Syllabus - Spring 2008
Web Applications 1: Client Side Scripting (ISKM 217)

This course, Web Applications I: Client Side Scripting, is one in a series of undergraduate courses in the Web Technology focus of the Bachelor of General Studies program.

The developer of this course is Louis Sapia.

Course Information

Course Title: Web Applications 1: Client Side Scripting (ISKM 217)

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Basic computing skills required. Completion of ISKM 220 or instructor consent.

Instructor: Louis Sapia, MS - CIT
E-mail: WebCT Internal Mail; lousapia@yahoo.com
Phone: (For emergency contact only.) (860) 716-9251

 

This course covers the structure and function of client side scripting languages such as JavaScript and their programming concepts from the beginning. Topics covered include: application development methodologies, variables and arrays, program flow control, functions, and objects. Web-specific topics include: JavaScript objects, events, forms, regular expressions, cookies, and platform and browser compatibility issues. In addition, server side development will be introduced so that students get an understanding of the client/server architecture in Web development. 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Utilize an application development methodology.
2. Design client-side Web applications.
3. Program client-side Web applications.
4. Explain and utilize object models.
5. Methodically handle browser and platform compatibility and security issues.

Course Requirements and Grading

Participation
Students are expected to log into the system (WebCT) 4-5 times a week to read mails and respond to discussions accordingly. There is no minimum number of posts you are required to make, but please keep in mind class participation will count as 20% of your grade. Assignment and exam components should be completed on time. I expect lively and interesting discussions about the material, but please do not share homework solutions. Please send me course related messages through WebCT, and not to my regular email address. I place priority on checking WebCT, and I may not get you a timely response through regular email. 

Assignments and Deadlines
You should consider all deadlines as final. Any material that I receive after a deadline receive a grade of zero. Any material handed in after I post solutions will not be accepted. That said, if you expect a problem with handing something in you should let me know as early as possible. Typically some arrangement can be made before anything is actually late, but I can't make exceptions if it will negatively impact the rest of the class in any way. Also note, you will be responsible for sending me intact files as required. Depending on the circumstances, corrupted files may be considered late. Double-check everything before you send it to me.

Exams
Exams have one or two components. The first component is always an online time-limited test of some sort. You will be required to take this part of the exams during a specific block of time. More on the details of this when the time comes. Depending on how lessons lay out and class progresses there may be a "take home" component as well that you'll have several days to work on. Be sure to complete and hand in this part on time.

Grading
Grading in this course is done on what could be considered a curve. Your numerical grade will not be used to directly calculate your grade in the traditional sense, but will be adjusted based on class performance overall. I expect all documents that are handed in to be neat and orderly, with proper use of grammar and correct spelling. However, discussion postings, by their nature, tend to be more extemporaneous, and much more likely to contain errors. 

Quizzes, lab activities, and surveys are not counted towards your final grade.

Type	Weight	Name
Homework	20%	Programming Assignments
Online Class Participation	20%	Online Discussions
Exams #1 & #2	30%	Questions
Final Exam	30%	Not Cumulative

The final course grading scale is as follows:

You are responsible for acting in accordance with the Student Code, available at  http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code.cfm.

Learning at a Distance
A very common question from those new to distance courses is "How does this work?" My typical answer is that distance courses are just like any other except that we'll rely on technology to convey information among everyone participating in the class. As your instructor I consider myself your guide in our exploration of information technology. I will provide avenues to knowledge. You will travel them. I will challenge you with assignments. You will meet my challenges with your best work. I will provide opportunities for you to show me what you know and what you can do. You will show me what you know and what you can do. All this will just happen electronically. What you may find surprising is that you'll probably end up knowing this material better than you ever thought possible. In addition, you'll probably know more about your classmates and I than you do about your classmates or professors in other classes.

Behavior and Decorum
This goes without saying. Everyone and every idea presented in this class deserves your respect. We all learn things at different speeds and different ways. Please be considerate. This is especially true when reading the contributions of others. Although this class is taught in American English, you may have classmates who do not share your facility with English. Please be kind. Others may make typos or mistakes grammatical while he types as well. Please be patient.

How Do I Begin?

These course texts may be purchased locally, through an online bookstore, or at the Storrs UConn Co-Op. Please visit our page on buying books for more information.

Required Text:
Gosselin, D. (2008). JavaScript, Fourth Edition. Thompson Learning. ISBN 978-1-4239-0150-1

Software Requirements

• Word processing software
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• HTML editor for writing JavaScript code. Notepad can be used, but I recommend using a better editor such as Code-Genie. You can download Code-Genie at the following site: http://www.webattack.com/get/codegenie.shtml.
• Students will be given a Linux account on the CCS server which hosts all additional software needed for course assignments.  For more information visit: http://itstudents.ccs.uconn.edu/index.html.

Your Internet browser and browser settings need to be Vista compatible. See Settings.

You should become familiar with Linux Usage and Account Policies.

Evaluation of the Course

Students will be provided an opportunity to evaluate instruction in this course using the University's standard procedures, which are administered by the Office of Institutional Research.