Frequently Asked Questions about
EME6936: Web Design
- What
are the pre-requisites for this course?
- Who
should take this course?
- How
is the course structured?
- Do I
need special hardware, software, or other materials?
- What
if I have technical problems or need help with an
assignment?
- How
quickly can I expect feedback on e-mail messages and
assignments?
- What
did previous students have to say about this course?
- What did previous students think
were the most valuable things they learned from this course?
EME 6936: Web Design is designed for those who already know basic HTML
and can create and alter web pages. Other pre-requisites include graduate standing, basic computer literacy (such as word processing), and
access to the Internet. Each participant is expected to be a
self-starter, motivated to work independently.
This course can be used for teacher
re-certification in any area. You can enroll as a non-degree seeking
student or a degree-seeking student.
This course is appropriate as an elective or a cognate course for
graduate degrees, in all fields including Instructional Technology.
The course can be counted toward a Graduate Certificate in
Instructional Technology or in the Masters, Ed.S. or Ph.D. programs that specialize in Instructional Technology.
Check with the instructor or your academic advisor if you have
any questions. If you want the course to count towards a degree,
make sure it is listed in your official Program of Study.
This course is conducted completely "at a distance" -- meaning there
are no scheduled on-campus meetings. All interactions take place
through a web program (Blackboard) that contains class e-mail, bulletin boards,
online gradesheet, chat, documents, and links to other sites. You can sign in from any computer that is connected to
the Internet.
Most of the course is conducted in an asynchronous manner, meaning you
can submit the activities or work on the assignments at any time of the
day or night.
The course consists of eight activities, each of which contains 2 or 3
assignments. Every week a new activity will be posted at the
Blackboard
site. You will have two weeks to finish each activity.
When you have completed an assignment, I will mark the points on the
online gradesheet. There are several multiple-choice quizzes in this
class that serve as reviews of the reading assignments. You will
have two chances to take each quiz. You must receive at least 80% on
your best try to earn the 2 points for the quiz;
if you score between 60 and 79, you will earn one point. All quizzes are
open-book.
The Final Course Project can be completed individually or in a group of
up to four students. More details on this assignment and the online
paper will be released at a later date. See the syllabus for the
grading scale.
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Hardware: You need to be able to connect to the
Internet. Although a 28.8 modem is sufficient, it may be slow and
frustrating for some projects. You should try to have at least a 56K
modem; cable modems or DSL can provide even faster connections. You
should have speakers for audio.
Software: Blackboard works through any browser; there is nothing to
download. I would recommend that you install both browsers (Netscape
and Internet Explorer) on your computer. At times, one may cause a
problem, and the other will work fine. I like to have both so that I
can go back and forth. If you use AOL to connect to the Internet, it
is best to minimize AOL after your connection and use either Netscape or
Internet Explorer to browse the web.
In addition to knowing basic HTML, you should be
familiar with (and have access to) a Web creation program, such as
FrontPage, DreamWeaver, GoLive, or Composer for this course.
DreamWeaver can be purchased at the USF bookstore for $99.00, Composer is
a free download with Netscape, and FrontPage is inexpensive.
The industry leader for creating websites is
currently DreamWeaver by Macromedia. If you do not know this
program, and wish to pursue a career as a web designer/developer, it is
strongly recommended that you purchase it at the USF Bookstore, download
the free 30-day trial version, or purchase a book, such as Dreamweaver
Hands-On Training by Lynda Weinman (lynda.com/books).
Materials: There are two textbooks to purchase for this
course (see the Syllabus). Order them immediately (or find them at a
bookstore -- you will need them for all activities). Each activity will provide
links to
relevant websites.
If you run into problems, don't panic...there's plenty of time to
resolve issues and still complete the course. If your problems
involve being able to connect to your Internet Service Provider (such as
AOL), you should call them directly.
If your problems involve Blackboard or being able to connect to the
USF
server (http://scholar.acomp.usf.edu:8930), then you would contact
Academic Computing. USF Academic Computing provides computing
assistance to USF students and faculty through their call center
( 974-1222 in Tampa or toll-free 1-866-974-1222 statewide),
electronic mail ( help-ac@usf.edu ), walk-ins
( LIB 608 ) and on-site services. The support page is
located on the web at http://www.acomp.usf.edu/help.html.
Like any computer or server, Blackboard may occasionally be out of service for
a couple hours. Always wait at least 4 hours before calling.
For questions and issues with registration, the Registrar’s
Office can be reached by
going to their web site,
http://www.registrar.usf.edu/ and then clicking on Contact
Information to send an email to that office. There is a separate link for
distance learning questions that students can use. The phone number is
813-974-2000 and fax is 813-974-5271.
