User:Vtaylor/CIS89A Learning Web Design/6. summary

2019.11.4

6. Summary - CSS Formatting

Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate your comments and suggestions.

There were two significant changes introduced this semester. The number of units was increased from 3 to 4.5 - that is huge! The textbook / reference is new as well. It is much more detailed and covers material in a different sequence. There are also new topics on CSS styling and responsive web design. There is greater exploration of javascript and development tool. Yikes! If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, you are not alone.

Also consider the audience for this course - everyone from folks with no experience to professional programmers and developers who just need the credit. And it has to be rigorous enough to keep its status as a CSU transfer credit. With your feedback, we will make some adjustments to the course structure and pacing. This semester, there was too much, too soon in the first few modules. That will be scaled back somewhat. It will be interesting to get feedback from the second half - it may be less demanding as the topics are broader. We'll see...

So do your best. Learn something new. Don't get too frustrated. It is good to struggle sometimes. And ask for help when you really need it. Your feedback, comments and suggestions are always appreciate.

• 4.5 units and distribution of work - The course has been expanded to 4.5 credits from 3. With the new textbook the material was also rearranged to align with book sequence. I agree - there is a bit too much in the first couple of weeks. I think the next couple of weeks cover less new material. Let me know what you think.

• Learning Web Design - This is a great book. It covers everything! All the information is presented in a clear and detailed format with lots of explanations, side notes, highlights, diagrams and coding examples. There is so much jammed into this one rather large book. Here's the problem. How to help students navigate the material and apply just enough to get them from where they are to "competent web developer" status? Everyone must figure out how much is enough - that's learning to be a lifelong learner. If the book is overwhelming, just use it as a guide to the topics covered. Find other online resources that are more helpful and appropriate for you. In the Media section of each module page, there are lists of resources, including video tutorials. Use the book along with any other resources that help you where you are and where you are going in your web development learning journey. And ask for help if you have a problem or question. No one knows you need help if you don't ask. The textbook has much more information and explanation than we can use in this course. It is a great reference that can be helpful anytime, especially if you plan to continue to develop web sites in the future.

• Web design - Have you missed an important part of all the discussion and web site visits - learning the fundamentals of web site design, both as a user and as a developer? Throughout the course, look critically at every site including the source code to evaluate each site you visit. Develop your understanding of the elements of design and functionality and how these can be achieved with html and css coding. Additional discussions are being added to highlight the web design learning that goes on in every discussion and assignment.

• Individual projects and group discussions - Looking ahead to the end of the course, the project is individual work. It is also an opportunity to have experience working in a group, sharing ideas and providing feedback. The individual projects are better and the group experience is productive.

Coding projects

For every coding project, practicing the basics is essential. All the basic html and css structures, elements, attributes and properties must be used correctly and appropriately. All code must include comments for documentation. Use the css file for styling. Although there is only one html page for the project, imagine what it would be like if the site had dozens of pages - having all the syling in a css file makes the site much easier to maintain.

• Do your own work - Most web developers copy some code from somewhere, then adapt the code to their own requirements and preferences. Just using big blocks of code from someone else's coding project is not ok. That is academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated. If you see that someone has included a lot of code from your project, please let me know.

• File Transfer - All web sites are hosted on a web server. The Filezilla to DeAnza Voyager upload requires that you master this most basic of web development skills. Developers frequently use tools or application that take care of much of this process. However, it is a requirement for the course that you complete this using the underlying File Transfer Protocol (FTP) directly on your own.

• Link to css file - Basic code for link to include a css file <!-- import the webpage's stylesheet --> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css">

• Video tutorials - In the media section of the module page near the bottom of the page, there are videos listed for most topics. Because there are 1000s of html and css videos already available, students usually find a source they like and continue to use that throughout the course. If you have specific suggestions for videos that you find, they can be added to the ones listed.

• Code checkers - Although the code checker says there are errors in your code, your project may look ok in the browser. Browsers are really good at figuring out what you probably intended even though the code is wrong. Fix the code. Some browsers, especially on mobile devices can deal with the errors. The code checkers may not be perfect. They catch most errors most of the time and that is a big help even for experienced developers.

• Resubmit - Fix, modify, improve your coding projects and resubmit them for review and grading. That's why your work is reviewed and returned with feedback usually within a day or two. This is intended as a learning experience.

Coming next... 7. CSS Layout

A lot of web display layout control has shifted from html code to css. This is in keeping with the idea that html content can be separate from styling. This was originally designed to making styling consistent and easy to maintain across multiple web pages in site. With the introduction of devices with an enormous range of sizes, shapes and resolutions, designing layouts is more complex. This separation of content and layout has become more necessary.