EDIT 772 -5T5 (2 credits), Web Development Tools (Database)
Educational Instructional Technology, Graduate School of Education, George Mason University
W 4:30-7:10, Robinson A352, August 28, 2002 - October 30, 2002  

Instructor: Dr. William M. Pegram
Office Hours and location: Before or after class, or by appointment
Home Phone: 703-486-0952
Email: wpegram@nvcc.edu
Course Website: www.nvcc.edu/home/wpegram

Description:

This course is an introduction to data-driven websites, that is websites where pages that are generated dynamically through interaction with a database.  

Objectives: At the end of this class, students should be able to:

• Explain relational database concepts such as primary key, foreign key
• Design relational databases 
• Create both single-table and relational databases in Access
• Create single-table and relational database queries in Access
• Write simple queries using Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Customize Personal Web Manager to test server-side scripts
• Create in Notepad an HTML form containing various types of form elements 
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which accesses a Microsoft Access database
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which displays all records from a database in an HTML table
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which displays selected records from a database in an HTML table based on search criteria entered in a HTML form
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which displays records from a database and creates links for further information on each record ("drill down") 
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which inserts a record into a database using information submitted in a HTML form 
• Create in Notepad a server-side scripting page which modifies a record in a database using information submitted in a HTML form
• Debug, with some success, server-side scripts
• Explain the role in a database-driven web site played by the various components and technologies taught in the course 

Approach

The prerequisite for the course is EDIT 772: Basic.  In particular, the student should already know how to construct web pages in Notepad utilizing links, images, and tables, view them in the browser, and FTP them to a server.  However, we will review this material during the third week of the course.

No previous experience with databases, Microsoft Access, SQL, HTML forms, programming, or scripting (programming in web pages) is assumed.  During the course, you will learn something in each of these areas that will be useful to you in developing and understanding database-driven web sites and that will be useful to you in other contexts.

The approach will be to pick a single database technology (Access) and a single server-scripting technology (Active Server Pages) so that students can get some experience in creating simple database-driven web sites.  As in most web beginning web courses, the approach will be to first hand code so that students understand what is going on.  Once students know this, they can then transition to use of tools such as Dreamweaver MX, Macromedia Ultradev, or Microsoft Interdev to do server-side scripting faster and with fewer errors.  If these tools are taught at all in this course, it will be at the very end and would probably be Dreamweaver MX.

The course is not intended to do any of the following:

• survey database technologies (e.g. Access, Oracle, SQL Server,  etc.)
• survey server-scripting technologies (ASP, ASP.net, Cold Fusion, Java Server Pages, etc.)
• develop criteria by which one might choose a database or server-scripting technology
• explore speed or scalability issues

Although client-side scripts (JavaScript) have various roles in data-driven websites (e.g. writing cookies, form verification), we will do little or nothing here due to lack of time and because there is a separate client-side scripting course (EDIT 530).  

Expectations and Requirements: 

1. Class absences are sometimes unavoidable.  However, the class only meets 10 times and there is a lot of ground to cover.  Things we cover in the first half of the course will be used again in the second half of the course so mastery of these topics is important.
2. You do not need to inform me if you are going to miss class; please check the online schedule or consult with classmates about what you missed.
3. Please let me know if you don't understand something or are having difficulty.  It's generally most efficient to do this in class or during office hours but email me if questions come up between classes.
4. Please email me from the email address you wish to use for this class and check this email on a regular basis.
5. The text is a good one and well written.  Whether you read before lectures or after lectures is up to you.  You will probably want to read chapter 8 at least a couple times.
6. The course is a 2 unit course because it meets for 10 weeks; if it met the entire semester, it would be a 3 unit course so you should think of it as a 3 unit course in terms of the time each week you allocate to it.

Text: Database-Driven Web Sites by Mike Morrison & Joline Morrison, Course Technology, ISBN 0-619--01556-X

Grading Criteria: Assignments: 70%, Project 30%.  Assignments will be penalized 10% for each week (or portion thereof) they are late.  Unless joint effort is authorized for a particular assignment, it should represent primarily your own work but you may receive some assistance from others.

Revised: August 28, 2002