DM-UY 2193 SECTION B Intro to Web Development
Spring 2020 – Professor Effie Rieper
Tuesday + Thursday 12:30 - 2:20pm, 370 Jay St. Room 312
To contact professor: er129@nyu.edu
This is a living document, as are the materials in this course repository. There are certain aspects of our course, such as our calendar or grading criteria, that will not differ from this syllabus unless there are extenuating circumstances. However, the pacing of this course may vary depending on student need, comprehension and technologies that are sometimes rapidly changing in the midst of our learning process. I will do everything in my power to update you on any changes ASAP (in class and via Slack) and to stay fully transparent about what you are expected to learn, produce, and share. Please engage in open communication, as I will do the same.
Basic computer knowledge. Basic familiarity with any programming/scripting language is preferred but no required.
In this course, students focus on client-side programming. Assignments are arranged in sequence to enable the production of a website of professional quality in design and production, or push The Web as an abstract medium. This studio stresses interactivity, usability, and the quality and appropriateness of look and feel.
This course will provide a basic understanding of the methods and techniques of developing a simple to moderately complex web site. Using the current standard web page language, students will be instructed on creating and maintaining a simple web site using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and various external libraries.
Students will:
1 – Students will develop conceptual thinking skills to generate ideas and content in order to solve problems or create opportunities. Students will develop a research and studio practice through inquiry and iteration.
2 – Students will develop technical skills to realize their ideas. Students will understand and utilize tools and technology, while adapting to constantly changing technological paradigms by learning how to learn. Students will be able to integrate/interface different technologies within a technological ecosystem.
3 – Students will develop critical thinking skills that will allow them to analyze and position their work within cultural, historic, aesthetic, economic, and technological contexts.
4 – Students will gain knowledge of professional practices and organizations by developing their verbal, visual, and written communication for documentation and presentation, exhibition and promotion, networking, and career preparation.
5 – Students will develop collaboration skills to actively and effectively work in a team or group.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1 - Design, build, and develop content for a professional-quality website.
2 - Understand and implement the iterative process
3 - Learn how to proactively learn, also known as self-regulated learning. In any learning situation, you should study beforehand, make/do, debug, reflect, adjust, and do it all over again (iteration). Learning happens in a cycle.
4 - Create an internal developer / creative community
5 - Apply their new technical ability to deconstruct technological systems with the same rigor to deconstructing the social and economic systems that brought them into our day-to-day lives.
- User Interface (UI) / User Experience (UX)
- HTML5 / CSS3
- The Responsive Web (flexible media & media queries)
- Javascript/Javascript Libraries
- Browser: Chrome or Firefox
- Github Account: github.com/join (To be done as a class, will coordinate if you already have an account.)
- Developer Tools for Chrome or Firefox
- Chrome Developer Tools, https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools or
- Firebug for Firefox, http://getfirebug.com
- Chrome Developer Tools, https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools or
- HTML Text Editor: http://atom.io
- Web Server Space
- We will be using Github Pages to host your websites, but will learn about other free and commercial alternatives as well.
Class time will be spent as a combination of lecture, review, and in class exercises. Homework will consist of online tutorials as well as weekly projects that build on each week’s topics of discussion.
There is no required textbook for this course, however students will be required to complete various online tutorials between classes.
We will rely on language and library specific documentation and https://www.w3schools.com/ extensively– one of our goals as a class is to "learn how to learn" by becoming adept at navigating these online resources.
I love having WiFi available and I think it is a valuable tool for use in the classroom. Unfortunately, it can very easily be a distraction as well. Laptop use will be expected in class but should be focused on class-specific material, applications, and research. Whenever classmates or guests are presenting please keep your laptop closed. The quality of the class depends in large part on your attention and active participation, so please respect your fellow classmates and close your lid.
It's super easy to find code online. As tempting as this is, I am going to ask that you write your own code for the first 2/3 of the semester. This will help you grasp and retain the fundamentals. It does help to write the code from the book out, line by line. Code that is not written by you can not be submitted as a homework assignment, project or pair programming challenge as your own work. Period.
