JMC 690:
Web Practicum

 

 

Spring 2000

Thomas Gould


What You Will Learn
Materials to Help You Learn
How You Will Demonstration What You Have Learned
Class Participation and Attendance
Grades
Interesting Web Links



Books to Read

Guidelines and Rules

Tutorials Schedule


Who's Doing What
(This has Changed . . . for some!)

What You're Doing the Rest of the Term

 

What You Will Learn
 

Remember that 8-year-old I keep talking about. Well, here's a way to put some distance between you and the hoard of 8-year-olds waiting to take over and overtake.

The Web Practicum is a working agency, sort of. No, we don't go out and pitch new clients (yet) or compete with private groups building websites (nor will we ever). We have clients who need our help and we give it to them. Happily. With a little bounce in our steps and a smile on our faces.

This course is a clinic, a hands-on experience that includes client management, concept invention, planning, content development, and publishing. For some of you, this will extend what you learned in the JOMC 690 Advanced Websites class. However, each of you — with work and dedication — can learn a lot in this class.

In the course, you will learn that websites are more than just what you see on the screen. Site construction is a process that starts with research, and moves through analysis, planning, action and evaluation. Increasingly, "webbing" also includes forms of marketing communication. You will also learn how to use some basic research sources and will learn how to work with clients. The cooperative learning project will require you to do the kind of strategic thinking, planning and execution.

It will also be fun.

This is the first practicum of its type to be offered in the Journalism school. Yes, that means some pressure for you and for me. I know what you can do, so I'm not worried.
Materials to help you learn
 

There is no textbook.

You should, however have the following materials:

Dreamweaver (2.0 or 3.0) or acceptable (to me) webeditor
Access to a computer, PC, Mac or UNIX
Time

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How you will demonstrate what you learn
 

You will have different ways to demonstrate what you learn in this course.

There are no quizzes or tests.

You will read three substantial magazine articles dealing with website design and management. You will show how you have carefully read each and squeezed all of the valuable grey-cell materials with cogent, crisp and clear abstracts. This is worth 5% each or 15% of the final grade. These will be posted online on your personal site.

Your personal site will be graded. Yes, your personal site. So brush that puppy off (or go to the pound and get one). It can be as outrageous as you are (actually should be), but it should adhere to the values of website construction preached Gould and listened to by many. This is worth 5%.

You will submit to your team leader VIA E-MAIL (if you are a leader, to me) a weekly summary of the following: What you have done, what you will do. This will be turned in every Friday. It will include the accomplishments of the previous week (yes, they will be minimal in the beginning and grow), and some idea what you want to accomplish the next week. No, I don't look at them each time to see how ell you did on getting things done. I do expect progress and this is the best way I know to force you to plan for progress.

TEAM LEADERS/SOLO WOLVES: Your memos will be a summary of what your team is doing, not a repetition of their memos. That is, write up how the team (or you alone) is moving on the site: what they accomplished the last week and where you are going the next. This is worth 5%

You will work on a team or alone on a website. Some of you will create new sites, some work on existing ones, some redesign existing ones. This will be decided upon on Thursday (hence the need to have you there). You will, in some cases, work with clients that are local, such as Women's Crisis Center or McCain Auditorium. Others will work mostly electronically with clients in Seattle and Alexandria, Va. In no case will you be placed on a site alone if you did not have JOMC 690 AW. For those who haven't taken that course, your team leader will have.

This site work is worth 75% and will be based on the following:

  1. A clear indication that you are putting effort into the site. I don't expect anything less than the effort from all of you last term.
  2. Your team leader's evaluation of your work. This is a guide, not an expressed amount: they don't grade you, they let me know how they feel you are handling the work and working within the team.
  3. Your completion of the work
  4. An evaluation of the site based on the following
    • Logic of construction and navigation
    • Cleanliness -- no typos
    • Design
    • Interesting presentation
    • Engaging copy
    • Sound web practices (copyrights, last updates, etc.)
    • One or two more areas we'll talk about Thursday
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Class attendance and participation
 

There are no classes.

There will be lab hours (Kedzie 208) that will be available. We'll talk about this Thursday night.

And by the way, we will meet again before mid-term and a couple of times after. So you will see me. Plus, your evaluations and critiques will be sent to you each week or so, as necessary to keep you on track. That is, you will receive notes as I review your work all during the week. This is online work: I'M ALWAYS SEEING WHAT YOU'RE DOING, because you will follow appropriate protocol and post changes as made to the server. We'll talk about this Thursday as well.

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Determinants of your course grade
 

The site: 75%

Abstracts: 15%

Personal site: 5%

Weekly memos: 5%

 


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Copyright 2000 Thomas Gould
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