DWDD 1720 - Course Syllabus

Course Description

Introduces the fundamentals of computer programming and problem solving using the current industry standard scripting languages. Emphasizes the fundamentals of structured and object-oriented programming, syntax, semantics, control structures, arrays, file I/O, testing/debugging, implementation, and the construction of graphical user interfaces. Applies these concepts to manipulate digital images, sound, movies, text, and web pages that are heavily used as digital media.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify the syntax and semantics of procedural programming: assignment, sequential operations, iteration, conditionals, functions and arrays
• Use object-oriented design to build a simple program
• Implement proper design, debugging and testing for simple programs
• Explain data structures, algorithms, and program efficiency
• Explain how digital media is represented and manipulated

Prerequisites and Needed Skills

• There are no prerequisites for Scripting for Internet Technologies

Materials, Fees and Technology Tools

Textbooks

There are no required books for this class

Software

You will need the following software if you are using a Macintosh computer.

• Download your free copy of Visual Studio Code for Macintosh. It color codes your documents.

You will need the following software if you are using a Windows computer.

• Download your free copy of Visual Studio Code for Windows. It color codes your documents.

Web Hosting

You will create a free account on GitHub and Netlify to host and publish your assignments.

Course Fees

None

Incorporating AI Tools in Web Development Coursework: Guidelines for Proper Use

In this course, we immerse ourselves in the rapidly evolving world of web development, and an exciting aspect of our journey involves leveraging the cutting-edge capabilities of AI tools such as GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT and our course specific DWDD 1720 ChatBot. These resources are introduced as learning assistants designed to enhance your understanding and expedite your mastery of web development concepts.

However, it's crucial to understand the intended role of AI in your educational experience. You are encouraged to utilize AI as a supplementary aid that streamlines research, sparks ideas, and refines coding skills. Yet, it is imperative that any AI-generated content not replace the fundamental learning process. AI should serve as a springboard for your creativity and analytical thinking, not as a substitute for these essential skills.

To maintain academic integrity and promote a genuine learning environment, adhere to the following directives:

1. Accountability. As a developer, you are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any code, whether it originates from your own efforts or AI assistance, performs its intended function and accurately reflects your own understanding and intention. Actively verify that any generated code meets the assignment's requirements and adheres to best practices.
2. Critical Engagement. Do not accept AI-generated content uncritically. Always review and understand the output thoroughly. This critical engagement ensures that you grasp the underlying principles and can confidently explain and justify the work presented as your own.
3. Skill Development. The ability to adeptly employ AI tools is quickly becoming an expectation in the tech industry. We aim to equip you with this vital competency. Nevertheless, remember that AI assistance is merely one aspect of your development as a proficient web developer. True mastery comes from persistent practice and diligent study.
4. The Pursuit of Excellence. While AI may accelerate your learning process, it's no replacement for the hard work and dedication necessary to achieve excellence in web development. Embrace the technologies that can aid your progress, but never lose sight of the commitment required to excel in your field.

By following these guidelines, you ensure that your interaction with AI tools like ChatGPT enriches your education and prepares you for a successful career in web development. Let us use AI to propel us toward deeper understanding and more complex challenges, transforming our class time into an engaging exploration of what lies at the forefront of technology.

Competency Based Education

In Competency Based Education or CBE you must demonstrate that you are competent in every module of the course. This way we know that you are prepared for later courses.

"C's get degrees" may be a catchy phrase, but it will not work in our field. Digital Media is skill-based, and you need to acquire these skills in order to succeed. Although you may be frustrated when you have to redo an assignment, we have discovered that students appreciate the opportunity to keep working till the understand.

Quotes from previous students.

"I think it helps review the material and actually learn it."

"I enjoy the opportunity to keep perfecting my assignments until they are the best they can be."

"For me repetition is key. The more I retake the quizzes the better I remember what I’ve learned so I don’t mind having to retake them if I didn’t do well."

The assignments for this course are broken into two different kinds. Units 1 through 12 and optional capstone projects.

Units 1 through 12

You may complete these assignments at your own speed as long as you are done with all of then prior to the end of the semester (Reading Day).

If you want to complete this course in 6 weeks, you may. If you want to take the full 15 weeks, you may. While the time you take to achieve competency will vary, you must pass each assignment at 90% in order to pass the class. By passing the first 12 units in the course, you will receive a final grade of a "B". Failing to complete all 12 units will result is a final grade of "F"

Optional Capstone Activities

If you want to improve your grade above a "B", there will be several activities that you can complete. Your level of achievement these optional assignments will determine whether you receive a B+, A-, or A. for the class. If you want to complete the optional capstone assignments, they will be due by Thursday night of finals week.

Procrastination

A word about procrastination, do not expect that you can procrastinate until the last weeks of the semester to complete everything on-time. It may take several reviews of an assignment and several revisions on your part to get the assignment correct.

