David A. Sykes, Ph.D.
TR 1:00-2:20 P.M. in Olin 118
MWF 2:00-3:30 P.M.
TR 9:00-10:45 A.M., 2:30-3:30 P.M.
Or by appointment. Or happenstance.
An introduction to the design and coding of web applications. Client-side scripting, website organization, responsive web design, server-side scripting, content management systems, web application frameworks, and security. Prerequisite: COSC 350 with a minimum grade of C.
We will study full stack development.
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
None. We will rely on web tutorials and other API documentation sites. A few of the sites we use might require you to create a free account.
We will use Piazza, Mimir, and Moodle regularly. We will use others for tutorials and such as we need them. Some sites might require you to create a free account.
Moodle. You will submit some project files in Moodle. Your scores for graded work (quizzes and projects) will be recorded in the Moodle gradebook, too.
Note: The cumulative grade shown in Moodle should reflect your final weighted score. Occasionally, the complexity of the Moodle grade book setup will confound me and I might set it up incorrectly. If you notice a problem, please let me know and I will correct it.
We will use the applications listed below and possibly others. All of the applications are available for free.
Your grade for the course will be based on a weighted average of scores for homework, exams, projects, and a final exam. The usual grading scale applies: 93–100: A, 90–92: A-, 87–89: B+, 83–86: B, 80–82: B-, 77–79: C+, 73–76: C, 70–72: C-, 60–69: D, 0–59: F.
A final average will be calculated using two methods using weightings shown in the table. The higher of the two values will be mapped to a letter grade. Under Method #2, neither homework scores nor exam scores factor into the calculation.
Component Score | Weight |
---|---|
Weekly quizzes | 50% |
Coding projects | 35% |
Final exam | 15% |
TOTAL | 100% |
There will be twelve 5-point quizzes, one given each Tuesday, except for the day of classes. A weekly quiz encourages you to keep up with the work and helps both you and me assess how well you understand the topics we are covering.
Quizzes will be conducted as follows.
Cell phones, calculators, computer applications, web resources, or other people may not be used during a quiz except for ones you are directed to use.
Coding projects give you practical experience with what we are covering in class. Coding projects will comprise 35% of your final grade.
Point values for projects will vary and will reflect the level of challenge. More challenging projects will have higher point values. Your coding projects score will be computed as the percentage of points earned times 35. That is, I will add up all of the points you earned for coding projects and divide that by the number of points that you could have earned and then multiply that ratio by 35.
To get a perfect score on a project, your submission must satisfy all of the requirements set forth in the project’s description and be submitted before the deadline. Often there will be a rubric available in Moodle. If you’d like to incorporate more than the required features in your code, then please do!
The final exam will assess what you have learned over the semester. It comprises 15% of your grade. Part will focus on key concepts that were covered by the weekly quizzes and part will focus on your ability to apply the concepts to “real” problem situations—for example, how would you design a web application given a description of requirements for it.
Homework will be assigned regularly, but will not be collected and graded. Bring your written answers to class with you. I encourage you to work on homework assignments with other students in the class. You may use any resources that are useful to you.
Evaluate your own health regularly. Do not attend class or other on-campus events if you are not feeling well. Seek appropriate medical attention for treatment of illness. A doctor's note concerning absences is not required.
We are fortunate to be meeting in a classroom that can accommodate all of us even with appropriate social distancing. Consequently, all of us can attend class meetings in person starting with the second week of classes. The first week classes will meet remotely using Zoom.
You are expected to attend class meetings in person if you are well. You must wear a mask covering nose and mouth in the classroom and sit at least six feet from others.
If you are not well, you are expected to attend class meetings remotely via Zoom if you can. The General Policy Regarding Attendance in the Wofford College Student Handbook makes you responsible for catching up on any missed classes.
If necessary, we will move to a synchronous, blended or a synchronous, remote model. Under those models, class meetings will be held using Zoom and you will be expected to be in each of those Zoom meetings.
Bring a charged laptop to each class meeting if you can. We will often work in-class exercises using a laptop. However, I will expect your laptop to be closed unless I direct you to use it. Take notes on paper. Your open laptop is usually a distraction not only for you, but for other students near you.
If you are remote and using your laptop for a Zoom connection, try to get access to a second monitor. That will facilitate your being able to see what is being done via screen sharing and what you will do as part of an in-class exercise.
I will make every effort to keep the office hours listed at the top of this syllabus. If I must cancel or move office hours, I will announce the change in Piazza.
You do not need to make an appointment to meet with me during office hours. Just drop in via Zoom. I am usually working in my office and you can meet with me there as long as we observe social distancing. I will look at your computer screen by either connecting your computer to my external monitor or by having you share your screen using Zoom.
I appreciate your contacting me during my office hours since it is time I have set aside and cannot easily use for another purpose. However, I realize that you might have conflicts. You are welcome to contact me to set up an appointment. If you do, list some times that you are available. Please do not ask me when I am available. Or you are welcome to drop by my office if you think I might be there.
You must meet project deadlines. You may be able to submit a project late if both of these conditions are met:
Post questions and comments about this course on the Q&A page at Piazza. You are encouraged to respond to a question or to edit a response to a question. We are all learning together. If you send me a question via email or via private Piazza post that should be posted publicly at Piazza, my reply will direct you to post your question publicly.
Do not post working code at Piazza. Do not include in a response either “fixed” code or a detailed description of how to change code to get it to work. It is okay to post non-working code.
I usually respond to email messages sent Sunday through Friday within 24 hours. I will usually respond within 48 hours to messages sent after 4:00 P.M. on a Friday or a Saturday. I usually respond much sooner to Piazza posts since I have the Piazza app on my phone and receive notifications.
You can send me email messages for private matters, such as letting me know you will be absent or that you'd like to schedule a meeting. However, I prefer that you post a private message via Piazza.
Note: Anonymous Piazza posts are anonymous to classmates but not to me.
The Honor Code requires faculty, staff, and students to maintain a high standard of individual honor and integrity. Work represented as your own must be your own.
I encourage you to collaborate with others in the class—that is, help or get help from others. However, you may not write code for another student or provide code to copy. Doing any of these things is a violation Honor Code.
What is the distinction between collaboration and cheating?
Collaboration
Ultimately, you must implement a solution to the problem yourself.
CheatingFor some projects, you might be allowed to work with other students in the class as a part of a team. In this case, you are allowed to share all your work with your teammates. However, you are expected to do all of the work together. One student should not work without the others contributing.
Don’t cheat because you are up against a deadline. Start each assignment as soon as it is given. If you run into a glitch:
If you need accommodations, go to the Student tab in myWofford and investigate the Request Accommodations channel. I’ll make every effort to work with you. Take care of this during the first week of classes and before the first quiz.
I will count on you to complete assigned readings and exercises before class starts. I will address any questions about the readings during the first part of a class meeting and then we will work on problems that involve what you've read.
The schedule is subject to change.
Week(s) | Topics |
---|---|
1–5 |
Client-side:
|
6–14 |
Server-side:
|
15 | Final exam: Thursday, April 8 between 2:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M. |