What is CISC 282 about?

The goal of this course is to provide a well-rounded introduction to the technical aspects of producing a website. The focus of CISC 282 is on standards and best practices – fads will be avoided.

What do I need to take CISC 282?

You do not need any previous web development experience to take CISC 282. However, there is a programming prerequisite for this course: CISC 124. This class will focus on using a variety of technologies, not how to program a variety of technologies – you must have the knowledge necessary to adapt quickly to the different syntax and semantics.

Will I learn about web design?

Web development and web design are two different things. CISC 282 is focused on development and students will learn how to implement a given design, not produce the design themselves.

Will I create a website?

The assignments in CISC 282 are centered around creating and enhancing a single website for a fictional client. Each student will have an account on a web server in the School of Computing that will host the sites associated with the assignments. Your work will be online for the duration of the course and will be removed afterwards.

Will I create an app for my iPhone/Android device/Blackberry/Palm/Newton? I have an amazing idea …

Unfortunately not. CISC 282 is a half-credit course that covers the fundamentals of web development – there is not enough time to learn app development as well.

Can I use WYSIWYG software for assignments?

No. Absolutely not. The goal of this course is to learn how to correctly do that which what you see is what you get software (e.g., Dreamweaver, FrontPage) attempts to do. If you use a WYSIWYG tool to complete an assignment then it will receive a grade of 0.

Do I need to buy a textbook?

No – there are many excellent resources online.