If you are having trouble with one of the assignments, send an
e-mail message to one of the instructors or call 813-974-1631. You can also request an
appointment to come to campus for an individual meeting. If, for some
reason, you can't complete one activity, go on to the next. In most
cases, the activities are independent -- you do not need to complete one
to start the next one.
In most cases, you will receive answers to e-mail messages in a day or
two. If I am going to be out of town, or out of touch, for 3 or more
days, I will post a message on the Bulletin Board. Please do not
panic if you do not receive daily feedback -- although I spend a lot of
time online, there are many, many questions to answer and activities to
assess.
Each assignment will contain instructions on whether the activity
should be submitted via e-mail, posted to the Bulletin Board, or uploaded
into the digital documents area. If
an activity is submitted via e-mail, I will send you a message after I
have evaluated it. If an activity is submitted to the Bulletin Board, I
will mark your record on the gradesheet (if the assignment is complete).
If I have other comments on your Bulletin Board posting, I will send you a
note.
I often prefer to assess activities collectively. In other words,
you may send in an assignment on Monday, but I may decide to look at all
Activity #1 assignments on Saturday. You can always proceed to the
next assignment. If, however, you have turned in a assignment, and it is
not indicated on your Activity Record (gradesheet) after two weeks, please
send me a note.
In an anonymous end-of-course survey,
11% of the students reported spending about the same amount of time
and work on the distance course as they would have in a traditional
on-campus course, with 24% spending a little more time and work on the distance
course, and 65% spending a lot more time on the course (no one responded
that they had spent a little or a lot less time on the course).
Almost half of the students (47%) felt that they had learned a lot more in the distance course than other college courses,
(29%) felt they learned a little more, and 24% felt they
learned the same amount as they would have in a "traditional"
course. No one (0%) responded that they learned less (either a
little or a lot) in the course.
Examples of anonymous responses to the question, "What advice
would you give future students in this course?" are provided below:
| I would have to say when you get frustrated
STOP and take a break. I found that I didn't do that and I just
messed things up even worse. Don't get too stressed out and have
confidence it what you are doing. |
| Do NOT fall behind, its very hard to catch up with the
class once you do. |
| Be prepared to work and stay on schedule! |
Stay ahead, do not wait. Everything will take
longer than expected. Allow for technical difficulties. Much more work than I expected. Not too much, just more than
expected.
Print out assignment when posted and start reading and thinking
about it immediately. |
| Expect
to spend a LOT of time reading and doing assignments. Be sure
you know HTML, how to edit code, and how to upload to a site. |
| This
course takes a lot of time. Plan wisely! |
| To
be well prepared before taking a quiz. I would let them know
that they should print out as much information as possible from the
required assignments. I would let them know to read every page
of the Nielsen and Horton books. |
| Set
aside enough time to complete assignments. Communicate with the instructors and classmates, all seem very
willing to assist.
Focus on the assignment and not on completion. Pay
attention to what the assignment is teaching you and this class will
be a much more enjoyable experience. |
| Get
ready to learn and work hard. |
| This
is an exceptionally time intensive course. The pacing is a bit
too much some weeks, and thin during others. So, future students
should be aware of the incredible load of this class at times and a
lot a great deal of time to the class each week to be successful. |
| Allow
more time than you planned for. Don't take it in the summer -
There is lots of new info. You need time to reflect and
digest. |
| I
would tell them that every activity offers a great amount of
refreshing knowledge. I would also tell them to save plenty of time,
because this on-line class demanded a significant amount of time. |
| Do
not get frustrated...for their is a great team to bale you out when
you get into trouble. Hang in there and you will prevail. |
| Have
plenty of free time to put to working on courses. Take your time and
ask questions. |
| Don't
get behind and wait till the last few days before a project is due
to start. Read all the readings carefully. |
| Pace
yourself. Some activities take longer than others to complete |
| The
advice I would give future students is to do the assignments and
keep up with them. It's critical to do them on time and don't wait
to the last minute. Be prepared to spend some time learning
Dreamweaver and definitely know HTML. The online paper takes a lot
of work to do it correctly, so start it early. |
| I would tell them to be sure to keep up with the
readings. They were very helpful when completing the assignments. |
| The advice I would give future students is to do the
assignments and keep up with them. It's critical to do them on time
and don't wait to the last minute. Be prepared to spend some time
learning Dreamweaver and definitely know HTML. The online paper
takes a lot of work to do it correctly, so start it early. |
| I would tell them that every activity offers a great
amount of refreshing knowledge. I would also tell them to save
plenty of time, because this on-line class demanded a significant
amount of time. |
| Set aside enough time to complete assignments.
Communicate with the instructors and classmates, all seem very
willing to assist. Focus on the assignment and not on completion.
