Revised: August 23, 2002
Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus
Internet Programming I, Fall 2002, IST 227-01N, TTh1-2:50, CM128, 4 credits
Instructor: Dr. William M. Pegram, wpegram@nvcc.eduWeb Site for Class: http://www.erols.com/wpegram (most up-to-date)
Alternative site for class: http://www.nv.cc.va.us/home/wpegramCourse Description:
This course is a hands-on introduction to JavaScript, emphasizing core and client-side JavaScript, but with brief coverage of server-side JavaScript and linking to databases. The course will enable you to write JavaScript rather than relying on existing scripts or the JavaScript functions in Dreamweaver.
Prerequisites and Degree Requirements
3 important points:
1) Knowledge of HTML such as provided in IST129 (Web Design I) is a prerequisite for this class. The reason for this is that the only use of JavaScript is in web pages. Thus you need to know how to construct web pages. Similarly, generally doing things in HTML is easier than in JavaScript, so you should when you can do something in HTML without using JavaScript. It is possible to take these courses simultaneously although sequentially is preferred.
2) No programming experience is required for this class although students with programming experience will find it easier going, particularly in the first few weeks of the course. For students without programming experience, enrollment in IST 153, which introduces you to programming concepts, i recommended
3) This course at present does not satisfy requirements in some degrees for a programming course, so check with your advisor if that issue is important to you.Computers
This classroom is used by other classes and other students. This means you have a responsibility when using the computer to avoid making changes that will adversely affect other users. Unless directed otherwise by me, put all files onto a floppy or my documents on the c drive. You are free to create folders within my documents.
Floppy Disks
You will want to bring a floppy disk to class so that you can save your work. If you forget to bring a disk, you can save your work to the c drive and then send an email to yourself with the file as an attachment or FTP the file to your website. Put your name on the floppy in case you leave it in the drive.
Attendance:
If you miss class, please check the class website for any changes to the schedule, including new assignments. When class is cancelled, assignments and topics will be pushed back to the next class date.
Office Hours: Before or after class. Other times by appointment.
Communication with Instructor: Particularly if you are having difficulty with this class, I strongly urge you to ask questions when we are together. Asking questions in this way is generally more efficient than email.
Texts:
JavaScript (Comprehensive) by Don Gosselin, Course Technology, Second edition, published December 2001, ISBN 0-619-06334-3. This is available from the bookstore, I have two copies, or you can order them from www.course.com. The second edition has fixed most of the errors from the first edition and therefore I would recommend use of the second edition unless you already have a copy of the first edition. The material covered seems essentially the same. I have created errata pages for both the first and second edition.The Gosselin book is more of a textbook than a reference book, so I have written a page which describes my opinion of other books if you would like to use another book as well. I have copies of the Flanagan book (3rd edition) which is an excellent reference.
Software
No special software is required for this course. You will find it useful to have Internet Explorer, Netscape 4, and Netscape 6 on your computer, all of which can be downloaded for free. I have CD's for Netscape if you don't want to do the download.
Required Email Address and Host for Web Page:
Students must provide email the instructor with an email address and web page address for the work you will do in this class. Provide the email address that is most convenient for you, which may or may not be your NOVA email address. In all emails to the instructor, please include the course number in the subject line and your first and last name in the body of the email.
In most cases, you will host your web site at NOVA or at your Internet Service Provider, if you have one. You should not host your site at a free service like Geocities for two reasons: (1) using a free service will result in ads on your site, and (2) free services often offer file transfer programs that are initially easier to use than the file transfer program taught in this course, but are much less powerful.
NOVA provides 2MB of free web space to each student which should be more than adequate unless your site is very unusual (e.g., containing a number of large files - sound, image, PowerPoint files, etc.). Students must have a NOVA email account for them to have web space at NOVA, therefore all students should gain access to their NOVA email at the beginning of the semester unless they plan on hosting their site elsewhere.
Grading Policy:
Midterm 1, (25%), Midterm 2 (25%), Homework (25%), and Final/Project (25%). Although this suggests that homework is unimportant, quite the opposite is true. To do well in this course you will most likely need to spend some time coding on your own so that you develop the ability to (1) come up with solutions, (2) translate the solution into code, and (3) work through the inevitable errors that your initial code will contain. Hopefully the feedback I provide to you on your homework and exams. Also, rather than simply typing in or pasting in code, you will need to understand what you are doing so that you can apply what worked in one situation to a related situation.
If you must miss an exam, please contact the instructor so that he can arrange for a makeup exams through the Testing Center.
The final exam will either be a inclass exam or a take-home exam (project).
Academic Integrity
In general, students are expected to follow the Information Technology Student Ethics Agreement as posted in computer areas and academic integrity standards as set down in the Student Handbook.
In addition, I want to give you specific guidance regarding the following issues:
(1) On graded homework assignments and projects, students may ask for and receive some assistance from others, unless otherwise directed by the instructor. Yet those helping a student should avoid "doing the work" for the student. If students receive significant assistance from others, the student should give credit to these individuals. No assistance is permitted on exams and quizzes.
(2) Academic integrity issues are also involved where
(a) the student has made substantial use of material from elsewhere on the web or from other sources,
(b) the instructor might reasonably conclude that the work was the student's own work, and
(c) no credit is given, either on the web page or as a comment in the HTML code.In cases where the use was inadvertent or relatively minor, the student will simply be reminded to correct the deficiency.
(3) In instances where it is clear that the material is not one's own (e.g. a photo that the student would not have taken), no academic integrity issues are involved. In these instances, attribution is still useful however. For example, if the student wishes to make commercial use of the material at some future date, it may be necessary to get permission to utilize the material. If one has not made attributed the source when the page was created, one may very well forget the source of the material and thus be unable to get permission. Failure to attribute sources in these instances will only result in the student losing a few points.
Withdrawal from the Class:
Friday, September 6 is the last day for tuition refund. Tuesday, October 29 is the last day to withdraw without grade penalty or to change to audit. If you haven't withdrawn from the class or switched to audit by that date, you will receive a grade at the end of the semester based on the work you have completed in the class. If you think you have dropped or withdrawn from the class, make sure of this. The project and final together are worth 50% of your grade, so if you don't do either, you will receive an F for the class.
Incompletes:
Instead of giving incompletes, I will change the submitted grade if the missing work is submitted after the end of the semester. There is no deadline for you to complete this work, but in every case where my students have not submitted the work within a week or so of the end of class, no work has every been submitted, so you should make every effort to complete the work within the allotted time.
Auditing
Policies regarding auditors vary by instructor but the college desires that we impose at least a minimum requirement that you attend class. My requirement for auditing is that you attend at least 75% of the "new material" class sessions. As the course develops, you should make also clear to me whether you will be doing homework assignments or not so I know whether to look for them or not on your website.
Learning Environment
NVCC is a place for learning and growing. You should feel safe and comfortable anywhere on this campus. In order to meet this objective, you should: a) let your instructor, his/her supervisor, the Dean of Students or Provost know if any unsafe, unwelcome or uncomfortable situation arises that interferes with the learning process; (b) inform the instructor within the first two weeks of classes if you have special needs or a disability that may affect your performance in this course.
Fire/Emergency Evacuation Procedures
Students should familiarize themselves with both the primary and secondary routes that are to be used, in case you need to evacuate the building, as well as other evacuation procedures to be followed.