Syllabus Term 3 - Spring 2009

Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Workshop | Class 4 | Class 5

Goal

Our first two terms exposed you to the skills you have to develop to do professional websites. These skills included:

• The first term you learned some html and css and created a simple site. The emphasis was on basic language of web sites.
• The second term you learned and practiced each of the knowledge areas important for creating professional websites (html, css, template development, forms, and javascript) and created the bones of a professionally-maintainable site. The emphasis was on more sophistication of the languages.

This term you will learn how to use an open-source database-driven Content Management System (CMS) to power your web-site well beyond what you could develop by hand-coding. Splitting into teams we will develop a shopping cart in Drupal and Ubercart to get some experience with these issues including installation, database set-up, theming, drupal site administration and module setup. We will cover these related topics:

• content management systems - what they are
• general cms products and how to choose among them
• specific types of cms and some popular options / how to choose
  • some blogs and newsletter cms options
  • some shopping cart options

This term you will also be exposed to the external resources available to you as you go on in web development:

• hosting companies and how to choose them
• some other open source products and how they can help you
• working as a free-lance web developer
• community associations and learning resources in our area

Assessment

You will be graded both on your web site and your familiarity with the material. Your web site will be graded on both content and style.

Knowledge of Terminology and Concepts	10%
Content: Depth of coverage of subject	5%
Content: Clarity of expression	5%
Site: Capability and Construction	30%
Site: Attractiveness and Order	20%
Site: Organization of file structure	5%
Site: Clarity of Navigation	5%
CMS: successful integration of a cms	20%
	100%

Lesson Plan

Class 3-1

• Lecture:
  • External Hosting - who, what, and how
  • Content Management Systems: Introduction
• Divide class in two groups
• Install Drupal to second area
  • Cpanel
  • Drupal.org site

Class 3-2

• Drupal Administration
• Navigation / Menues
• Modules

Homework - Decide what content you want to create specifically for your tab. I suggest a page (static content) describing what you're doing and then some module functionality that corresponds to last term's project or something you're interested in. Then Create a menu item for yourself so others can find your content.

Class 3-3

• Forums, CCK, Images

Homework:

Workshop 3

• Theming
• Shopping Cart

Class 3-4

• Lecture: Working as a free-lance web developer
• working with theming

Class 3-5

• Lecture: What's Next?
• Project demonstration and reviews.