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Syllabus

Pre-Requisite
INLS102, INLS50 or permission of the instructor.

Course Objectives
INLS181 gives broad knowledge of data communication systems, with a focus on Internet tools and applications. Skills to be taught include:

  • Internet protocols: Overview of some of the major protocols for data transmission on the Internet.
  • Web display variation: Issues that impact the appearance of a Web page: different browsers, HTML versions and standards compliance, and colors.
  • Web enhancements: Plug-ins and other ways of extending Web functionality.
  • Audience targeting for online content: Tailoring appearance and content for a particular audience and a particular purpose. For example, ecommerce Web pages versus corporate information pages.
  • Usability issues: Fundamentals of usability assessment for content. User-based design, functional specification, user feedback, and the design cycle.
  • Advanced markup: XML for marking up content and its associated display mechanisms.
  • Dynamic content: Hands-on experience with some client-side and server-side methods for creating dynamic content. Client-side programming taught with Flash and server-side programming with PHP scripting.

Laptop, Software, & Ruby Account Requirement
Instructors may assume that SILS graduate students and undergraduates for the class of 2004 or later will have a laptop computer compatible with SILS guidelines (or, for undergraduates, CCI guidelines). However, laptops are not required this semester as this section will meet in the SILS computer lab the entire semester.

If you have a desktop or laptop, the following software applications should be installed for this class, if they aren't already (makes life easier):

  • Internet Explorer 7.0+
  • Netscape 6.0+
  • SSH Secure Shell Client
  • Macromedia Flash MX Player
  • Adobe SVG Viewer
  • Winzip
  • Citrix Client

You must also have a Ruby account at SILS. If you are an Information Science or Library Science student, more than likely you already have one. If you are an undergraduate, more than likely, you won't. If you don't have an account, notify me on the first day of class (or sometime after). Ultimately, it is your responsibility to have a working web-accessible directory on the server.

Other software apps, such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, will be available through the Citrix client. Citrix gives you access to the software needed to complete assignments remotely; no need for installation. Citrix is not guaranteed to work 24 hours a day; therefore, plan accordingly. Please notify me if you don't have the username and password for access to Citrix.

Evaluation
All assigned work must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in INLS 181. Work is considered late if it is turned in after the class meeting time. Late work is downgraded at a rate of 25 percentage points per business day or partial day (i.e. This class meets at 6:00 pm on Tuesdays. If the assignment is due on Tuesday and turned in on Wednesday after 6:00 pm, it is considered to be 2 days late.). All work will either needs to be added to your online Web-based portfolio and/or submitted via email (as identified in the assignment specification) for evaluation and is due at the start of class time on the due date. Evaluation of grades will be based on the following criterion in terms of percentages (to-be determined after surveys are tabulated):

Criterion Percentage
Exam 25%
Assignments 65%
Class Participation/Lab 10%

Completed labs will factor into class participation. See more in the Labs Directory section.

Assignments/evaluations that will impact your final grade (see schedule for dates and specifications):

HTML & Tables
XML
Multi-part Image Containers
Flash
PHP #1
PHP #2
Presentation

Any information and/or requirement disseminated from a reading assignment, lab exercise, and lecture session is fair game as it applies any evaluation, whether assignment or examination. Be sure to complete the labs if you haven't done so in during the allotted class time. Uncomplete work can affect your participation grade and indirectly, your assignment grades.

Grading is very strict. Be sure to follow the specifications very carefully; they will always be required.

Graduate Score
H 100 - 95
P+ 94 - 90
P 89 - 85
P- 84 - 80
L 79 - 70
F Below 69

Undergraduate Score
A 100 - 95
A- 94 - 92
B+ 91 - 87
B 86 - 83
B- 82 - 80
C+ 79 - 77
C 76 - 73
C- 72 - 70
D+ 67 - 69
D 66 - 60
F 59 and below

Turning it in
All assignments will be submitted to burta at unc dot edu (unless noted otherwise). If the assignment requires more than one file, zip it up. For the single file submitted, use your Ruby login name as the name of the assignment and give the file the appropriate extension (for example, if I were submitting a PHP assignment, I would give it the file name burta.php; a zip file, burta.zip).

Potential excuses that will not work:

  • The internet connection at my house was down.
  • I don't have internet access from home.
  • I was not in a location where I could send out an email.
  • The Citrix client was not working.
  • I sent the assignment to the wrong address.
  • I couldn't login to my email account to send you an email.
  • I do not have a Ruby account.
  • I couldn't make your office hours.
  • I couldn't make the SILS lab hours.
  • You didn't respond to my email the night before.
  • My computer crashed.
  • I lost all my work during an SSH session.
  • I accidentally ran rm -rf *.
  • I forgot to attach the assignment.

...among others. Plan/adjust accordingly. Once you submit the assignment, you cannot re-submit. Be sure the assignment is ready when you submit it the first time. Do not submit an incomplete assignment for review before submission; I will take this submission and evaluate it as your grade for that assignment.

Emailing
I'm requiring you to email submitted assignments from your Ruby account. In the event I don't get an email or attachment, it can be easily verified. Only in cases where the account is inaccessible will I accept an emailed assignment submission from another account. This should eliminate the need for a conformation of receipt.

At the time of this writing, there isn't a web email client available for the Ruby accounts. Therefore, it is pretty important to download an SSH client (see the resources page). In case I respond to a Ruby email, I recommend you to place a .forward file in your ~ directory containing the email address you want emails forwarded to. Also, see the resources page for a quick write-up on how to make attachments using Pine on Ruby.

Lab Directory
In the UNIX lab, you will create a lab directory in your Ruby account; this is where you will place all your lab work. Placing work in other directories or remote machines will not be counted as work. Be sure to complete labs. Incomplete labs will be reflected in your participation grade. Do not put other/unrelated work in this folder; it will result in a deduction of points.

I will announce when I will be evaluating lab work. If you keep your lab work up to date, then you won't have to worry about finishing incomplete labs. Please do not ask if you can make up labs after I've given the evaluation.

Listserv
Sign up for the listserv at: inls181@listserv.unc.edu. To subscribe to the class listserv, address a message to: listproc@ils.unc.edu, leave the subject fields blank, and place the following command in the body of your message: "subscribe inls181 your-first-name your-last-name."

The listserv is primarily for class announcements...not class discussion. If you have something you would like to discuss in class, do not hesitate to send me an email; however, not signing up for the listserv could result in missing out on important or vital information that could make an impact on your grade.

Textbooks
There are two required texts for the course. Other readings will come from reserved readings or tutorials on the web. You may elect to choose readings from supplementary texts for reference and further assistance. There are many books related to the course subject matter, most of which cover similar topics. The supplemental text was chosen for its subject matter and style of delivery, recent publication date, publication quality, and coverage of topics. Read the assigned readings before the class date they are assigned for, and review as necessary afterwards.

Web Design in a Nutshell

Web Design in a Nutshell, 2nd ed.
Author: Niederst, Jennifer.
Publication Date: October 2001.
Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates
ISBN: 0596001967
Format: Paperback, 618pp

PHP for the World Wide Web

PHP for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide
Author: Ullman, Larry.
Publication Date: March 2001.
Publisher: Pearson Education
ISBN: 0201727870
Format: Paperback, 304pp

Supplementary Text
Harold, Elliotte Rusty. XML Bible, 2nd ed. 2001. Hungry Minds. (Excellent Book!)