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Elgin Community College
CIS 148, Web Page Markup Language

Syllabus, Fall 2010

Course Web page: http://faculty.elgin.edu/mpelczarski

Instructor Information

Name: Mark Pelczarski
Phone: (847) 214-7498
Office: ICT-124
Campus E-mail: mpelczarski@elgin.edu

Office/Lab hours, Fall 2010:
Monday 4:00-6:00pm
Tuesday 12:45-2:00pm
Wednesday 12:45-6:00pm
Thursday 12:45-2:15pm

Class Hours:
Self-paced, online. See the section below about Schedule and Due Dates.

Course Materials

Recommended Text:
Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours by Julie Meloni and Michael Morrison
See the "Books" link on the course home page for details and other recommendations.

Software:
You will need multiple web browsers for testing (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Opera), an FTP client program (such as Filezilla), and a text editor (such as Notepad or Notepad++). These are all free for download on the Internet. See the "Software" link on the course home page.

Description

This course concentrates specifically on the syntax of web page markup languages. It is intended for those who wish to have more control over their web pages by being able to adjust what is created by page design software, and for those who will use this information for automatic page generation in their programming courses. All page editing will be done using a simple text editor.

Specifically, we will learn various elements of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), XHTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), XHTML-MP (Mobile Profile, for cell phones and other small devices), and XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

Assignments

Assignments will involve creating and posting web pages that use elements of each of the topics learned throughout the course. The web pages will introduce and involve various elements of HTML, XHTML, CSS, XHTML-MP, and XML as you progress through the class. There will be 7 assignments, one for each section listed below.

Topic Outline

1. HTML and XHTML, FTP, creating a basic web page
2. CSS: Cascading Style Sheets
3. Links, external style sheets
4. Lists, image maps, and layout using CSS
5. Forms, tables
6. XML: eXtensible Markup Language
7. XHTML-MP: mobile profile for cell phone browsers

Schedule and Due Dates

This is a "self-paced" course, with conditions. You must keep a minimum pace as described below to pass the course and avoid being dropped. But you may also work through the course as quickly as you are able. Those of you with a little prior experience with HTML and FTP can probably go through the entire course in just a couple of devoted weekends.

Assignments are due by Thursday at noon of the week of class specified below.

AssignmentWeek dueDate for Fall 2010
13September 9
25September 23
37October 7
49October 21
511November 4
613November 13
716December 9

You may complete the assignments as early as you are able. Just send me an e-mail each time you complete an assignment and I will usually check it within a day or two. You do not have to wait for me before starting (and perhaps completing) the next assignment.

The only variance for the due dates is if you register for the course after the beginning of the semester. You will be allowed a proportional amount of time to catch up to the schedule, but you will still be expected to finish the final assignment by the date listed. For example, if someone registers for the course with just 7 weeks left in the semester, they will be expected to keep a pace of one assignment per week.

To allow adequate time for grading and corrections, late assignments will not be accepted in the last three weeks of the semester.

Grades

Your grade will be based on satisfactory completion of each of the assignments in a timely manner, and the quality of work represented by those assignments. A checklist is provided for each assignment. On-time completion of all checklist items for all assignments is the minimum requirement for a grade of B or better. A's are earned with exemplary work.