Start Here

All assignment Due Dates are posted on the course Syllabus page.

To be successful in this class read everything thoroughly.

Please Check In!!!

IMPORTANT! If you are enrolled in a Face-to-face version of this course, then skip this section - for online students, follow these instructions for checking-in to your online class. Go to the Student Check-In discussion forum in Canvas and "Officially" check yourself in. You must check-in by the end of the second day (11:59 P.M.) of this class or you will be dropped by the instructor and replaced by a student on the Wait list.

No class meetings or online meetings are required for the fully online version of this course.

Overview

The CSIS 115a: Web Development - Level 1 course is meant to be an entry level Internet Authoring course designed to give students the fundamental markup language skills necessary to develop modern day Web sites. Skills that are in demand by most all businesses operating today and offering good paying salaries for employees who possess these skills. Specifically, in this course you will be learning how to use the hypertext markup language (HTML) to markup Web page content in order to provide it with structure and semantics. In addition, you will be learning how to create formatting rules using the cascading style sheet (CSS) language to enhance Web page content with a more consitent and professional look and feel. Examples of Web development concepts you will be learning include hypertext linking, implementing multimedia elements like images, audio, and video, building responsive Web pages, incorporating HTML tables and forms, and applying CSS rules for typography and graphic design purposes; just to name a few of the many skills you will acquire by completing this course.

Where Do I Start?

1. Finish reading all of this Start Here page
2. Next, click on this link and read: Department Email Policy
3. Then read the Syllabus, which will inform you of the content and the due dates for your class assignments. Be sure to review the Course Schedule in the Syllabus to learn when Review assignments and Quizzes are due by.
4. Follow the Prep Assignment instructions on the View Assignment Instructions page to complete the Prep Unit assignment.

How To Locate the Textbook If You Purchased Cengage Unlimited

In order for you to access the electronic version of the textbook for this class you will need to click on the " use Modules to . . ." link on the course Home page in Canvas. Once you are viewing the Modules page click on the link that reads "CSIS 115A 3286 Web Dev 1". On the next screen that appears, click on the "Load CSIS 115A 3286 Web Dev 1 in a new window" button. After you click the button, Cengage Mindtap should be displaying on the screen if you paid for Cengage Unlimited. To view the electronic textbook click on the book icon on the vertical toolbar on the right of the screen. This will give you full access to the electronic version of the Textbook.

Note: We DO NOT use the Mindtap course materials in this course at all. The only reason for the Mindtap interface in this class is for access to the textbook for Cengage Unlimited customers. All of the tutorials and assignments for this class are contained within the digital and paperback versions of the textbook. Quizzes and the Final Exam will be completed in Canvas.

How This Course Works

First you need to understand that your textbook publisher calls each chapter in your textbook a "Tutorial," so as you read this text please understand that I am using the same terminology and when I write "Tutorial" I am referring to a chapter in the textbook. The reason your textbook publisher does it this way is because each chapter not only contains information you need to read and learn, each chapter also contains a step-by-step tutorial that demonstrates how to use what you have learned to build an HTML page.

The View Assignment Instructions page has links to all of the online instructional materials and is designed to guide you through the tutorials week-by-week. In a full term class, you will spend two weeks on each tutorial. One week you will read from the textbook and practice writing HTML and CSS code by following the step-by-step instructions in the tutorial. The next week you will be completing a review assignment based on the HTML and CSS code you just learned in the tutorial. In a short-term (8 week or 6 week) class you need to complete both the weekly tutorial and the review assignment for that week's tutorial all in ONE week. See the Syllabus for the correct Due Dates based on the format of the class you are enrolled in.

The best way to complete each tutorial in your textbook is to read the entire tutorial by following along with the step-by-step instructions and actually writing the HTML code presented in the tutorial. At the end of each tutorial there is a Review assignment and four case studies. The only assignment I want you to submit to me is the Review assignment. Learning HTML and CSS is like anything else you do in life, the more you do it the better you get at it. With that in mind, I encourage you to also complete the four case studies following each tutorial to become more proficient at your HTML skills, but they are not mandatory and I don't want you to submit them to me. Again, only submit the URL for the Review assignment to me for each tutorial.

In order to complete the textbook tutorials and the Review assignments you will need to download the Data Files to the computer you will be using to complete these assignments, and unzip (extract) them on that computer. Instructions are provided on the Data Files page.

How to Submit Your "Review" Assignments

The Internet Authoring (IA) program is committed to having you learn in a real-world environment. This means you will be using FTP to upload completed HTML assignments to the Student Web server. There are instructions on how to go about doing this on the View Assignment Instructions page located on the Canvas Canvas Home page for this course. Read the Using FTP to Publish and Introduction to URLs tutorials to learn how to publish your assignments and how to post the URL for a completed assignment in Canvas for grading.

