Course Syllabus – Subject to change without notice DIGM 2351: Web Design Spring 2017 UPDATED: January 10, 2017

Instructor Info:

Vel James [email protected] 928.458.5390 (text only)

Office Hours: Program Website: Lecture: Lab:

By Appointment www.uh.edu/tech/digitalmedia/ Online Face-to-Face, Main Campus Room 102A-T *Please use the “Discussions” on Blackboard for general questions. *Please use the “MAIL” option on Blackboard for personal questions

Blackboard:

www.uh.edu/blackboard Support for students using BBL, including password resets, is available in multiple ways: – www.uh.edu/blackboard Student Help – room 116-PGH main campus, M–F, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. – phone, 713-743-1411 – email to [email protected] with your full name, course name and number, section number, instructor’s name and a description of the problem – live chat, www.uh.edu/infotech/livechat. See hours of availability at www.uh.edu/ blackboard/help/index.html.

TechConnect:

The College of Technology is excited to present TechConnect. This tool will allow you to upload your resume, research companies, and apply for jobs and internships. Please register for TechConnect by going to https://tech-uhcsm.symplicity.com. You will need to complete a profile. Once you do that, you will have access to postings by Digital Media firms. Internships and jobs are also posted to our Facebook page. Please “like” the UH Digital Media Program page to receive notifications about these jobs.

Course Details:

Credit hours 3.0 Prerequisite DIGM (GRTC) 2350 or instructor’s consent

Course Goals:

Students completing the course will be able to: • Create and design a web site • Understand how to design for the computer medium, user, accessibility, and the screen • Be able to plan a well-organized web site • Create a site specification and an usable navigation • Publish and test their site • Understand different tools that are used to build websites • Understand and apply web interface design principles and guidelines • Understand and apply typographic specifications for the web • Understand and apply graphics file formats for the web • Understand computer color basics • Discuss and implement Search Engine Optimization • Consider ethical ramifications of the web

Required Textbooks:

This book has been used for several semesters and is available new, used or as e-books. Sklar, Joel The Principles of Web Design (The Web Technology Series), 6th Edition. Cengage Learning ISBN-13: 978-1285852645

Recommended Textbooks:

Adobe Creative Team. 2013. Adobe “Muse” – Classroom in a Book. ISBN-10: 032182136X | ISBN-13: 978-0321821362 Beaird, Jason. 2010. The Principles of Beautiful Web Design. 2nd Edition. ISBN-10: 098057689X

Required Tools:

To access the instructional materials, you will need access to a computer that has Adobe Acrobat and Flash Player installed. You can download Acrobat Reader and Flash Player from www.adobe.com. To complete laboratory assignments, you must have access to a computer with MS Office, a text editor, Adobe Muse and Adobe Photoshop. Use of other software is acceptable, but the tutorials provided will be based on the use of these files.

Required Digital Storage:

Portable drive or a flash drive AND OneDrive and Google Drive accounts for backing up and archiving your files is REQUIRED! I strongly suggest that you backup all of your work at the end of each lab in its original format so that you can make changes as necessary in the future

Recommended Websites:

Adobe Muse Help and Support: helpx.adobe.com/muse.html where you can find and browse Help and Support content on adobe.com. Adobe Forums: forums.adobe.com lets you tap into peer-to-peer discussions, questions and answers on Adobe products. Adobe TV: tv.adobe.com is an online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products, including a How To channel to get you started with your product. Adobe Design Center: www.adobe.com/design center offers thoughtful articles on design and design issues, a gallery showcasing the work of top-notch designers, tutorials, and more. Adobe Muse product home page: www.adobe.com/products/muse Adobe Labs: labs.adobe.com gives you access to early builds of cutting-edge technology, as well as forums where you can interact with both the Adobe development teams building that technology and other like-minded members of the community.

WEB DESIGN

http://www.alistapart.com/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/showcases/ http://www.htmlcut.com/blog/effectve-website-design-160-artcles.html http://www.land-of-web.com/category/tutorials http://www.webdesignshock.com/design-trends-for-2011/ http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/ http://www.makebeterwebsites.com/ http://www.designbombs.com/ http://designmodo.com/ http://designshack.net/ http://teamtreehouse.com/ http://sixrevisions.com/

HTML & CSS

http://www.w3.org/ http://www.html5rocks.com/en/ http://html5gallery.com/ http://w3schools.com/ http://www.css3.info/ http://www.css3.com/ http://www.colorzilla.com/gradient-editor/ http://www.csselite.com/ http://www.cssmania.com/ http://www.cssglance.com/ http://www.css3maker.com/ http://css3generator.com/ http://css-tricks.com/ http://cssremix.com

