CG-214, FIT Spring 2017
1.5 credits / 1 hour 50 minutes
Instructor: Rebecca Lieberman
Email: rebecca_lieberman@fitnyc.edu
Office Hours: TBD by appointment
Section 102: 9:10AM-11:00AM
Room C309C
Section 103: 11:10AM- 1:00PM
Room C409
Course syllabus: https://github.com/rlieberman/CG214-2017
Course notes: https://github.com/rlieberman/CG214-2017/wiki
[Course Google group] (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cg-214-spring-17)
This is a group email list that we'll use for class communication in both my sections of CG-214 this Spring.
The purpose of this list is for course-related announcements, discussion and questions. Feel free to share web-related links, articles and inspiration. This is also a great place to ask questions about what you're working on or things you're struggling with technically. You may of course email me individually, but most likely someone else in the class has the same question so it's a great way to learn from each other.
We'll use it as a group across both sections 102 and 103. I will communicate section-specific announcements separately.
This 15-week course introduces students to the basics of web design and programming for the web. Students will work primarily with HTML and CSS to build the structural and visual components of a website, using CSS to integrate interaction and animation. In the second half of the semester, students will be introduced to other libraries for responsive design (Bootstrap) and languages (JavaScript) to create more complex, interactive websites.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Weekly Homework
Each week you’ll have a homework assignment that requires mastery of the material we covered in class the week before. These will be primarily design and technical exercises, with an occasional reading assignment.
Homework assignments must be posted on GitHub by 7pm on Wednesday evenings, so that I have enough time to look them over before class. I will not accept late homework.
2. Presentation: Website Design Review (1 person per week)
Every student will have to give an individual 5-minute presentation on a website that you feel is interesting, groundbreaking and innovative. You’ll talk about the design, concept, messaging, navigation and usability.
There will be at least 1 student presenting per week, depending on the number of students in the class.
Please read the presentation guidelines and sign up for a slot [here] (https://github.com/rlieberman/CG214-2017/wiki/Presentation-Assignment:-Guidelines-&-Signup).
3. Midterm Project (Due Week 8)
Your midterm project will be a website responding to one of the following assignment prompts:
There will be a set of additional technical requirements you must meet for this assignment, to be reviewed later in the semester.
4. Final Project (Due Week 14)
Your final project will be full-scale website design and implementation that can either be a development of your midterm or a portfolio site for yourself. Unlike the midterm, which is a shorter assignment, we will go through a full design process of sketching, wireframing, designing and then building out this site.
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class.
This class meets for 1 hour and 50 minutes per week. We have a ton of material to cover, so come on time. Students who come in later than 30 minutes after the class started will be marked absent.
If you know in advance that you will not be able to attend a class, email me beforehand.
The full academic calendar is here for your reference.
Participation is imperative in this class. You are expected to engage actively in class discussions, presentations and technical demos. We have a lot of material to cover, so please come each week prepared to pay attention and participate actively in class.
Asking questions is highly encouraged. There are no stupid questions; if you have a question, most likely somebody else in the room has the same one.
Students will be assessed on both technical skills as well as critical thinking, creativity and presentation. Grades are based on completion and quality of projects, homework assignments, class participation and attendance. Assignment due dates are hard dates, which means points will be deducted for late assignments and homework.
Final grades in the course will reflect the following:
And in general, grades are determined according to the following breakdown:
Please note: Assignments must be posted on GitHub by 7pm on Wednesday evenings, so that I have enough time to look them over before class. 5% will be deducted per late assignment per day.
As an instructor, and part of FIT, I am committed to maintaining a positive learning environment where people can safely ask questions, engage in thoughtful discussion and challenge themselves both academically and creatively.
When we’re looking at code together or doing an in-class exercise, students will need to be working using a computer. However, when your classmates are presenting and during group discussions, you are expected to refrain from using the computer. Additionally:
Academic integrity is a serious thing. Please read over FIT’s Academic Honor Code here.
In the world of programming, sharing and repurposing code is often encouraged. It’s fine to look at other people’s code or refer to examples, but be sure to always give credit and acknowledge your sources.
Students with learning, hearing, visual, physical/mobility, and medical disabilities are invited to meet with the staff of FIT-ABLE, the College’s Office of Disability Services in A570 or call 212.217.4090.
Discrimination and harassment are behaviors that are incompatible with the standard of conduct required of a member of the FIT community in the workplace or in any college-related setting, including but not limited to off-campus, college-related events and activities. More information on the FIT website here.
Week 1 slides and homework are here.
Our main tools in this class will be a text editor (Brackets) and a browser (Google Chrome). You’re free to use additional tools such as Adobe Creative Suite for asset creation, or Sketch (which we’ll learn about later in the semester) for mocking up designs.
There is no official textbook for this class. Students interested in textbook resources should consider this HTML and CSS book and this JavaScript and JQuery book. You should also consult the Mozilla or W3 schools documentation.
For an abundant list of additional resources, tutorials and web design inspiration, please visit the course Resources page.