DIG3134Media Software Design
Spring 2014 – 3 credits
Instructor: J. Michael Moshell
[ 001 : TR 10:30 – 11:45 AM | NSC 108 ]
Contacting the InstructorOffice Hrs: / See instructor website
Office: / OTC 500 room 156
Phone / 407-694-6763 (to set up an appointment)
email /
office hours / Mon 10:45-12:45, Tue-Wed-Thur: 12:00-1:00
and by appointment
Web: /
Course Requirements
PR: DIG 2000 and COP 2500C with a minimum grade of “B” (3.0) in DIG 2000.
Catalog Description
Fundamentals of software design in Internet environments. Introduction to discrete mathematics, programming/design schema, and computational structures.
Course Objectives
1) Students will develop problem solving skills that enable them to analyze and solve problems in computer software (i. e. "debugging skills"), whether the software was written by themselves or by others.
2) Students will become familiar with the PHP language and use it to develop a variety of modules to perform tasks on the web.
3) Students will learn to plan and implement a relational database using the MySQL Database Management System (DBMS)and interact with that database using standard mysqli operations.
4) Students will learn to design and execute SQL code to perform queries across multiple database tables.
5) Students will be able to utilize XML as both a storage and delivery mechanism, and evaluate the pros and cons of XML-based data storage vs. plaintext file and MySQL-based data storage.
Required Texts
None.
Recommended Texts
Powers, D. “PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy”. Friends of Ed, 2006. ISBN: 1590597311.
Lengstorf, J. “PHP for Absolute Beginners”. Apress, 2009. ISBN: 9781430224730.
Churcher, C. “Beginning Database Design”, Apress, 2007. ISBN: 1590597699
Gilmore, J. “Beginning PHP and MySQL”. Apress, 2008. ISBN: 1590598628.
Technology Policies
Technology / Expectations for UseE-mail: / Students can e-mail the instructor with any questions and expect to receive a response in a reasonable amount of time (2 business days).
Knights Mail: / KNIGHTS MAIL: Effective immediately, the University only supports student e-mail communication to and from your @knights.ucf.edu e-mail address. The instructor will only respond to e-mails sent from @knights.ucf.edu addresses.
Internet Access: / Students are expected to have access to the Internet at all times throughout this course. Lectures, assignments and class examples will be available through the class website, and students are responsible for checking for updates.
Software: / You are expected to have access to software that can perform the following functions:
-Browse the web and view XHTML/CSS (Firefox latest edition required, and will be used for code testing and grading)
-Debugging (Mac/Win Firebug available for free)
-VPN (Mac/Win Cisco VPN client available for free)
-FTP/SFTP (Mac – Fetch/Fugu/Cyberduck, Win – WinSCP)
-Telnet/SSH (Mac – Terminal app, Win – PuTTY)
-IDE or text editor that supports PHP code colors (Dreamweaver, Eclipse, TextMate (Mac), EditPlus(Win), CodeLobster, Notepad++, etc.)
Hardware / You are required to bring pen or pencil and paper to every class.
Laptop Usage: / You may use laptops and/or audio recorders for note-taking purposes. No video recording or image capture devices are allowed without consent from the instructor.
Backups: / You are required to maintain your own backups. If an assignment goes missing or gets deleted from the computer you have been working on, it is your responsibility to re-do the assignment and bring it to the instructor (accepting full penalties). I can’t recommend any services, but I’ve heard that some people have had great success with cloud-storage services like dropbox.com and mozy.com
Web Browser Spec: / All projects will be graded using Mozilla Firefox latest edition for Mac/Win, and therefore it is required that you design and test with Mozilla Firefox.
Server Access: / Students are required to use the Sulley web server to store their work and assignments. Password reset requests must go through the instructor. Since Sulley is behind a secure firewall, VPN software is required for access from off-campus. Instructions on setting up your VPN and accessing Sulley via FTP are available at
Additional Policies
Grading and Evaluation / A: 89.5% and upB: 79.5% - 89.49%
C: 59.5% - 79.49%. (D is a useless grade, so why give it?)
F: less than 59.5%
Grades will be reported using a spreadsheet on the course website, keyed to your unique secret number. You will receive this number on the second day of class (1/13/11)
Attendance and Participation / Attendance will be taken in each class, by passing a signup sheet at the beginning of class. If you miss the signup sheet and ask to sign in late, you will receive half-credit for that day. Attendance counts for 5% of the course grade. NOTE:THIS IS HALF A LETTER-GRADE.
Grade Awareness / It is your responsibility to continually check your grades as they are handed back in class and posted on the course website (with secret code number.) Any questions about grade computation must be raised within one week of the grade's being posted. After this time the grade is final.
Personal Responsibility and Ownership of your Education / I find that those who do best in this course are the ones who, when they don't understand something, immediately come to my office hours. If you get behind, it's hard to catch up. Maturity means being your own boss, knowing when you need help, and getting it!
Late, Make-up and Extra Credit Work / No late assignments will be accepted. One (1) second after the due date/time = late.
Make-up exams will only be given if one of the following conditions have been met:
- A student that misses an exam due to illness must notify the instructor prior to exam time and produce a doctor’s note stating that the student was unable to return to school for the exam by the date the doctor says the student will be able to return (for example, if the doctor says ‘do not return to school until Thursday’ and the test was on Tuesday, the student must notify the instructor that they will not be present for the exam due to illness, and then bring an official doctor’s note to the instructor by Thursday either in person or through mailbox.
- A student that misses an exam due to a death in the family must notify the instructor prior to exam time and produce a doctor’s note or funeral notice that falls reasonably near the date of the exam.
- A student that misses an exam due to a court subpoena or other legal obligation must notify the instructor prior to exam time and produce a note from a lawyer or judge justifying the need for missing the exam.
Note: job obligations are not valid excuses for missing class, an assignment due date, an exam, or an exam makeup time.
Academic Integrity / Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information. I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else.
All assignments are expected to be completed individually.
Accommodations for the Differently-abled (alternate testing opportunities, support for signers, etc.) / The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.
Complaints.Any complaints about the operation of this course, or any other Digital Media course, must be handled in the following fashion.
1) Schedule an appointment with the instructor and discuss your complaint.
2) If the result is not satisfactory, write a clear description of the problem. Deliver it to the front desk of the School of Visual Arts and Design. You will be placed in contact with an appropriate SVAD administrator, who will follow up with your issue.
3) If this result is not satisfactory, then follow the same procedure with respect to the College of Arts and Humanities.DIG3134 Media Software Design
E-mail Protocols
All e-mails sent to the instructor must follow these guidelines in order to receive a response from the instructor.
General E-mails
From: Your Knights Mail account!
Subject: DIG3134 – Short description of the e-mail topic
Body:
Starts with: Dr. Moshell,
Ends with: Your full name
Example:
From:
Subject: DIG3134 – Question about assignment 2
Body:
Dr. Moshell,
I have a question about assignment 2. May I do it in Javascript?
Jane Student
DIG3134 Media Software Design
Syllabus Signature Page
I have read and understand the DIG3134 Media Software Design syllabus and agree to abide by the policies and procedures contained within. I also understand that all dates, assignments, and elements of this syllabus are made at the discretion of the instructor and can be changed at any time, and if any changes are made that I will be notified in class and via the course website.
I also affirm that I have read the "Complaints" procedure and that I will follow this procedure if I have any issues with the conduct of this course.
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