Spring 2007
21415
Course SyllabusCPSC 6175 Web Site Development and TechnologiesOnline
Instructor / Chris Whitehead, MCSE, Assistant ProfessorE-mail:
Office: CCT 441
Office Hours: TR 2:30 PM - 4:15 PM, TR 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM, W 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Contacting Me: If you need to discuss something which does not require a face-to-face meeting, please e-mail me. If you need to see me face-to-face but cannot meet during the scheduled office hours, please e-mail me so we can make arrangements to meet at my office at a more convenient time.
Cell Phone: (706) 315-5946
Office Phone: (706) 565-3527
Department Phone: (706) 568-2410
Department Fax: (706) 565-3529
Home Phone: (706) 561-2487
Web Site: http://csc.colstate.edu/whitehead
Required Textbook / / itle: Murach's Java Servlets and Jsp: Training & Reference
Author:Andrea Steelman, Joel Murach
Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates Inc.
Year: 2003
ISBN: 1-890774-18-9
Recommended Reading / / Title: Murach's Beginning Java 2 JDK 5
Author:Andrea Steelman
Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates, Inc.
Year: 2001
ISBN: 1-890774-29-4
You must purchase the "required" textbook for the course. Purchasing the recommended textbook is optional, but is highly encouraged if you are not familiar with the Java programming language.
Course Description / This course teaches the fundamentals of Web technologies and Web site development. This course covers many open technologies including XML and its related standards.
Course Objectives / At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
§ implement Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
§ develop JavaServer pages
§ develop Java servlets
§ structure a Web application
§ work with sessions and cookies
§ create and work with JavaBeans
§ install and configure Apache, Tomcat, MySQL, and PHP
§ use Java and MySQL to work with a database
§ use JavaMail to send e-mail
§ implement Web site security
§ create Web applications that use XML
§ create Web applications that use PHP
Assessment Methods / Grades in this course will be based on the following assessments:
§ Responses to discussion questions - 25%
§ Comments to other students' responses - 10%
§ Programming assignments - 25%
§ Final Project Proposal (team) - 5%
§ Final Project Design (team) - 10%
§ Final Project Implementation and Documentation (team) - 25%
In addition, the final project grades and the intermediate deliverables may be scaled according to individual assessments of team members.
Final grades will be assigned according to the following schedule:
Percentage / Grade
90 – 100 / A
80 – 89 / B
70 – 79 / C
60 – 69 / D
<60 / F
How to Access the Course / This course is being offered through WebCT Vista. You can access WebCT Vista at:
http://webct.colstate.edu/
At this page, click on the "WebCT Vista" icon or the "Log-in" link under the WebCT Vista icon to activate the WebCT logon dialog box. Your WebCT username and password are:
Username: lastname_firstname
Password: ddmmyy
where "ddmmyy" is your birthdate: 2 digits for day, month, and year.
If you try the above and WebCT will not let you in, please use the "Need WebCT Vista Help?" link below the WebCT Vista icon on the WebCT home page (http://webct.colstate.edu) to request help. If you are still having problems gaining access after a few days in the class, please e-mail me.
Once you've entered WebCT, you will see a list of courses, one of which should have CSPC 6175 in its name. If you do not see a course with CPSC 6175 in its name, please e-mail me.
Once you have clicked on the course's name and accessed the particular course itself, you will find a home page with links to other sections and tools. The first thing you should do is read the "Welcome (read first)" information. This information will give you a feel for what's available in the particular WebCT classroom environment and explain in more detail how the course will work. Once you've read this information, please feel free to explore the other areas, particularly the Course Content and Discussions.
How This Course Will Work / This course will consist of readings, discussion questions, programming assignments, and a final project. On a weekly basis, you will need to:
1. review the week's lesson (approx. one hour per week);
2. complete the weekly readings (approx. two hours per week);
3. submit responses to weekly discussion questions based on the readings (approx. three hours per week);
4. comment on other students' responses to the discussion questions (approx. two hours per week); and
5. complete the programming assignments (approx. six hours per week).
