Final assignment due

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

Grading

Grades for this course will be based upon the following elements:

Final grades will be assigned as follows:

University grades: The University grading system is available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/gradesfull.cfm#II for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii for graduate students. Reports of grades in courses are available at the end of each term on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu .

Class Participation - In class and online

Each class is critical to your learning experience. Your energy in contributing to class discussions, small-group exercises, and online activities and discussions will be important. Therefore, coming to class prepared (e.g., reading all course readings before class, working on project research, etc.) and actively participating will be necessary to receiving full credit for class participation. The readings are intended to stimulate questions in addition to providing information. It is a good strategy to make notes of questions and comments as you read - these can be useful contributions to the discussion.

Exercises and Other Weekly Activities

Homework

Project

As part of the course, students will work in teams to research, evaluate and propose a design for a web site. The project will be conducted over the course of the semester in stages that complement the material being covered. This will give you a chance to apply what you are learning to a realistic project, under my guidance.

The project will proceed in the following phases (subject to revision):

• Research - e.g., organizational goals, content, user needs, available technology, etc.
• Existing site evaluation - e.g., expert review, usability evaluation, accessibility 
• Site redesign - high level strategy and detailed design
• Key page mockups
• Architecture Style Guide

The final assignment will include a web portfolio and 1-2 essays that cover material from the course. The essays give you an opportunity to critically examine your experience and what you have learned during the semester. The portfolio will demonstrate your mastery of selected web design and HTML skills.

Submitting Assignments

All assignments are to be submitted electronically through the BlackBoard Learning Management System or posted online as instructed. Always keep copies of all assignments submitted, as system failures have been known to occur.

Late work. The instructor will not accept late work except by prior arrangement. If accepted, it may not be graded until the end of the term.

Makeup work. If a student has a legitimate reason, such as a medical or family emergency, the instructor may allow a student to do makeup work. The amount and nature of the work is up to the instructor's discretion. It will be graded at term's end. Documentation of the emergency (e.g. a doctor's letter) may be required.

Place your name and email address at the top of all pages. Any work submitted with numerous grammar, spelling or format problems will be penalized.

Accommodations for students with disabilities: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support Services (at 202 319-5211, room 207 Pryzbyla Center) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. To read about the services and policies, please visit the website: http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu. The CUA guide for services and accommodations for students with disabilities can be found at http://counsel.cua.edu/ADA/publications/disbro/contents.cfm. Some basic guidelines and links to other information may be found at: http://counsel.cua.edu/ADA/clicks/.

University Grades

The University grading system is available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/gradesfull.cfm#II for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii for graduate students. Reports of grades in courses are available at the end of each term on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu .

COURSE POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student's own work, cheating, and fabrication. The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (from http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm): "The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student's past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate. In the context of graduate studies, the expectations for academic honesty are greater, and therefore the presumed sanction for dishonesty is likely to be more severe, e.g., expulsion. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may exist that would warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed sanction." Please review the complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm and http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Always cite your sources.

Participation and Conduct:

Attendance is required, in keeping with university policy. Any non-emergency absences must be approved by the instructor before the first class of the semester. Your class participation grade depends on being in class and actively participating in class and online. Arrive on time. Late arrival will affect your class participation grades.

Behave respectfully. Students are expected to behave respectfully at all times: while in class, in public discussion forums, and when using email. Participation grades will reflect a student’s maturity level and professionalism; cooperation and collaboration with the class; and whether the meaningfully contributes to course discussions.

No phone calls during class. Turn off or silence cell phones and pagers. Students leaving the room for calls may not be allowed to return to that class session.

No grade discussions in class. Instructor will not discuss grades in class. First consider why the instructor deducted points. If you still disagree, explain your disagreement in an e-mail to the instructor.

Accommodations for students with disabilities

Students are encouraged to visit the University's H1N1 & Seasonal Flu Information web page (http://health.cua.edu/flu.cfm) for information on prevention and flu shots (all students are eligible and the University encourages everyone to get vaccinated). If you become sick, please complete the online reporting form at the Seasonal Flu and H1N1 Self-Reporting Center (https://secure.cua.edu/health/seasonal-flu.cfm). This initiates several campus supports, including notification of your instructors. Campus security (http://www.cua.edu/safety/) provides daily updates on the status of influenza on campus and the University response to the anticipated H1N1 outbreak.

If students have an excused absence due to illness, the following steps will be taken:

1. Because much of the coursework is done online and asynchronously, any coursework that can be completed individually (i.e. non-group work) will have the deadline extended.

2. If a student is unable to complete an online group activity on time, the activity will be revised to provide an appropriate individual activity, albeit without the group work aspect.

3. If a student misses a face-to-face session, s/he will view the class slides, listen to the recorded audio, and respond to a set of written questions provided by the instructor.

4. If a student misses a substantial part of the team project, they will be provided an alternative assignment for the portion(s) of the project missed. Their grade will be pro-rated based on the group work completed on the project and their individual work. 

If class is canceled due to illness (as well as weather or other emergency), students will be notified via the BlackBoard Announcements, with the Announcement emailed to students' CardinalMail addresses. In this case, students should check the online announcements the next day. We will generally hold class online when this happens. Particular Activities that cannot be conducted online will be postponed.

If the instructor is unable to lead class for an extended period due to illness, an alternate instructor has agreed to take over during the illness.

This course plan is consistent with the SLIS H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Plan, adopted September, 2009 and available at http://slis.cua.edu/forms/.

Syllabus changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as needed. Nothing in this syllabus may be construed as a contract. All changes will be provided to students via BlackBoard.

Acknowledgements

This syllabus was adapted from material by Ingid Hsieh-Yee and Randolph Hock.

Revision History

9/28/2009 - Added H1N1 plan.

10/15/2009 - Added reading list.