Web Development for Non-TechiesRalph Westfall, Ph.D. updated June 2013

http:/www.csupomona.edu/~rdwestfall/120common/WebDev4Non-Techies.ppt

Opportunity

• Web sites are a very effective form of communication• anything that can be published in other media can

be published on a web site• web pages can include interactive and multimedia

content, as opposed to print media • content can be updated faster than print media• content can be available to over one billion people• less "gatekeeping" than in mainstream media

Web development NOT difficult• If students know what tools (mostly free) are

available

• If assignments are coordinated into an efficient sequence: simpler to more complex

• If pedagogy effectively exploits possibilities for social learning

Problems

• General perceptions that • web development is difficult and/or • requires a lot of technical skills

• Demands on students' time discourage them from taking courses "for fun"

Solution: CIS 120

• FUNdamentals of Web Site Development

• Credit/no credit minimizes risks for students who lack confidence in their ability to do this

• Online delivery makes it easier to fit course into complicated schedules• allows students to use computers at convenient

locations: home, campus lab, at work (with permission), friend's residence, etc.

• Online mode also facilitates students learning from efforts of other students

10 Assignments - One per Week

• 1st: post message on CourseSites (Blackboard) discussion board (actually creates a web page)

• 2nd and 3rd: use free servers and images that are not subject to copyright restrictions

• 4th: upload scanned plans to campus server• 5th: use a very "hands on" HTML tutorial• 6th: use a trial or free authoring tool• 7th and 8th: graphics, multimedia and widgets• 9th: search engine optimization• Term Project: "Dream Web Site"

Social Context Enhances Learning

• Every student posts summary of work on each assignment (including links) to discussion board• providing examples for students who are less

knowledgeable about that week's topic

• In some weeks, each student posts a constructive critique of another student's work• provides more exposure to the possibilities• encourages critical thinking

• Downside: some students skipped some requirements on the last assignment and a number of others followed their lead

High Level of Student Autonomy

• Assignments tell generally what to do, what to use, but students can apply these base requirements to any topic they want• promotes "ownership" of the learning activities• contrary to what some might expect, students do

not abuse this freedom

• Assignments usually include options• can choose between doing this or that, this way or

that way

• Credit/no credit assignments allow students to do more than minimum if they have time or are very interested in week's topic

Problems/Solutions

• Credit/no credit draws enrolment of students who don't do any work or do substandard work• contract plus follow-up reduces registration abuses• escalating resubmission penalties (1st10%; 2nd 20%;

3rd 40%; 4th 80%) encourage greater focus

• Students have difficulty with written instructions• continuous improvement of assignments based on

problems that show up in grading and/or student email to instructor in CourseSites's Messages area

• Subject matter keeps changing/evolving• environmental scanning + things students find

What Kind of Textbook for Class?

• Textbooks are expensive

• Students don't read them that much, anyway

• Textbooks quickly become out-of-date

• Class is on and about the Internet

Textbook (and Additional Material)

Self-Service Not Always Good• Course emphasizes autonomy and encourages

students to find what works best for them

• However web authoring tools have become so sophisticated that it's becoming unrealistic to expect students to find, evaluate and select ones that will work best for them

• Shifted to identifying recommended alternatives and good online tutorials for them• recommendations are tailored to self-perceptions of

capabilities i.e., technical level

Keys to Success

• Credit/non-credit reduces the risk for non-technical students

• Allowing students to pick their own topics leads to increased involvement

• Discussion board posting requirement for every assignment—and peer reviews for almost half of them—provide examples, help generate ideas and encourage better efforts

• Distance learning format reduces schedule conflicts

More Success Factors

• Emphasis on locating and using free materials from the Internet • reduces barriers to being in the class (no software

or textbook costs)• provides a model of Internet usage that students

could continue to follow after the end of the term to maintain the skills learned in the class

Samples of Student Work• Animal Shelter

• BelizeanExperience

• ChowChow Rescue

• Danielle's Delights

• Edwardson Designs

• Fist2Face Productions

• Gamer's Union

• Sweet Pastries Boulangerie and Café

• Technology-Assisted Learning

Outside Sites Initiated in CIS 120

• Following the Sun• fundraising by a survivor for research on a very rare

cancer, and support for people who have it (subsequently migrated to WordPress)

• Stazi Summers• page created by student for her niece

• The DoubleKnot• one of the twins prototyped this site in the course,

and then had a professional developer enhance it