In addition to the weekly requirements, you will need to:
6. work with your team to decide on and complete a final project (approx. one hour per week).
Expected workload: 15 hours per week
Student Responsibilities / As a student in this course, you are responsible to:
§ manage your time and maintain the discipline required to meet the course requirements,
§ complete all readings,
§ actively participate in weekly discussions,
§ complete and submit programming assignments,
§ work with your team to decide on and develop a final project, and
§ read any e-mail sent by the instructor and respond accordingly.
“I didn’t know” is not an acceptable excuse for failing to meet the course requirements. If you fail to meet your responsibilities, you do so at your own risk.
Instructor Responsibilities / As your instructor in this course, I am responsible to:
§ post weekly lessons outlining the assignments for the week;
§ post weekly discussion questions;
§ read all responses to discussion questions and comments to responses;
§ actively participate in weekly discussions;
§ grade discussion questions, comments, programming assignments, and the final project deliverables and post scores within one week of the end of the week in which they are submitted; and
§ read any e-mail sent by students and respond accordingly within 48 hours.
Although I will read every posted discussion question and response, I will not necessarily respond to every post.
Attendance Policy / Regularly participating in the class discussions and posting your responses as early as possible is important. If you do not respond to discussion questions or comment on other students' responses for two or moreweeks in a row, you may receive a WF. If an emergency prevents you from responding to discussion questions or commenting on other students' responses, please contact me to make alternative arrangements.
Tentative Schedule / The following is the tentative schedule for the course. It is subject to change. A current schedule will be maintained in the WebCT calendar. The first week of the course will be used to ensure everyone has the required software and textbook, and is properly prepared to complete the course.
WEEK / DATES / READINGS/TOPICS
Startup / 1/8 - 1/14
1/15 / Martin Luther King Holiday - no assignments or discussions
1 & 2 / 1/16 - 1/28 / Chapter 1: An Introduction to Web Programming
Chapter 2: How to Install and Use Tomcat
Chapter 3: A Crash Course in HTML
3 / 1/29 - 2/4 / Chapter 4: How to Develop JavaServer Pages
4 / 2/5 - 2/11 / Chapter 5: How to Develop Servlets
2/11 / Final Project Proposal Due
5 / 2/12 - 2/18 / Chapter 6: How to Structure a Web Application
Chapter 7: How to Work with Sessions and Cookies
6 / 2/19 - 2/25 / Chapter 8: How to Create and Use JavaBeans
Chapter 9: How to Work with Custom JSP tags
7 / 2/26 - 3/4 / Chapter 10: How to Use MySQL to Work with a Database
Chapter 11: How to Use Java to Work with a Database
8 / 3/5 - 3/11 / Spring Break - no assignments or discussions
9 / 3/12 - 3/18 / Chapter 12: How to Use JavaMail to Send Email
Chapter 13: How to Use SSL to Work with a Secure Connection
3/18 / Final Project Design Due
10 / 3/19 - 3/25 / Chapter 14: How to Restrict Access to a Web Resource
Chapter 15: How to Work with HTTP Requests and Responses
11 / 3/26 - 4/1 / Chapter 16: How to Work with XML
Chapter 17: An Introduction to Enterprise JavaBeans
12 / 4/2 - 4/8 / Introduction to PHP
13 / 4/9 - 4/15 / How to use PHP with MySQL
14/15/16 / 4/16 - 5/1 / Work on Final Project
5/1 / Final Project Implementation and Documentation Due
Online Discussions / To maximize your learning, you are expected to participate actively in the weekly discussions. This means posting responses to discussion questions, commenting on other students' responses, commenting on other students' comments, and responding to comments made to your responses and comments.