IMAGES:

http://sxc.hu http://www.adigitaldreamer.com http://www.freedigitalphotos.net http://www.everystockphoto.com http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp http://www.freepixels.com http://www.public-domain-photos.com http://www.stockvault.net http://www.openphoto.net http://www.photorack.net http://www.photobucket.com

Course Credit:

This course is governed by the University of Houston policy as well as policies of the accrediting bodies. First, students should understand that each hour of class credit requires three hours per week: one hour in reviewing online lecture materials and two hours personal study/homework. This three-hour course requires nine hours per week: three in class and six on your own.

Lectures:

Online lectures/presentations will be posted on Blackboard Learn every week. Log on to Blackboard Learn, choose the appropriate week (see the schedule in this syllabus) and follow instructions. Most lectures include interactive presentations, textbook readings, website readings, lab assignment details, quizzes and possibly additional materials. Work will be due on Sundays at 11:59pm of the assigned unit. No late work will be accepted for any reason. Students must become familiar with the weekly lecture materials prior to completing lab assignments. Any student who is not prepared will not be successful. The vocabulary used by the instructor for the lab assignments will only make sense if you complete the information portion prior to the assignment portion.

Grading:

Quizzes …................................................................ 15% Exams …………………………………………………………….….. 20% Group Discussions & Participation ........................ 20% Social networking ……………………………………............. 5% Lab Assignments …................................................. 30% Research Report .................................................... 10%

Percent/Letter Grades: B+ C+ D+

87-89.999 77-79.999 67-69.999

A B C D F

94-100 84-86.999 74-76.999 64-66.999 0-59.999

ABCD-

90-93.999 80-83.999 70-73.999 60-63.999

Questioning Grades:

If you question a score you receive on a graded item, email your professor within 7 days after the notification of the posting of scores in Blackboard. Thereafter, the score remains as posted.

Exams:

There are two exams. Exams will be given during specific days and hours. Questions may be drawn from previous quizzes or other content that is presented. There will be NO MAKE UP. You may not begin the exam after the due date - PERIOD. Once the exam has been opened to the class, the deadline will not be updated for anyone for any reason - work ahead if you have concerns. NO MAKE UP EXAMS! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Quizzes:

Weekly quizzes will be based on materials found on Blackboard such as: assigned book chapters, interactive presentations, online readings and videos. You will have two opportunities to take each quiz. Questions must be answered in order and may vary from one attempt to another. Weekly quiz due dates will not be extended for any reason. Sharing answers is considered cheating and will not be tolerated. Quizzes are due each Sunday at 11:59 pm. NO MAKE UP QUIZZES! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Social Networking:

Social networking is an integral part of Digital Media. Properly using social networking is also becoming extremely important in developing your own personal brand as well as achieving success in your career. There are some social networking sites that are primarily personal in nature. Your faculty suggests that you appear on such sites using a pseudonym or be extremely cautious in what you post on them. Employers are known to seek out applicants’ pages and gather not-too-flattering information prior to job interviews. Employers are also known to monitor employees’ pages looking for content that portrays the company in a negative light. You also need a professional brand on a professional social networking site. On such a site, you must strive to paint an extremely proficient portrait of yourself. Spelling, grammar, photographic content and quality, and substance of your posts and responses all count. These all make an indelible impression on the outside world. In this class, you will design a LinkedIn page as a part of your Social Networking activities. The course will have a LinkedIn page where at least three Digital Media related questions will be raised awaiting your comments and participation in engaging conversation.

Group Discussion

This is a hybrid course class and you will be graded on online group discussions and lab session participation. Group discussions primarily include your substantive posts to various web design questions and your meaningful

responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Your posts will only count if they are more than 60 words and engage the conversation in a meaningful manner. Lab Participation

Regular and punctual attendance is required of each student. Be on time for labs! Tardies of more than 10 minutes count as 1/2 an absence. Students can accumulate three unexcused absences without being dropped from the course. There will be a grade penalty for each unexcused absence. After three unexcused absences the student will be dropped from the course. In addition to the University’s policy, it is the instructor’s decision as to what will constitute an excused absence based on academic and professional growth opportunities outside the class. If there is any question as to the nature of the absence, the student should seek out the instructor prior to the absence. Excused Absences are defined as follows: • Illness with a doctor’s note • Participation in a university function with a note from the advisor • Death in the family with appropriate documentation

