Syllabus for IT-130
Joseph (Yosef)
Mendelsohn
Summary
of the course
Introduction
to basic concepts of the Internet and World-Wide Web. Major topics are history
of computing and the internet, roles and operation of web browsers and servers,
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Programming.
This
course satisfies the Scientific Inquiry Elective Liberal Studies Requirement.
Textbooks
and printed resources
I
do not require you to purchase a book for the course. However, I STRONGLY suggest
that you either purchase a book or bookmark one on your browser. The good news
is that you have access to numerous texts in their entirety through Safari
books which can be accessed through the DePaul Library’s website. See the
Resources page for the link and for some suggestions.
Prerequisites
None,
although some familiarity with computers is assumed.
Are
you in the right course? (for IT-130 students)
IT
130 The Internet and the Web teaches how to create web sites by writing HTML
from scratch (using only a text editor) and teaches very basic programming in
JavaScript. We will not be using tools such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver.
HCI
201 Multimedia and the World Wide Web teaches how to create web sites using a
tool like FrontPage or Dreamweaver and it covers design principles for web
sites. That course is less technical
than IT 130.
HCI
201 covers a little
HTML and CSS, whereas IT 130 covers a lot of HTML and CSS, and also
JavaScript.
The
three main IT 130 topics are HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
Both
courses teach how to create web sites.
You probably don't need to take both, but if you do plan to take both,
it is better to take HCI 201 first.
Liberal
Studies Requirements:
·
IT
130 satisfies the “Scientific Inquiry: Elective” Liberal Studies requirement.
·
HCI
201 satisfies the “Scientific Inquiry: Quantitative” Liberal Studies
requirement.
·
See
http://las.depaul.edu/lsp/public_html/index.html
for a complete list of courses that satisfy Liberal Studies requirements.
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COURSE
RESOURCES
1. Course
web page http://condor.depaul.edu/ymendels/it130 Everything comes from here.
2. Course
Online (
3. Office
Hours (see below for
times & locations)
4. Tutoring – see link at top of course web page
5. Discussion
Group – access this
group via
6. Software
resources and useful websites: See ‘Resources’ from the course web
page
1. The course web page:
Your
one-stop-shop for this course.
http://condor.depaul.edu/ymendels/it130
•
Announcements
•
Assignments
•
Course
documents
•
Example
web pages
•
Lecture
notes (PowerPoint slides)
•
Assignments are submitted via
Lecture notes:
Notes and files for each lecture will be posted at least one day before
lecture. However, please note that I
reserve the right to make updates at any time. I would recommend that you print
out the lecture slides (if you choose to) no earlier than the day before
lecture. They will typically be in
Powerpoint format. If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can download
a free viewer here.
Tree-friendly IT-130:
If
you want to print these lecture notes, you can save paper by printing 6 slides
on a page, as follows:
•
Select
File→Print.
•
Under
“Print what”, select Handouts.
•
Select 6
slides.
•
I strongly recommend that you print out the presentations ahead of
time and bring them to class with you. This will enable you to scribble quick
notes or “star” important concepts, etc.
2. What is Course Online (
1. View the lectures for DL students
(sometimes available to in-class students as well)
2. Submit assignments
3. Receive grades and grader feedback
4. Engage in discussion groups
Login
with your CampusConnect ID and password.
3.
Office Hours:
·
Please
see the link at the top of the course page. Note that my office hours DO change
from time to time, so please be sure to verify the link.
4.
Tutoring: Free
– make use of it! See link to the
tutoring page at the top of the course web page.
5.
Class Discussion Group:
Some
people have found such groups very helpful in the past. I would encourage my DL
students in particular to try it out. From
6.
Required software and other resources: You will need to make use of several of the
resources listed at the top of the class web page.
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PLEASE NOTE:
Please
remember that anything you do in the classroom directly affects people around
you. Doing any of the following is
distracting and disrespectful to your classmates and your instructor. This includes:
-
Walking in to class late / Leaving
class early (unless discussed with the instructor ahead of time)
-
Exiting the class during lecture (try
to go to the bathroom, etc before
class!)