To earn maximum credit for responses to discussion questions, you must post a response to EACH discussion question of at least 150 words. In addition to the minimum word count, your responses will also be graded based on their quality--that is, their thoroughness, clarity, conciseness, and relevance to the discussion question.
To earn maximum credit for comments to other students, you must post at least one substantive comment to another student's response or comment for EACH discussion question. In other words, for each discussion question, you must post either a comment to another student's response to the discussion question or to another student's comment to another student's response. Keep in mind that replies to comments made to your responses to discussion questions do not count as comments.
There is no minimum word count for comments, but the comments must add value to the discussion to receive the maximum points. That is, comments must consist of more than "Good response" or "I agree." Your comments should add to the substance of the posting, request clarification, provide a different perspective, or challenge the assertions made by providing real or hypothetical scenarios that the original posting does not adequately address. Remember, the purpose of course discussions is to stimulate academic debate. Critical thinking is highly desirable! If you do not agree with someone's post, say so. Just do so with respect (see the Discussion Etiquette section below).
As previously stated, I will read every posted message, but I will not necessarily respond to everyresponse or to every comment. I will, however,interject comments where necessary for clarification.
Discussion Etiquette / Open, frank, and insightful dialogue in extremely important in an online course such as this. As part this dialogue, students are encouraged to be respectful of the diversity amongst other members of the class and to refrain from inappropriate commentary. Should such inappropriate comments occur, I will intervene as I monitor the dialogue in the discussions. I will request that inappropriate content be removed from the discussion and will recommend University disciplinary action if deemed appropriate. Students as well as faculty should be guided by common sense and basic etiquette. The following are good guidelines to follow:
§ Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal.
§ Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments.
§ If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person.
§ Never post content that is harmful, abusive; racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive; vulgar; sexually explicit; or otherwise potentially offensive.
In addition to the above, a positive attitude is essential to a healthy learning environment. Not only should your posts be respectful and insightful, but they should also be positive in order to benefit the entire class.
Final Project / As today's Web sites become more and more complex, the need to develop these sites as teams becomes more and more apparent. As such, the final project will be a team effort where each team will consist of 3-6 members. The team will be responsible for deciding on the scope of the project. Details of the project requirements will be posted within WebCT.
Assignment Due Dates / All assignments are due on the day given in the assignment and no later than 11:59 PM (23:59) (Eastern Time).Assignments submitted or modified after the assignment due date will assessed a late penalty as described below.
Late Assignments / If circumstances prevent the timely posting of assignments, please notify me by e-mail within WebCT Vista. Unless you make prior arrangements with me, any assignment submitted after its assigned due date will be considered late. Late assignments may be submitted up to three days beyond their assigned due date. However, late assignments submitted within the three days following their assigned due date are subject to a 10% reduction in points for each day they are submitted beyond the assigned due date. Assignments not submitted by the assigned due date or within the three days following the assigned due due will be assessed a grade of zero (0).
Because of course grade reporting requirements, the final project must be submitted by the assigned due date -- no exceptions! Any final project not submitted by the assigned due date will be assessed a grade of zero (0).
Extra Credit / There are no provisions for extra credit in this course.
Incompletes / If unusual circumstances preclude you from completing the course and you have satisfactorily completed all the other course requirements up until that point, I will award you a grade of "Incomplete" provided you contact me regarding the unusual circumstances and you agree to certain conditions for removal of the "Incomplete." You must, however, contact me and arrange for the Incomplete as soon as you are aware that you will be unable to complete the course and before the last day of class.
Software / You will need the Java Software Development Kit (J2SDK) to complete programming assignments and your final project. The J2SDK is part of the Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE), which is available on the CD that comes with the course text. The J2SE is also available from:
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
The J2SE will run on just about any platform including Windows and Linux. If you work on your programs in the CSU labs, the J2SE is installed. Note that the CD that comes with the text are version 1.4. If you prefer to use version 5.0, some additional installation information is available on the Murach Web site (http://www.murach.com).