fireworks chapter 2 - vector tools and objects

7

Fireworks chapter 3 - tools

8

Project 1 due

9

Dreamweaver chapter 1 - website design; storyboards; usability
Dreamweaver chapter 2 - hyperlinks; testing

10

Dreamweaver chapter 3 - text, graphics, and CSS
Dreamweaver chapter 4 - links; anchors; Flash text; navigation bar

11

Dreamweaver chapter 5 - tables; web site maintenance

12

Project 2 due

13

Flash chapter 1 - timelines, movies
Flash chapter 2 - objects, text, and layers

14

Flash chapter 3 – symbols, libraries, and buttons
Flash chapter 4 - motion-tweening, motion guides, and animated text

15

Flash chapter 5 - special effects, masks, and sounds

Project 3 due

16

Finals week – Project 3 peer review