Outline

Why are we here?

robot holding brain, saying to be or not to be

This course focuses on the design and production of information for web sites, which communicate through the integrated use of text, images and media elements. Secondly, it concentrates on developing digital imaging skills for the web and introduces HTML5 and CSS3. The theoretical implications of this medium will be explored. Brackets, Wordpress, Photoshop & Dreamweaver will be the main tools we use.

Objectives

By the end of this course, you will have the technical ability to produce a basic static web site, in addition to being able to critique current practices relating to web design. You will also gain an understanding of:

  • site architecture and planning
  • writing for the web & web typography
  • usability issues
  • visual communications & some design theory
  • technological issues, especially the importance of file structure and CMS
  • creating digital images and web pages
  • communications planning & industry requirements.

It's not rocket science, but it takes work

astronaut saying everything is ok

When you check the class website, you’ll note that there are no readings associated with this course. That’s because you’re expected to spend time outside of class working on the exercises and your skills. Web design is like learning a musical instrument, you can’t just show up for the lesson and expect to get any good. Keep this in mind when planning your term. I recommend that you purchase a memory stick so that you can transfer your work easily. Please remember to save a backup of your work!

Evaluation

Your final mark will be based on an evaluation of:

  1. Participation in class activities, discussions and critiques (5 points)
  2. Your work on the exercises (20 points)
  3. Your understanding of the relevant issues and theory introduced in the class, as demonstrated by your integration of them into your assignments, the quality of your assignments (60 points), and the two tests (15 points)

Participation

This will be worth 5 per cent of your grade. Your evaluation will include such things as your participation in class discussions, tutorials, lessons, site critiques, website suggestions, and how you help out your classmates during lab exercises. Note: You earn participation marks. You do not start at 5 and go down from there. And for every class you miss without contacting me, I will deduct a mark from this segment. I will count you as absent if you miss more than 20 minutes of a class. You are not required to attend work periods or optional tutorials, but otherwise, you are expected to be in both classes and labs. Check the class schedule to see if attendance is optional.

Exercises

These will be worth 20 percent of your grade. Exercises are worth a variety of points and will be marked on a pass/fail basis -- in other words, if you tackle the exercise, you will get the points. NOTE: An important part of completing the exercise is getting it posted to your website, and linking from your home page to the exercise. You will not get the marks if this is not done. Many labs are foundational tutorials that are not graded, and don't need to be posted. If you do not complete the exercise in the allotted lab time, you can complete the exercise on your own. They are all due on November 19 by 9 pm.

Coding Test

This will be worth 5 percent of your grade. It's an online test that will demonstrate you understand the basics of how HTML and CSS code works. (October 1, online, done independently)

File Structure/FTP Test

This will be worth 10 percent of your grade. This is an in-lab test that will show you understand how file structure works, how to compress images, and that you are capable of using file transfer protocol to publish your files and folders to the web server. (November 19, during morning class)

Dean's Notes

Like all other courses in MIT, we recommend you understand the Faculty's policies. You can find notes about academic policies, including plagiarism, and an explanation of the MIT grading policy, here. [pdf]

Support Services at Western

University can be challenging as well as educational. If you're having problems, there are lots of places to turn for help. Please feel free to contact me (Mark)! I'd also suggest the undergraduate student services office at FIMS. And there are lots of other places to go for help! Here's some of the key services provided by Western University: