Information Technology 502, Section 1
Spring Semester 2012
Tuesdays and Thursdays
2:10 to 3:30 PM in Kingsbury N113
An intermediate level exploration of the theory and practice of Web design. Students learn the fundamentals of design theory applicable to the World Wide Web and examine tools and techniques for applying that knowledge to their projects. Additional topics include information architecture, usability, accessibility, optimization, typography, and market visibility. Working knowledge of XHTML and CSS required. Prereq: CS 403.
Students successfully completing IT502, should be able to:
While working on a team, prepare a project plan for a Web site based on interviews with the appropriate clients and users, which demonstrates knowledge of project budgeting, scheduling, and evaluation, plus the abilities of its student authors to:
Students entering IT502 must have successfully completed CS403, Weaving the Web. Students will be expected to have a working knowledge of both XHTML and CSS. Students who feel they have the prerequisite knowledge of these technologies but have not successfully completed CS403 must obtain the instructor’s permission to take IT502.
Professional Web designers require a tremendous array of skills in order to be successful. Aside from the obvious technical expertise, they must know how to work effectively as part of a team, teach themselves new skills, and share their ideas and knowledge with others.
The fundamental mission of IT502 is to help students develop and refine these skills. Rather than focusing exclusively on building technical expertise, we will endeavor to accumulate greater expertise as we develop the other skills mentioned above. As such, IT502 will diverge from the “traditional” course format. Rather than sitting idly as the instructor lectures, doing homework exercises from a textbook, or taking exams provided by the instructor, students in CS502 will be actively involved in nearly all aspects of the course.
Since professional Web designers need to work both independently and as members of teams, IT502 will require both types of work from students. Teams will be formed very early in the semester and will work together throughout the semester to complete a significant team project, as well as various other tasks. Of course, each student will be required to pull their own weight on their team, and this will inevitably involve the delegation of certain responsibilities to be completed independently.
Since Web designers frequently must refine and expand their own knowledge and expertise independently, IT502 will also require a fair amount of independent reading and a substantial individual project. Each student will be required to explore and master some aspect of Web design, and present a summary of that knowledge to the class. With each student mastering a different skill, this project will also serve to develop a range of expertise within each team. And with each student presenting their new found knowledge to the class, the entire class will benefit from exposure to a wide range of material.
The end result will be a small number of highly weighted grades on work-intensive projects (surprisingly like the life of a professional Web designer!) The trick, therefore, will be to schedule one’s time in as efficient a manner as possible without succumbing to the ever-present lure of procrastination and work with your teammates to ensure that they do the same.
IT502 carries the Inquiry attribute and therefore counts as an Inquiry course. As a result, in addition to the objectives stated above, this course shares some common objectives with all Inquiry courses.
Inquiry courses are about comparing and contrasting different perspectives on problems and issues. In this course, you will be called upon to adopt a wide variety of perspectives that may differ from your own.
You’ll need to adopt the perspectives of various roles essential to the Web design process and various members of your site’s target audience(s). You may need to consider your design ideas from the perspective of users with special needs or considerations, such as blindness or cultural differences. As a member of a team, you’ll quite likely need to consider and adapt to the perspectives of your teammates as the semester progresses.
An Inquiry course should encourage students to think as much about how they’re learning as what they’re learning. In this course, you will be exposed to a wide variety of learning opportunities.
You will encounter traditional lectures, presentations by peers (both individually and as teams), assigned readings, self-guided research, hands-on projects, interactions with outside stakeholders, and more.
Throughout the semester, you should be aware of the different opportunities before you and think carefully how best to maximize their return. This course has been constructed to expose you to several opportunities and approaches commonly available to professional Web designers. If you use this course to learn how you learn most effectively, you will have a significant advantage when you eventually move into the workforce.
Inquiry is all about asking questions. So is Web design. Designers ask questions of their stakeholders, their users, their teammates, and themselves. If you expect meaningful and useful answers you need to carefully craft the questions themselves.
As you progress through your coursework, pay attention to the questions that you need to raise and, for each one, consider how best to formulate that question to generate the information you require to continue. The reading assignments, in particular, will provide you with a tremendous wealth of advice and guidance in how to formulate good questions for stakeholders and the users of your site.
Inquiry courses also endeavor to help students hone their ability to present information in a clear and organized manner. In this course, you will have numerous informal opportunities to present your ideas to your teammates, and two formal opportunities to present the results of your efforts to the entire class. Feedback from your teammates, your classmates, and your instructor will be provided to help you improve.