Lab Assignments:

There will be several lab assignments that are designed to familiarize students with the concepts discussed in the lecture materials, build skills in the use of standard tools to generate deliverables, and prepare you to complete the web portfolio showcasing their work. Any questions you have regarding assignments may be raised during the week’s lab session. In many cases the lab assignments are completed and submitted by the end of the lab session. However, all lab assignments will be due on Sunday by 11:59 pm of the assigned week. Assignments must be submitted as instructed in the lab details. If they are not submitted correctly, they will not be graded and will receive an automatic “0”. Correctly includes naming your files as specified in the assignment. It is required to attend face-to-face lab sessions that are scheduled weekly to receive details and instructions for lab assignments. Review the course schedule found in Blackboard for actual dates. If a lab session is missed, then it is the student’s responsibility to get the instructions and/or details from fellow classmates as well as to submit the lab work by the due dates set by the professor and/or schedule. IMPORTANT: These projects are expected to be original work. Students who are found to be copying other student’s work or using a template, will receive an “F” for the project, and may face expulsion from class under the student conduct code.

Extra Credit:

Various opportunities for extra credit will be made available by the professor through the semester. In order to earn extra credit points, the criteria stated in the instructions provided must be met. Extra credit points are not added until after the final course points are calculated. The extra credit points are added to the final course points to calculate your course grade average. For example, if your final course points is 87 and your extra credit points earned is 3.2 then your course average is 90.2% (87 + 3.2).

Lab Policies:

Please adhere to the following classroom rules: • No cell phone use • No disruptive behavior • No profanity/ obscenity /vulgarity • No talking unless the instructor asks a question

Lab Policies:

The use of the Digital Media Laboratory is a privilege afforded to those who pay Incidental Fees to maintain the lab and respect it and its contents. Please adhere to the following rules. • Do not use the printer in the lab for anything other than class work. • Computers are provided for your use. No laptops will be allowed. • You are able to check out graphic tablets for the time you are in the lab (including open lab) with a proper UH ID. • No food or drinks will be allowed in the lab. You may leave them on the table in the hallway. • Before leaving lab each day, you will be responsible for logging off • Downloading of any software will be considered theft, which is a violation of the University’s Academic-Honesty policy. The Department Chair will be informed of all occurrences of software piracy. Any affected student will be suspended from class until a Departmental Hearing is called

Due date/ Late policy:

Assignments must be turned in on schedule. See the class schedule for specific dates. Late work will NOT be accepted for this course. You have the due dates as shown in the schedule and Blackboard. It is best to submit work that is partly completed than to submit nothing at all work may be submitted in advance.

Class Policies:

The University Park, Sugar Land and Main campus Digital Media computer labs are available for your use during open hours as posted on the digital media website and in the rooms. Please adhere to the following class rules: • No disruptive behavior • No profanity/obscenity/vulgarity • Do not use the printers for anything other than work for this course.

If you use the computer lab: • Before leaving lab each day, you will be responsible for logging off of the computer you are using and making sure your work station is put back in order. • You will be expected to maintain a clean lab. The instructor will ask for your assistance when appropriate. • Downloading of any software will be considered theft, which is a violation of the University’s Academic-Honesty policy. The Department Chair will be informed of all occurrences of software piracy. Any affected student will be suspended from class until a Departmental Hearing is called. Lack of adherence to the class rules can result in a grade reduction. Open Lab:

Students who require additional lab time in order to complete their work should check the lab schedules. http://www.uh.edu/tech/digitalmedia/students/currentstudents/#schedule

Expectations:

Students in this course are expected to be capable and motivated professionals. No such student should be content with a grade less than B. Please provide the attention, motivation and effort necessary to reach this grade expectation. If you meet the requirements of any assignment, then you have done an average job which will earn you a C. You must do more than the minimum requirements if you want to earn a higher grade. All academic evaluations will be based on professional judgment, consistent with relevant standards of the profession, with achievement being compared with goals and objectives of the course. Remember the professor is your client, and just as in the professional world, you will be expected to meet the approval of the client Minimum effort = minimum grade Maximum effort = maximum grade

Academic Honesty:

Cheating, plagiarism, and any other dishonest conduct will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken. Please refer to the student handbook for more information.

Adds/Drops:

Please refer to the University’s Undergraduate Catalog and the Schedule of Classes for the appropriate add/drop dates and procedures.

