ITEC 845: Instructional Web Authoring II
Instructor: Andrew Roderick
Email: roderick@sfsu.edu
Phone: 415-338-6116
Office: HSS 385
Office Hours: by appointment
Class Room: EP 125
Day/Time: Mondays – 7-10pm (1/29/08- 5/21/08)
Course Description:
This course blends technical, conceptual and creative approaches to the creation of web-based instructional materials. As an instructional design course, an emphasis will be placed on the role of ID practitioners in web projects. Core technical skills in web building will be an underpinning of the course, supported by assignments, group projects and readings. Participants will create websites and use external web tools while applying a range of concepts representing best practices in web building. The scope of the course limits the depth with which every topic can be addressed but within any limitations, the course will serve as a platform for continued study in a range of related areas. Advanced participants will have opportunities for directed auxillary study.
Prerequisites
This is the advanced web authoring course and follow-up to ITEC 745 which is a prerequisite. Students with prior experience web building or using a recent version of Dreamweaver can also sign-up (qualified students should understand site and file management, beginning CSS and other features — contact professor for clearance).
Course Goals and Objectives
There are two major overall goals for the course:
- develop skills and sensibilities for building standards-based instructional websites.
- learn to use the medium of the Web as an instructional designer.
Additional student goals include:
- develop and solidify basic web building skills
- use of Dreamweaver as authoring tool and utilize key features
- ability to create standards-based web pages based on XHTML and CSS
- gain exposure to a range of web publishing technologies
- gain exposure to information organization and presentation concepts
- hone sensibilities in web-based training approaches and practices
- understand supporting infrastructures for websites (file management, FTP, networks)
Required Resources
An available home computer with internet access will be an enormous advantage to participants but lab computers are available throughout the University for those without. Students will be required to sign-up for an SFSU email and web account (use the link to sign up if you don’t have one). Students are welcome to bring in their own laptops to class meetings but are responsible for their own technical functionality.
The course will utilize a PC-based computer lab and students will be expected to perform in-class assignments using that platform. Macintosh computers are fine for use on homework or outside-the-classroom assignments. You may wish to consider purchasing a copy of Macromedia Dreamweaver CS3.
Throughout the course, students will be working from their SFSU web accounts (http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~username/itec845). All course work will be performed and uploaded to this account, no exceptions.
Use of iLearn
The main course website will be hosted through iLearn, the SFSU course management system. Course assignments and activities will be transmitted through this website so students are required to frequently check-in.
Blogs
All students will setup and maintain their own blogs using WordPress (free service). (This will be setup in class so don’t jump ahead to ensure you follow instructions).
Instructor Availability
My preference is to be contacted by email (roderick@sfsu.edu) but I have also provided my office phone number in case you need to contact by telephone (415-338-6116). I am also available for office hours by appointment. Please don’t show up at my office without an appointment but, please contact me right away if you have questions, concerns or need help.
Suggested Texts (not required)
I am not inclined to assign required books to buy in a course focusing on a medium so rich in free material. However, I will suggest some supporting books which you can buy or check out from a library.
- Dreamweaver CS3: no specific recommendation
- Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Steve Krug and Roger Black): Great book covering sensible web design from a Usabilty perspective. Easy to read and enjoyable.
- Design With Web Standards (Jeffrey Zeldman; 1st Edition): Recommended for reading beyond this course. This is the book on combining XHTML and CSS with your older, non-standard web pages.
- Check for other useful books on the ITEC 845 Bookshelf.
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Attendance/Participation: |
Participants are expected to attend class, participate in discussions and complete assignments on time. Courses such as this typically have participants of mixed-abilities. You will be expected to support each other in-class and through the course Q&A forum. |
10 |
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| Homework Components: | Homework must be completed on time.
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XX |
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| Advanced Topic Research: | Students will be required to select and research an advanced topic related to web development or web-based tools. |
10 |
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| Design Project: | A mid-term design paper is assigned which requires students to apply critical design skills to example cases. This is a written-only assignment of approximately 5 to 10 pages in which students devise creative, web-based solutions to learning problems. |
n/a |
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| Group Design Paper: | A written design paper based on a mock scenario involving group work, a culminating group paper and an individual written component. |
20 |
Grading/Attendance
Attendance:
While absences happen, course participants are expected to attend scheduled class sessions. Students are expected to provide reasonable prior notice for an excused absence. Participation and discussion play a large role in this course. If you know you will miss more than two class sessions, you may want to plan on taking the course in a subsequent semester. Two unexcused absences will reduce your grade by one letter, a third unexcused absence, by two letter grades and anything more you may be dropped from the course.
Assignments must be turned in on time except with prior arrangement. Your grade will be reduced for late assignments. Students will earn a possible 100 points throughout the course through homework assignments, participation, projects and quizzes.
Grade Scale:
| Grade | Percent | Expectation |
| A (+ = -) | 90% and up | Combine execution with creativity. Insightful thinking. Do Extra Credits. Above expectation. |
| B (+ = -) | 80% to 89% | Proper execution of assignments. |
| C (+ = -) | 70% to 79% | Below expectation. |
| D (+ = -) | 60% to 69% | Don’t Ask. |
| F | Below |
