Collaborative Web Design (INF500) Wednesdays, 4:00 pm 6:40 PM Informatics Lab, Baldy Room 14

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1 Syllabus Collaborative Web Design (INF500) Wednesdays, 4:00 pm 6:40 PM Informatics Lab, Baldy Room 14 School of Informatics University at Buffalo State University of New York Spring 2006 Instructor: Roberta (Robin) Sullivan Office location: 212 Capen Hall Educational Technology Center (ETC) (enter through the Silverman Undergraduate Library) Office phone: (716) The course web site URL is: The site can also be accessed through the UBlearns portal: Introduction This course is designed for those who want to learn about interface design and the management and organization of multidisciplinary teams that are necessary elements in the development of effective web sites. The course will cover the 1 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM

2 design and analysis of real-world web sites, developed individually and within small groups. Class time will be divided between practical labs and discussions regarding effective interface design, web site evaluation and how the Internet can be utilized to organize and present information. Practical skills will be covered through hands-on work such as developing web site designs, creating animations, and the development of interactive applications applied through the web. Because this course includes production-oriented skills, students will be expected to spend substantial out-of-class time working on the computer. Prior web design and HTML experience is required. Students that possess advanced knowledge about interface design will be "required" to challenge their current level of abilities. Course Objective To introduce the student to a broad range of issues that relate to interface design and information management. Students will develop an understanding of the visual structure of information representation through the evaluation and development of real-world online communication. Design web pages for the presentation and organization of information. Use web-authoring tools to visually organize text and graphics for the web. Create animations and interactive applications to create visual interest and to demonstrate procedural processes. Understand the importance and relevancy of multidisciplinary teams as they apply to web design. Class Organization Since this course does not require the purchase of any textbooks, it is highly recommended that students purchase a copy of Macromedia Dreamweaver software (approximate "educational" price $99.00*) to install and use from home. It is also beneficial for students to have access to a graphic 2 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM

3 editing software package and Macromedia Flash, a tool used to create animated and interactive web applications, if feasible. Macromedia Flash is bundled in the Macromedia Web Design Studio. All students are required to run, and regularly update, anti-virus software on their personal computers (free virus protection software is available to UB students.) Software for the course can be purchased at "educational prices" through Macromedia, UB Micro, or the University Bookstore All students are required to run, and regularly update, anti-virus software on their personal computers (Norton Anti-Virus is among the free software applications available to UB students.) Class contribution Class contribution includes the quality and quantity of your overall contributions to the class. Participation in the discussion of assignments and readings is a large portion of the class participation grade. It is required that every student demonstrates respect for the ideas, opinions, and feelings of all other members of the class. An online communication center through UBlearns will be used to communicate about course matters. Students will post their reactions concerning the "non-technical" reading materials to the class discussion board each week. Students are encouraged to post additional comments to the course discussion area. Students are expected to post a minimum of two messages per week. The first message should be your reactions to the "non-technical" readings (which are due no later than noon on Wednesday the day before class), and your second posting should be a response to someone else's post. Readings Links to the readings are available online through the schedule on the class web site. Students will be responsible for knowing the information contained in all the readings. It is very likely information from both the theoretical and technical readings will 3 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM

4 be a part of the questions on the mastery based quizzes. Quizzes Quizzes provide an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of concepts and vocabulary presented throughout the course. Two quizzes will be presented through the UB Learns Blackboard web site. The quizzes will be assessed on a mastery level in that they must be taken until at least a grade of 80% is achieved. A portion of a few class sessions will be set aside as brainstorming sessions for the purpose of developing a pool of questions to be used with the mastery quizzes. A discussion forum will also be used for submission of quiz questions. Each student will submit questions to the quiz discussion forum which will be considered to be added to the pool of questions used in the mastery quizzes. Grades The final course grade will be computed according to the following: Attendance and punctuality Class contribution and discussion board participation Mastery quizzes Application exercises completed in and out of class Class assignments (Personal site & Informational site) Team project 5% 25% 10% 10% 30% 20% Grades will be assigned according to the following rubric. This rubric may evolve over the semester as a result of class discussions. The list of qualities of a well-designed web site will also be utilized in the grading of all projects. The design and usability resources page is also helpful to determine if a site is designed well. All students are expected to turn in all course work by the due dates assigned. There will be a full letter grade penalty for assignments that are turned in late. A grade of incomplete will be assigned only if exceptional circumstances warrant. 4 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM

5 Office Hours I am available by appointment, and after class, for questions and consultations. Academic Integrity There may bead need to use content that is not generated by you on the web sites you create. Whenever you use another person's content or imagery on a web site you create, it is mandatory that you cite the item regarding its original source. You should also make every effort to obtain permission from the owner of the content to use their property if it does not fall within public domain. For the purposes of this course, an request sent to the owner of the content is often all that is necessary toward getting permission to use an item. The School of Informatics takes academic integrity seriously, and will not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of cheating. You commit plagiarism when you make use of others' work without proper attribution. Any time you use someone's unique ideas, you must properly cite the printed, electronic, or other source of that work. If you use a phrase (any non-obvious combination of a few words) from another person's work, you must also place these words within quotation marks and cite the source. You must turn in your own original work for an assignment. You may not, except with explicit permission from your instructor, turn in work that has been turned in for other classes. During examinations and other assignments you must present your own work, and must follow all of the rules provided by the instructor or other administrators in the class. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating, even if unintentional, will result in sanctions that can include an F in the class and a notation in your academic record. The instructor has the further ability to press charges and impose sanctions at the university level, up to and including expulsion. In addition, if you are aware that another student in the class is guilty of academic dishonesty, and fail to inform the instructor, you are also subject to sanctions. If you are ever unsure about whether something constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please approach your instructor before 5 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM

6 turning in your work. He or she will happily help you to understand how to avoid academic dishonesty. For further information, these resources on proper citation and how to avoid plagiarism may be of help: * UB Statement on academic integrity * "Writing With Sources" * Plagiarism Defined * Plagiary and the Art of Skillful Citation * Using Sources This syllabus is subject to modification throughout the semester as deemed necessary. Click here for a printer friendly version of the syllabus, with schedule and assignments. Syllabus Schedule Assignments Resources UBlearns Student Work Updated on November 10, 2005 by Robin Sullivan 6 of 6 4/17/10 1:59 PM