-
Checking cell phones / blackberrys /
pdas for texts, incoming calls, e-mails, etc
-
Surfing the web
Contacting
me:
E-Mail: JosephMendelsohn@gmail.com
I will be much more willing to go over code, assignments, etc during
office hours than via e-mail. I will try
to answer specific questions, but will not simply debug code via e-mail.
Though I try to check e-mail frequently, I am not always able to do so.
I
will make every effort to ensure that distance learning (DL) students receive
prompt replies to email.
When e-mailing me, it is very important that you include your name and section number (not
course number) in the subject.
I have a pretty stringent
spam-filter on my e-mail, so if you don’t do this, your e-mail may well end up
missed in my spam folder.
Eg: Subject: Jon Stewart, 702, question on assignment #2
Assignments:
All assignments are submitted via Course Online (see above).
Late
assignments will NOT be accepted. The deadline for submission can be seen on
COL.
Assignments
will be posted almost every week.
QUIZZES:
Most
weeks there will be a short quiz before lecture. The quiz will begin PROMPTLY
at the beginning of class. You will typically have 15 minutes to complete and
submit it via COL. There will be between 5 and 7 quizzes throughout the course.
Because students will be absent from class from time to time, you are allowed
to miss two quizzes. If you complete all of the quizzes, then your two lowest
quizzes will be dropped in the calculation of your letter grade. I will explain
more about how these work during the first lecture.
Using
the Computer Labs:
IT-130
is a lab course and as such, a good amount of work will be done in the labs.
The exact times and dates will be posted on the course web page.
Students
accessing CTI lab or server resources for the first time must activate their
CTI accounts before they can be used.
You don’t need to do this if you won’t be using the CTI labs.
Here
is a list
of CTI labs and instructions on how to activate your account to use the
labs (do not confuse this with your webspace accounts). This account is so
that you can log in to the computers in CDM computer labs.
You
are welcome to bring a laptop to class – but PLEASE: no
browsing/chatting/facebooking etc while lecture is going on.
Consider purchasing a
flash drive: Your life in IT 130 may be easier if you own
a USB flash drive (also called a flash drive, thumb drive, or memory stick) for
saving your exercises and projects.
These are inexpensive and can be ordered online or found at any computer
store, or even Walgreens.
Grading:
Grading
Breakdown:
·
Assignments
(lowest grade is dropped): 50%
·
Quizzes:
15%
·
Final
Exam: 20% - YOU MUST PASS THE FINAL EXAM IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE.
·
Final
Project: 15%
Grading Scale:
Points |
Grade |
Points |
Grade |
93 or above |
A |
73 - 76 |
C |
90 - 92 |
A - |
70 - 72 |
C - |
87 - 89 |
B + |
67 - 69 |
D + |
83 - 86 |
B |
60 - 66 |
D |
80 - 82 |
B - |
less than 60 |
F |
77 - 79 |
C + |
|
|
Exams:
Attendance for tests is mandatory and makeups will not be offered. A score of 0 will be recorded if a test
is missed without prior consultation. The only exceptions considered will be
medical absences, and these must be documented by a physician's note.
Software
PLuS Program for
Students with Learning Disabilities:
The
Productive Learning Strategies (PLuS) Program at DePaul University is a
year-round comprehensive program designed to meet the needs of DePaul
University students with specific learning disabilities and/or attention
deficit disorders, as well as, associated disorders such as Asperger's Syndrome,
Bipolarism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, etc. The PLuS Program serves some
400+ students enrolled in colleges and schools university-wide, undergraduate
and graduate, both full-time and part-time. Web page: http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/plus/
University/CDM
Policies:
Online
Instructor Evaluation
Evaluations
are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor
and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously
tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the
course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the
course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of
teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do
not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student
completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the
student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent
periodic reminders over two weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they
complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online at
https://mycti.cti.depaul.edu/mycti
Email
Email is the primary means of communication
between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time.
Students should be sure their email listed under "demographic
information" at http://campusconnect.depaul.edu is correct.
Academic
Integrity Policy
This
course will be subject to the academic integrity policy passed by faculty. More
information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/
Plagiarism
The
university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows:
Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be
imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism
could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The
strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own
work any assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any
questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly
acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
Incomplete
An
incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the
family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any
incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and
approved by the Dean of the