Pay attention to what the assignment is teaching you and this class
will be a much more enjoyable experience. |
| Stay ahead, do not wait. Everything will take longer
than expected. Allow for technical difficulties. Much more work than
I expected. Not too much, just more than expected. Print out
assignment when posted and start reading and thinking about it
immediately. |
| Allow more time than you anticipate for every
assignment...in fact, allow double what you would normally allocate.
Try to keep up with the assignments and make sure to dedicate time
EVERY WEEK to the course. |
| For anyone truly interested in learning more about
web design, it is a course that offers a lot of information. The
amount you learn is determined by your effort put forth. |
| With any online course, it is easy to feel isolated
and alone, and sometimes downright overwhelmed by it all. This
course has much more work than one would expect (some of it is busy
work, and I think could be trimmed down). Given that, I would tell
any future student to be prepared to work long days and nights, but
also to learn a great deal, and to not be afraid to communicate with
the instructors. Communication is the key...from both sides. I would
also tell them to get thick skins because part of what it takes to
be a good web designer is to be able to take constructive criticism
and learn from that. Also, don't be afraid to pat yourself on the
back when you have accomplished a difficult task...you deserve every
bit of the praise you will receive from your efforts. |
| Do not procrastinate. Try to read everything that is
suggested. |
| Keep up with the activities and plan for the Final
Web Design Project from the beginning. |
Below
are anonymous responses
to another question, "What are the most valuable things you learned
from the course?"
| I learned a lot about web
design through out the course. Yes, I had a great overview. I liked Dreamweaver
after I taught myself how to use because of all of its capabilities. I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that it is ok,
just to be on schedule. I found that I stressed myself out trying to
stay ahead of the game. That is not always necessary to do in life. |
| How
important WBT is becoming. |
To
be meticulous and pay careful attention to detail.
Also, I learned to think about usability in much greater depth. |
| Amount
of time and effort to design and make such a course. Amount of
time and effort to complete such a course. Importance of time
management. |
| Improved
navigation. Websites to check work and get feedback.
Web-based training. Improved appearances. |
| This
is the first time I have really learned anything about
"design" of web pages, and I learned a lot. |
| How
to design effectively! I would have to say that it was a lot
of little things that I just had never thought of before.
There were many things I could have figured out but having it
"forced" upon me made me realize their importance, like
varying resolutions, load time, accessibility.... |
| I
think one of the most important thing was the Accessibility
information. I had never thought about this until I read the chapter, and will be looking at this more in the
future. I
liked learning about the navigation and the DreamWeaver. It's
nice to know there are tools like this on the market! And navigation is just interesting. |
| Usability
and Globalization issues. |
| The
required books for this course were great! They will become
well-used references in my collection. I found the dissection
of website navigation and structure to be most useful. Made me
realize how much more I really need to know, and left me feeling
frustrated that the term was going by too fast to really concentrate
and think about each topic. |
| Dreamweaver.
I really enjoyed using it and will continue to use it in my
classroom for web creations for my kids. I
thought this class had wonderful resources. I enjoyed all of the
additional reading on-line. |
| I
also learned how frustrating it can be for students trying their
hardest and not seeing success. This leads to the instructors
immediate interaction...which I received in this course. If I
ever teach online, I will use all the tools I have learned here... |
| There
are so many. I learned how to produce better web pages. |
| I
learned a tremendous amount but feel that it is only the beginning.
I now intend to take the information I acquired and build on it and
put it to practical use. I know that as I do so I will be
continually referencing material from the course (I accumulated the
thickest notebook of information that I ever have from any college
course) and this is where the real learning will take place. |
| I
learned to be aware of the following usability issues: color/
contrast, links, placement of objects, navigation, accessibility,
and overall presentation |
| The
correct features for web writing. How contrast, proximity, and
alignments are so important to the user. How certain colors are not
seen by user with color deficiency and how to help write your web
page to accommodate. The accessibility page was the most difficult,
but it is so important to make your web page accessible to everyone. |
| I
have learned so much that it's hard to say what is the most
valuable. I think I need to process the information for a while.
Navigation and usability issues I have applied immediately to
projects. Finding resources about web training and education has
been wonderful. The activities provided meaningful practice and
application of the concepts. It has been a great experience. |
| I
enjoyed learning about Dreamweaver and also more information about
navigation. I enjoyed the textbooks, especially Nielsen. |
| I
started this course with little to no understanding of what
components are involved in web development. Armed with only a
cursory understanding of HTML, I approached this course as a
complete novice. After completing the course, I now can look at a
web page and understand all of the aspects of why I favor one page
over another as a user, and how those preferences translate into
practical solutions as a web designer. The only problem now is that
I cannot look at any site without analyzing the components, layout,
nav bars, etc. It is a hazard I gladly accept for the increased
awareness of web page usability. |
Return to Course Syllabus
Send questions to Dr. Ann
Barron.
Revised:
February 24, 2006.
|