Lesson 1 starts here

Course Outline

The web site mastering course emphasizes a hands-on practical approach designed to give students the experience of managing a complex web site on their own, using tools and techniques from the web industry and applying them in a professional manner.

Students are expected to incorporate professional caliber images, text and multimedia content, and deliver truly portable, efficient and well designed web sites.

Course emphasis will be placed on efficient use of software tools, content and code optimization, information architecture, market targeting, efficient use of file management techniques and versioning.

As the culmination of their web design and graphic arts courses, this course enables students to create and manage complex web sites, that include forms, multimedia (audio and video files), Java applets, JavaScript applications, mouse-overs, image maps, style sheets, and other advanced elements, including those taught in 412-DCU-04 (Web Design) and 429-DDJ-03 (Web Programming).

Original, edited, and enhanced graphics will also be incorporated into these sites, using those skills acquired in the graphic arts courses in the PDHT program. Students will be completely responsible for the content and text of the site, using research and writing skills acquired in their PDHT courses and in their English, French, Humanities, and other courses.

Evaluation

Professional quality web site 15%

Mid-term evaluation in week 6 - February 27 or 28, 2002 depending on your group.

1. aesthetics (3%)
• layout, graphics, sound, video, animation, special effects.
2. content quality (5%)
• concepts, style, grammar, spelling.
3. functionality and information architecture (7%)
• structural and navigational architecture, links, forms, appearance in IE and Netscape on a variety of monitors and cross-platform compatibility, etc.

Professional quality web site 30%

Final evaluation in week 12 - April 17 or 18, 2002 depending on your group.

1. aesthetics (5%)
• layout, graphics, sound, video, animation, special effects.
2. maintenance of site (10%)
• implementation of changes effected since mid-term, response to audience, regular site maintenance, site development.
3. functionality (15%)
• structural and navigational architecture, links, forms, appearance in IE and Netscape on a variety of monitors and cross-platform compatibility, etc.

Material development 30%

10% mid-term evaluation in week 6 - February 27 or 28, 2002 depending on your group, 20% final in week 10 - April 3 or 4, 2002.

• Professional development and optimization of materials for a professional-quality web site.

Technical theory 25%

10% mid-term evaluation in week 7 - February 13 or 14, 2002, 15% final in week 11 - April 10 or 11, 2002.

• Two theory tests on the procedures involved in building and running a complex web site with Macromedia Dreamweaver.

Comprehensive assessment

To create hypermedia documents.

• Display at least one example of a web site that includes an attractive,consistent design to all pages, well-presented content, cascading style sheets, frames, tables, counters, forms, rollovers, at least 2 other Javascript features, search engines, sound, Flash and ImageReady animations, graphics, photos that load quickly, and text.
• All features must work in both major browsers.

Eric Girouard
January 2002
updated February 6 2002

Download

Download this original course outline in .pdf format here.