If you use code from elsewhere (which you will at times), I expect you to cite the work and author, as well as to comment each line, as to what each line does programmatically. Do not summarize several lines of code from a high level. I expect you to comment each line on a granular level. In addition in these cases, I am also looking for significant modification of the code, for you to enact your own ideas and to experiment heavily. Significant modification means beyond variable name and value changes. It's bending these concepts to your idea, especially graphically. It's not a copy and paste job.
If you use code from online, whether for inspiration, modification or reference, I expect to see a link in your comments from where you got the code and who wrote it. Otherwise it will be considered as plagiarism, and you will fail the assignment. The code must have a reference, along with URL and be commented out LINE BY LINE.
Seriously.
NOTE: While you are expected to document and host your work on Github or another external server, links to assignments, projects, and documentation will be submitted and graded on NYU Classes. This will allow me a space to privately communicate any notes and point deductions connected to each student's assignment. It will also allow you to track your progress in the class. After midterm and final presentations, grades from the NYU Classes gradebook will be migrated to Albert.
Grades will be determined according to the following breakdown:
Regular Assignments 25%
We will have weekly assignments that are relevant to material from the previous class. When it is assigned, each assignment will contain a breakdown of how many points it is worth and the grading criteria. Most assignments will include a Learning Log, where you will be asked to provide some assessment of your clarity on a topic after doing a tutorial. Please refer to the Learning Logs file in this repository for more instructions. Late assignments will lose a point for each day they are late.
Mid-Term Project 20%
The midterm assignment will be a project that demonstrates a working knowledge of HTML and CSS elements. This project must be completed, published, and presented.
Participation and Attendance 20%
Attendance is mandatory. Please inform me via Slack direct message if you are going to miss a class. Showing up late for class or an excessive number of absences will adversely affect your grade. This class will be participatory, you are expected to participate in discussions and give feedback to other students both in class and participate with their projects. This (along with attendance) is 20% of your overall grade. Each student will be asked to do a 5-min presentation on a Learning Log throughout the semester, which is part of your participation grade.
PLEASE NOTE: 3 unexcused absences will result in your grade dropping 5%
If you need a medical absence excused, you must submit documentation to Deanna Rayment - deanna.rayment@nyu.edu - for the absence to be reviewed and considered excused.
Final Project 20%
Class will culminate with final projects. It is expected that these will be both technology and content driven. The final project will be built over the course of several weeks. This project must be completed, published, and presented.
Documentation/Self-Asssessments/Tickets to Leave 15%
5% - Students will be expected to document their work on Github. This will involve regular publishing of source code and assignments, using comments and README files as necessary. (Github will be a topic we cover in class.)
10% - Students will perform three self assessments on their work throughout the semester. Specific instructions and deadlines on these assessments will be provided when they are assigned.
Each student will be judged on the quality, experimentation, and improvement that their work shows.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been of the highest level, showing sustained excellence in meeting course responsibilities. Work clearly differentiates itself from other work, has memorable impact, pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The student thoroughly understands the web design and development process.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been good, though not of the highest level. Work demonstrates a better than average web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been adequate, satisfactorily meeting the course requirements. Work is average and competent, showing a basic understanding of the web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been less than adequate. Work is lacking in many or most areas that show any understanding of visual foundation. Problems may include lack of interest, procrastination, poor planning and poor craft.
Performance and attendance of the student has been such that course requirements have not been met. Work shows no overall understanding of the course material on many levels or either a severe lack of interest.
If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 1-212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found atwww.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.
You can find the official academic calendar here
Sunday, February 9, 2020 - Last day to drop a class and receive a refund of 100% of tuition & fees for Undergraduate, Graduate and Diploma students who are dropping classes, but will remain enrolled in at least one course. For Undergraduate, Graduate and Diploma students who 'Completely Withdraw' from ALL courses during the semester, please see the Refund Schedule for Complete Withdrawal. Last day to drop Spring 2019 classes and not receive a grade of 'W.' Last day of active waitlists. Last day to add/drop on Albert.
Monday, February 17, 2020 - President's Day (aka No class)
Monday, March 16, 2020 - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - Spring Recess (aka No class)
Friday, April 3, 2020 - Last day to use the Term Withdrawal Form to submit a spring semester term withdrawal request or submit a request to withdraw from a course. Students should consult the academic calendar of their home school for specific deadlines pertaining to course withdrawal for the term
Monday, May 11, 2020 - Last day of Fall 2019 Classes