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WEB DESIGN SKILLS

Module Study Guide
Sem 2 2008/09

Copyright © Thames Valley University 2009

 

See the online version of this guide at http://mercury.tvu.ac.uk/wds

WELCOME

This is the homepage of the Module Study Guide for Web Design Skills.

Web Design Skills (WDS) is a 10-credit module taken by students on the Digital Media Production programme.

Important

We will be communicating with you by email, using your TVU (exchange) address. Please make sure you check this account regularly.

Module Leader and Module Team Members

Module Leader: Alan Rolfe (alan.rolfe@tvu.ac.uk)
   
Team members: Marion Musculus (marion.musculus@tvu.ac.uk)
  Olivier Ruellet (olivier.ruellet@tvu.ac.uk)
  Souleymane Camara (souleymane.camara@tvu.ac.uk)
  Rosy Notta (rosy.notta@tvu.ac.uk)
  Adamina Turek (adaminaturek@hotmail.com)
  Bob Guinn (bob.guinn@tvu.ac.uk)

Module Summary

This module targets the basic skills needed for students to begin to create and publish their own websites. It starts by looking at HTML, and also includes introductions to style sheets and Javascript.

Basic Information about the Module

Module Code: AD40014E (Ealing)
Module Title: Web Design Skills
Module Level: 1
Learning Hours: 100
Semester Availability: 2
Length of the Module: 14 weeks
Core or Option: Core
Pre-requisite Module(s): None
Credits Awarded for the Module: 10
Named Courses: Digital Media Production

Aims

The aims of this module are to:

  1. introduce students to the principles behind successful and innovative web page design, incorporating both technical and aesthetic concepts.
  2. develop a student-centred approach to the learning of new software packages, thereby encouraging independent learning.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this module will be able to:

  1. create simple web pages using raw HTML with an appreciation of html standards.
  2. create simple web pages using a design package and relate these to the resulting HTML code
  3. design, build and publish a small website.

Content of the Module

NB: Not all of this content is assessed, but we are aiming to include a variety of different topics to allow you to learn as much as you can about web site design for future use.

Learning Resources

Materials to be provided

Learning Activities

You will be timetabled for one 2-hour session per week. This will be in a computer lab. Each week part of the session will be a presentation by the tutor covering some aspect of web design. The remaining time will be free for you to work on producing your own web pages, starting with a basic page and gradually building to a complete site. You are also expected to study outside the timetabled classes for approximately 100 hours in total.

Session-by-session schedule

This module is designed to be tackled at a speed appropriate to the individual student. The scheme below includes all the information necessary to pass the module. However, students may like to further develop their skills by including in their web site features which are not covered in the classes. Tutors in the workshops will do their best to assist students in this.

Session 1 Intro to HTML
Session 2 More HTML
Session 3 Intro to Dreamweaver
Session 4 Optimising and adding images
Session 5 Hyperlinks, structure and navigation
Session 6 Tables
Session 7 Fonts, Colours and Lists
Session 8 Style sheets
Session 9 Style sheet positioning
Session 10 Uploading
Session 11 Using templates
Session 12 Validation and accessibility
Session 13 Multimedia
Session 14 Forms

Assessment

This module has the following assessment scheme:

Assignment 1: Portfolio of web pages
Length: About 3 - 6 pages
Timing: Distributed in week 1 and submitted by week 14
Weighting: 100%
Assessor: Module tutors

Submission

To pass this module you need to submit a series of web pages which meet all the criteria (or competences) specified below. You submit by uploading the pages to our local server, which is called 'zappa'. (See here for how to do this.) Note that you do not actually need to create a separate page for every competence. As long as you have a minimum of three pages, you can use a single page to cover several competences; for instance, your home page might have pictures and text (competence 1) and also a table (competence 3).

The module is unusual in that you will not get a percentage mark for it. You will only get a 'pass', 'referred' or 'non submission' grade. To pass, you must achieve all of the competences. If you don't get all of them, but do submit something, you will be allowed a resit (referral). If you submit nothing, you will have to retake the whole module again.

Pass requirements (competences)

In order to pass the module, students must achieve all the specified competences. These are assessed on a 'yes/no' basis.

  1. Create a page which incorporates text and images.
    This competence may be assessed in class by the tutor .

    All remaining competences will be assessed at the end of the module based on the work uploaded to the internet.
  2. Create a page which has external links (i.e. to web pages not on your site).
    Links must be in the correct HTML format.
  3. Create a page which includes a table of at least 2 x 2 cells.
    Each table cell must contain either text or an image.
  4. Create at least one page which is validated against an appropriate Document Type.
    You should show the appropriate 'validated' symbol on the page(s).
  5. Create at least 3 pages which are navigable from each other.
    It must be possible to access all pages without using the 'back'/'forward' buttons on the browser (and get back to the front page).
  6. Create and use a working style sheet.
    Style Sheet definitions must be in a separate CSS file, which is attached to at least two of your web pages. The style sheet definitions must make a difference to the pages.
  7. Upload the pages to a specified server.
    The work must be uploaded to the server we give you. Work on other servers or on CD-ROM, floppy disk etc. will not be accepted. We suggest a maximum of 8 pages, as otherwise tutors may find difficulty in locating all your material. Your 'home' page must be called 'index.html' and be in your root directory. All pages must be visible using a standard browser. All competences must be met in the pages uploaded.

Note that the site must have sensible content, i.e. the pages must have some meaning, and must not be crude, offensive or defamatory.

Pages must be in HTML or XHTML (i.e not made in Flash, Director or Photoshop), and created either in raw code (using a text editor) and/or by using an appropriate web page design tool (e.g. Dreamweaver, Front Page).

Ideas

Whilst not a requirement of the assignment, it would be useful to have some kind of theme linking your web pages.

Examples:

Deadline

All sites must be submitted by the end of the week in which the course finishes (session 14).

Lab rules and availability (Ealing)

The computer lab into which you are timetabled, and the other MAC and PC labs in Grove House, operate partly as timetabled labs, and partly as open-access rooms. It works like this:

Students working in computer labs are required to abide by the following rules at all times:

  1. No eating or drinking is permitted
  2. Mobile phones should be switched off. (Letting the phone ring and then dashing out to answer it is not acceptable.)
  3. Use headphones if listening to music
  4. The labs are not for social gatherings. If you want to chat, go out into the corridor or down to the Cyber Cafe
  5. Please respect other people's privacy, and treat the rooms, computers and furniture properly.

Resit information

If you are referred in this module, it is because the work you submitted did not meet one or more of the competences listed above. You should receive an email telling you which competence(s) you did not meet.

For the resit, you will need to upload a web site which meets all of the competences. This need not be a completely new site; it can be a modification of the original submission, but it must meet all the competences in its own right. (In other words, it cannot be just a couple of pages which meet the competences you missed the first time but doesn’t meet the rest.)

You should upload this to your standard 'zappa' account.

You should also send an email to the module leader at alan.rolfe@tvu.ac.uk telling us that you have submitted new work, so that we know that it needs marking.

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Maintained by Alan Rolfe

Last updated March 30, 2009

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