Incompletes:

An “incomplete” grade will only be issued if the student is maintaining an acceptable level of achievement and cannot, due to some factor beyond his/her control, complete one or more major assignment. If a student wishes an “incomplete”, he/she must explain the situation to the instructor in advance and make specific arrangements to complete the missing work no later than one

year from the date the grade is given. Please see the student handbook for information regarding this process. Classroom Cleanliness:

You will be expected to maintain a clean lab. The instructor will ask for your assistance when appropriate

Communication:

When you email your instructor, you must include the word “2351” in the subject. For example: “2351 – Question about Lab 1”. This will help your instructor to quickly find your records. If you do not include this information, it may delay an answer. Please do not reply using an email message from your instructor unless you change the subject. All emails are archived and it is almost impossible to find emails that do not reflect the subject of your mailing. An example of a good email subject line is: DIGM 2351 (Your last name) Will the class be meeting next week? The Class Homepage on Blackboard is also an important way that your instructor communicates with you. Please always enter the Blackboard class through this Home Page and read the announcements regularly. The information posted on this page will be the final word on any changes in assignments, schedule, or exams. You will be held responsible for any changes posted at this location. Because this class has both a Lab and a Lecture component, the information in the UH schedule may not always apply, so be certain that you check the Homepage regularly and keep your email address current. IMPORTANT: Any questions about grades earned must be emailed to the instructor. No verbal discussions will occur for any reason.

American with Disabilities Act:

Any student who may be in need of additional help under the ADA guidelines should contact the instructor before the first class meeting.

Other Important Information: As a student of the University of Houston, information available at www.uh.edu/provost/stu/ will be critical to you in insuring that your academic pursuits meet with success and that you encounter the fewest financial and academic difficulties possible. Please take a few moments to review each of the areas, and become familiar with the resources detailed on the website with regard to: The UH Academic Honesty Policy: the UH Academic Calendar; Students with Disabilities; Religious Holy Day FAQs; and Other Information. Responsibilities:

As a student of the University of Houston, it is your responsibility to contact the professor in a timely manner regarding any issues with class content or questions. If you face technical issues or unable to access any required information, you MUST inform the professor in advance of the deadline for that

deliverable so that there is time to work through technical issues PRIOR to the due date. Be aware that it is standard practice in the Digital Media program for assignments completed as described to earn an average grade of “C”. You MUST EARN any grade above and beyond that standard. Problems with your computer or the Internet: I occasionally get emails from students who have been unable to complete a quiz or download an assignment on Blackboard. The technical support staff is very concerned that Blackboard work properly for you. Although I am willing to help, I do not provide Technical Support! They have found that many of the problems that are blamed on Blackboard are actually caused by operator error or problems in the student’s computer. In order to find these problems I will not reset the Quiz or give credit unless the following criteria are met: 1. Immediately take a screen shot of the message on your screen if applicable. Call the Blackboard support team at 713-743-1411 and report the problem or file a trouble report. 2. Email your instructor with details of the problem within 24 hours. Attach a confirmation of your trouble report. Most problems are caused by: 1. Exiting a quiz and then trying to come back in to finish it after the time expires. When you exit, Blackboard thinks you are through. Hitting submit (or return) thinking that you are going to the next question. 2. Browser or Internet Provider problems. 3. Waiting until the very last minute to submit, and the servers are so swamped that you can’t get through. Remember that the server time and your watch or computer clock may not always be exactly the same, so allow for several minutes time difference. 4. It is very important that your instructor be able to contact you via email. When you enroll in the University of Houston, you are assigned a student email address. This address is your formal email address and the University and your instructor will use that address for any contact. You may make that address an “alias” that will refer your mail to another email address. To do this you should go into your PeopleSoft record and add another address. Then, all college emails will be forwarded to that address. You will be responsible for all emails sent to your UH email. It is also extremely important that you keep this email address current. If you change your email address, you must go to PeopleSoft and change the alias. Your instructor will use this address for reminders and to send you current information regarding the class.

Verification:

Please fill in the information form provided at the URL below. If you do not verify the syllabus by completing the form, it does not remove your responsibility to adhere to the content of this syllabus. The act of signing is a contract with yourself intended to empower you to own your education. I certify that I have read and fully understand the content of the Fall 2016 syllabus for DIGM2351 which was provided in PeopleSoft and is posted on Blackboard. I have been given an opportunity to ask questions regarding content and expectations. Go to this URL to submit your verification: https://goo.gl/forms/idxtut2XltS5Pn8A2