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Home - Course Web Pages - Fall 2006 - LIBR 240-03 Greensheet

LIBR 240-03
Information Technology Tools and Applications
Fall 2006 Greensheet

David Cloutman
E-mail
Phone: (510) 601-9870
Office Hours: By telephone Monday & Tuesday 8:00pm - 10:00pm

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Greensheet Links Textbooks and Resources Course Requirements

Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials

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Students are expected to enroll in the Blackboard site for this course between August 22 - August 25, the day after the first day of instruction. You will receive an access code for enrollment via MySJSU.

Course Description

This course is a broad introduction to the interdisciplinary practice of web design and development. This course will have two major focuses; project management and the development cycle of web sites, and exposure to a wide variety of technologies that are used in the development of web sites.

For the Fall 2006 session, we will focus on website design technology and processes. In this course you will learn to use HTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript; the building blocks for web clients. Additionally, we will introduce server-side scripting using the PHP programming language. Finally, we will also do a little work with XML and some related technologies.

In this class students will:

• Learn processes and best practices used in creating professional web sites
• Understand the client server relationship as it applies to the World Wide Web, the difference between client and server side processing, and the appropriate use of each
• Integrate conceptual and practical strategies for presenting information on a professional web site
• Markup content in XHTML format using major language features
• Create consistent and flexible formatting using CSS
• Learn how to communicate with the server using interactive forms
• Host a web site on a Unix style platform (Solaris/Apache)
• Integrate third-party scripting solutions
• Study design, accessibility, and cultural issues
• Learn PHP as a first programming language
• Use JavaScript to enhance web interfaces.
• Examine XML technologies
• Gain an overview of other competing technologies not covered in this class (e.g. Microsoft .Net and Java) and the potential of database integration to create web-based software applications

Course Prerequisites
Students must have completed the computer skills course required at the beginning of the program, should be comfortable and familiar with their computer, and have a solid understanding of file management. They must be comfortable learning new computer skills independently. Students who flourish by face to face instruction or group learning should consider enrolling in a live 240 section.

Students should be aware that this class will being teaching XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript as languages. No instruction will be provided on the use of specific IDEs. Students must hand code their assignments. The use of WYSIWYG tools, such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver is prohibited.

Student Learning Objectives

Web development is an interdisciplinary practice. This class will provide a survey of technologies and disciplines with which Librarians and other information professionals are likely to interface. Students successfully completing this class should gain the following professional skills:

1. The ability to publish basic, standards compliant, web documents using XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Students will understand how these technologies integrate with other technologies, such as XML and server-side scripting.
2. A strong enough understanding of web architectures, technologies, and best practices to effectively participate in the management, and decision making process, of more complex web projects involving other specialists; such as programmers, graphic designers, and systems administrators.

LIBR 240 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• design, query and evaluate information retrieval systems;
• demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities;
• understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge.

In addition, this section supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
• describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors.

Textbooks and Resources

Required Texts

• Boudreaux, Toby Joe (c2005) PHP 5: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing. ISBN:0764583328
• Krug, Steve (2005) Don't Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (2nd ed.). Berkeley: New Riders Press. ISBN: 0321344758
• Powell, Thomas. (2003). HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (4th ed.). Emeryville, Calif.: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. ISBN: 007222942X
• Rosenfeld, Louis; Morville, Peter. (2002). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites (2nd ed.). Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly Media Inc. ISBN: 0596000359

Recommended Text
Powell's book provides a great survey of most of the technologies we will be covering in this class. It is also an excellent reference book that you will be able to use in future projects. However, students who are visually oriented learners, or require more in-depth technical tutorials may benefit from this title as well:

• Castro, Elizabeth. (2006). HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS (6th ed.). Berkeley: Peachpit Press. ISBN: 0321130073

Keep in mind that there are many different books on this topic that support a wide variety of learning styles. If you find a book that you find helpful, please let me know.

Additionally, we will be addressing some topics in this course not covered in the required texts. Students wanting to integrate some of these advanced topics into their final projects may find these books helpful:

• Goodman, Danny; Morrison, Michael. (2004). JavaScript Bible (5th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0764557432
• Zandstra, Matt. (2004). Sams Teach Yourself PHP in 24 Hour (3rd ed.). Indianapolis: Sams Publishing. ISBN: 0672326191

Other Resources
The web is quite naturally a great place to learn about web development. Below is a small sampling of what is available. Students are encouraged to review these web sites which contain language references, good tutorials, and articles about leading edge techniques.

• http://www.alistapart.com - Advanced articles and tutorials on leading-edge DHTML, CSS and JavaScript techniques.
• http://www.w3schools.com - Provides beginning tutorials and language references for many of the technologies we'll be using.
• http://www.php.net - The official site of the PHP programming language that will be introduced in the latter part of this course. Contains excellent documentation with user commentary.

