Assignments

Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the following assignments:

Short Assignments and Class Participation (10%)

Your class participation grade depends upon your showing up prepared for class discussion. During these discussions, you must show evidence that you have read the textbook assignments by being able to talk about them intelligently. This means more than just answering questions when being called on. You need to contribute regularly to class discussions on your own initiative. You also need to be an active participant in our online discussions and maintain a personal blog throughout the semester. As a class, we will determine the specific requirements for blog posting and online discussions.

Online Résumé (5%)

Your first assignment is to create a homepage for your ISU personal website, then create an online résumé and link it to your homepage. We will spend time in class looking at different types of online résumés and experimenting with simple (X)HTML and CSS code to enhance your résumé. When are done with the assignment, you will write a one-page memo explaining and justifying your code and design decisions. Read more…

CSS Zen Garden Redesign (10%)

To hone your abilities with CSS positioning and to extend your design skills, you will create a new style sheet for the CSS Zen Garden, an ongoing project that demonstrates “what can be accomplished visually through CSS-based design.” This assignment will also give you practice testing your site in multiple browsers and “validating” your (X)HTML and CSS code. At the conclusion of the project, you may choose to submit your design to the curator of the CSS Zen Garden. Read more…

Exam 1 (15%)

Held on Thursday, October 9th, this first of two exams will cover all reading and lecture material from the first six weeks of class.

Usability Report (15%)

For this assignment, you will select a website and develop a protocol for test subjects (i.e., your friends, family, and classmates) to apply to the site. Using Silverback, a software program designed for usabilty testing, you will record several subjects’ interactions with the site, then watch and analyze the recordings. Finally, you will write a substantive report detailing the successes and shortcomings of the site and make recommendations for improvement. Read more…

Final Project Proposal (10%)

This proposal will help you and your team partner(s) focus your attention on what you want to do for your final website project. You will form your own teams for the final project and work with a real client (e.g., a community organization, a small business, a campus club) to develop (or redevelop) a large website. This proposal will report on your team’s early meetings with your client outline your plans for developing, testing, and delivering the final website.

Exam 2 (15%)

Held on Tuesday, November 18th, this second of two exams will cover all reading and lecture material from weeks seven through twelve.

Final Website and Report (20%)

Due during our last class period, the final web site allows you and your partner to demonstrate all you have learned in this course about information architecture, (X)HTML, web graphics, and visual design. Prior to the due date, we will hold substantial workshops and peer review sessions to help you fine-tune your pages and images into a polished, professional website. A significant component of this final assignment is the team-written report, which will explain and justify your choices, discuss any shortcomings of the site, and evaluate your efforts on this assignment.