How You Can Improve Your Score(s)

Once you have published your Review assignment and posted the URL to Canvas, I will view it and evaluate it based on the grading rubric specified for the particular assignment - usually within 7 days. I will post a score ranging from 0 to 100 points, I will also post comments as necessary. If there are any errors in your assignment I will identify them in my comments. You then have an opportunity to correct the errors and resubmit the assignment to me to increase your score.

Once I receive notice of the resubmitted assignment, I will view it and again evaluate it based on the grading rubric specified for the assignment. Depending on how well you did correcting your errors I will post a new score for your assignment in the gradebook - usually within 7 days of receiving the re-submission notice for your assignment. My goal is to have every student achieve 100 points on every assignment. As long as you do the work you should be able to accomplish this goal.

About the Quizzes and Exams

Links for all of the quizzes and the Final exam can be found on the Quizzess page. You will also find a link to each quiz in theEach Quiz contains 10 multiple choice questions and you have 20 minutes to complete them. You may repeat any Quiz as many times as you'd like as long as it remains active and I highly recommend that you do so that you will be familiar with all of the questions in the pool - these are the same questions that will appear on the Final Exam. The Canvas system will keep track of and record your highest score. The Final Exam contains 56 multiple choice questions and you have 60 minutes to complete it. You only have one shot at taking the Final Exams so make sure you are ready to take them before you start each one.

What is the Resources Module For?

The Resources module contains links to resources used in this class, links for Visual Studio Community users, links to resources to answer your questions about the Internet Authoring program, and a huge list of Web Development links of interest.

The best and most successful application developers thrive on learning as much as they can about computer programming, the Internet, and Web technologies. To help you get the most out of this course as possible, you will want to check out the Resources module's Web Development links of interest which will expose you to some of the best resources the Web has to offer regarding Web application development. The more you learn about Web application development the more successful you will become and the more likely it is that you will be able to compete with the Amazon's, Google's, and Microsoft's in the world. Explore as many of the hypertext links as you can and the Web will be your oyster.

How Can I Earn Extra Credit?

The Web presentation for this course is jammed pack with information, most of it I have created and typed myself. Being human, I do make mistakes - just ask my wife! While you read through the online course materials, if you find a typo, a misspelled word, or a grammatical error, I would very much appreciate it if you would call it to my attention. All you have to do is tell me which page you found it on (email me the URL) and give me a general description of the error (where to find it on the page). For each one you submit I will award you 5 extra credit points and offer you my deepest gratitude.

There is a Help! forum link on the Discussions page for students to ask questions and post problems they might have regarding an assignment. If you post an appropriate answer or the correct solution to a problem before I do then you will earn 5 extra credit points for each answer or correct solution you post - so keep an eye on the Help! forum by subscribing to it right away.

These are the only ways to earn extra credit in this class, please don't ask me if you can earn extra credit any other way. As long as you do the required work in this class, assignments, quizzes and exams, there should be little to no need for you to earn points by way of extra credit.

What If You Have a Question or Run Into a Problem?

If you have any question(s) about how to navigate this online course or any questions pertaining to HTML or CSS, or if you run into a problem with an assignment, I am more than happy to answer your question and help you out in any way I can. The best way to get help is to post your question to the Help! discussion forum; there is a link to it on the Canvas course Home page. Most likely other students will have the same question and by posting to Help! all students will have the benefit of seeing my reply. If your question is of a personal matter and you want to ensure your privacy, then send me a message using the Canvas messaging system (Inbox) or just send me an email, BBennett@msjc.edu (please be sure to adhere to my Email Policy or your emails to me may end up getting lost). If you don't hear back from me within 48 hours (Monday through Thursday), please send your email again as your first one may have been lost.

MSJC's Internet Authoring Program

The course you are enrolled in is part of Mt. San Jacinto College's Internet Authoring program. The goal of the program is to get students prepared for high-paying information technology jobs, specifically jobs which involve or require Web development skills of the highest caliber. By completing courses in the Internet Authoring program you can earn up to two certifications and one A.S. degree - an Employment Concentration certification (Apprentice), a State of California Certification (Journeyman), and an Associate of Science Degree in Internet Authoring. For more details about the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department's Internet Authoring program and its related courses, view the Internet Authoring Web site.

My Final Thoughts . . .

Good luck,

I hope you have fun. There's lots of cool stuff to learn so get started right away!!!

Bill Bennett, Associate Professor
Internet Authoring Coordinator
MSJC CIS MVC