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Course Requirements

Blackboard
This is a blackboard course. Students are expected to enroll between January 20 - January 26, the day after the first day of instruction.

Tentative Course Calendar
The tentative schedule for this course is:

Date	Topics	Read	Assignment Due	Important Dates
Aug 23	Course Intro; Clients, Servers, and Your: How the Web Works	Powell, chapters 1-2; Krug, chapters 1-7		Wed, Aug 23: First day of instruction
Aug 28	The Development Process; Core XHTML	Krug, chapters 8-12; Powell, chapters 3-4	Problem Set 1
Sept 4	Beginning Web Usability and Design	Rosenfeld, chapters 1-7, Powell, chapters 5-7, 10	Problem Set 2	Mon Sept 4: Labor Day observed Tues, Sept 5: Last day to drop or withdraw without a "W" grade
Sept 11	Layout with Tables / CSS	Powell, chapters 8, 11, Rosenfeld, Chapters 10-12	Problem Set 3, Course Project Deliverable #1: Direction Report	Tues, Sept 12: Last day to add courses
Sept 18	Images	Powell, chapters 12-13, 16	Problem Set 4	Wed, Sept 20: Enrollment Census date
Sept 25	Layout with Advanced CSS	Rosenfeld, chapter 8		Fri, Nov 10: Veteran's Day Observed
Oct 2	Site Architecture		Problem Set 5
Oct 9	Sending Data to the Server: Using Forms and PHP Scripts		Course Project Deliverable #2: Information Architecture
Oct 16	Pages that Do Stuff: JavaScript and PHP		Problem Set 6
Oct 23	PHP as a First Programming Language	Boudreaux, selected sections.Review all of Krug; Powell, chapter 14
Oct 30	XML: Designing Custom Data Structures
Nov 6	XML & XSLT: Designing and Transforming Custom Data Structures		Problem Set 7/8
Nov 13	From Comp to Completion: Implementing your design		Course Project Deliverable #3: Design Concept
Nov 20	Multiple Choice: Other platforms			Thur - Fri, Nov 23-24: Thanksgiving Holiday - Campus closed
Nov 27	What'd I Say: Your Questions Answered		Problem Set 9
Dec 4	Web Applications and the World of Tomorrow		Course Project Deliverable #4: Live Web Site (Both must be completed by Dec 7, 11:59 pm.)	Thur, Dec 7: Last day of instruction
Dec 11			Mon - Fri, Dec 11-15: Final Exam
Dec 18				Wed, Dec 20: Grades due from faculty Thur, Dec 21: Fall 2006 grades available at https://my.sjsu.edu

Grading
Your grade will be determined by the quality of your work. Points on assignments are awarded based upon your ability to follow directions, reason analytically, produce creative solutions, and justify your work. You will receive written documentation outlining the requirements for each assignment. The final exam will be open book and will require the practical application of technical skills acquired in this course.

Assignment	% of Grade
9 Problem Sets	50%
Course Project	40%
Exam	10%

Grading Scale
The standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale is utilized for all SLIS courses:

97-100	A
94-96	A-
91-93	B+
88-90	B
85-87	B-
82-84	C+
79-81	C
76-78	C-
73-75	D+

Extra Credit
There is no extra credit for this course.

Late Assignments
Assignments are due before 8:00 pm on the date listed on the calendar, unless otherwise stated during the course of instruction. In order to hand in an assignment, it must be uploaded to the web server that will be hosting your assignments. All of your files on the server must be timestamped before this time, or the assignment will be considered late. I recommend loading your last files onto the server several hours in advance of this time. Assignments that are less than 24 hours late will loose 10% of their points. Assignments that are more than 1 day late, and less than 1 week late will loose 50%. No assignment that is more than 1 week late will be accepted. Dispensations may be made for medical or family emergencies. Time conflicts caused by employment are generally not cause for granting an extension.

If you know in advance that you cannot make a due date, let me know as soon as possible. Do not wait until the assignment is past-due. Extensions may be granted at my discretion.

Students are expected to have their affairs in order before taking this class. Do not take this class if you know you will be unavailable for an extended period during the session. Exceptions to this rule are possible, but will only be granted before the start of instruction.

Reasonable Accommodation of Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please e-mail me as soon as possible. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to establish record of their disability.

No matter where students reside, they should contact the SJSU DRC to register. The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/

Academic Integrity
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/F06-1.pdf

Leaning Disabilities
If you have a diagnosed learning disability, please let me know at the beginning of instruction. I am happy to provide additional instruction or assistance.

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