If you have learned to make excuses for decisions that result in poor performance or you have never learned to pace yourself to complete assignments on-time, "You must unlearn what you have learned." —Yoda.

Grading Your Work

Assignments will be graded within a couple of days of being submitted in Canvas (excluding weekends). If your assignment does not meet the minimum criteria, you will be given detailed comments about what you need to correct and receive a temporary score of "0" for the assignment. Once you have redone your assignment, you must resubmit your assignment in Canvas so it can be regraded. This process will occur over and over until you complete the assignment at 90%.

Learning Activities

Instructional Videos

This course will rely heavily on screen casts (videos showing a computer screen and narrated by Dr. Cheney) to communicate the material we cover in class. These videos provide the optimal opportunity for you to control when and where you study. You can also pause the video while you get a snack or try to make your code work like the example. Have you ever been able to do that during a philosophy or history lecture? Most of the lessons will have video tutorials that show you how to complete an activity that is similar to the one you will work on. We hope you enjoy the benefits of mobile learning! Links to these videos are in each Canvas module on a page titled "Instructional Videos"

Assignments

Of course no lesson is complete without providing you an opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned. These carefully designed assignments will require you to demonstrate what you have learned from the instructional videos. You will NOT be allowed to copy code from any other source when completing the unit assignments. You get to hand code each assignment without the assistance of a WYSIWYG program like Dreamweaver. The assignment for each unit builds on the code you wrote for the previous unit, so it's important that you keep up.

Reflection Questions

Research has shown that when adult learners take time to reflect on what they have done, they can better apply their current knowledge to future problems. You will be responding to several questions for each lesson that will help you as you reflect on what you just learned. While some of these do have a correct answer, many do not have right and wrong answers. You will be graded on accurate, complete, and thoughtful responses to each set of questions. In addition, you will have the pportunity to learn from industry experts and think about how they can inform you scholarship as you learn web development.

Examples

I provide an example of each assignment so you can see how it functions and what you should be working towards. You can compare your work (function, presentation, design) against my example and self-assess how well you’re doing.

Quizzes

This course includes several quizzes which you can take when you are ready. Because this course is competency based, you will have unlimited chances to take each quiz. You are free to use your notes and even the internet to help you get a better score. You must retake each quiz until you get a score of 90%.

Capstone Activities

After completing all the required units at 90%, you will earn a 'B', You may improve your grade towards an 'A' in this course by completing all or part of the Capstone activities. You only have one chance at the capstone project so do your best the first time. This will be graded against the criteria and points awarded.

Suggested Due Dates for Units

Although there are no hard deadlines for assignments in this class, you will need to pace yourself so you don't run out of time.

The hard deadline for units 1- 13 is the last day of class (before finals week starts)

Optional Capstone Project due the Wednesday of finals week at midnight.

Delivery Mode

This class may be delivered as face to face, blended, or online.

Workload Expectations

As with all 3 credit classes you are expected to spend 12 hours a week completing the learning activities and doing the assignments for each module.

Course Designer

Paul Cheney received his master's degree from Utah State University in Instructional Technology and worked as a civilian for the United States Air Force doing interactive computer-based firefighter training. He and his family then moved to Provo, Utah where he worked at Brigham Young University for five years in the Instructional Technology Center. While there, he was involved in authoring multimedia, digitizing video, training faculty in instructional technology, and QTVR. He then moved with his family to Buena Vista, VA where he joined the faculty at Southern Virginia University. While there he taught multi-media design courses, served as the Director of Media and Instructional Technology, and completed a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Ten years after moving to Virginia he returned to Utah where he is now at Utah Valley University teaching courses in their Digital Media department.

Accommodations/Students with Disabilities

Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, prohibit Utah Valley University from engaging in discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity. Discrimination is also prohibited in all aspects of employment against persons with disabilities who, with reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of a job.

Students who believe they have been denied program access or otherwise discriminated against because of a disability are encouraged to initiate a grievance by contacting the Accessibility Services Director, Sherry Page at 801-863-8747. Employees can contact the ADA Coordinator, Irene Whittier at 801-863-8389.

Upon request, this information is available in alternative formats, such as mp3, Braille, or large print. To request this format, email asd@uvu.edu.

Statement from Accessibility Services

Students needing accommodations due to a disability including temporary and pregnancy accommodations may contact the UVU Accessibility Services at accessibilityservices@uvu.edu or 801-863-8747. Accessibility Services is located on the Orem Campus in LC 312.

Academic Integrity

At Utah Valley University, faculty and students operate in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Maintaining an atmosphere of academic integrity allows for free exchange of ideas and enables all members of the community to achieve their highest potential. Our goal is to foster an intellectual atmosphere that produces scholars of integrity and imaginative thought. In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged and UVU students are expected to produce their own original academic work.

Faculty and students share the responsibility of ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment at UVU. Students have a responsibility to promote academic integrity at the university by not participating in or facilitating others' participation in any act of academic dishonesty. As members of the academic community, students must become familiar with their rights and responsibilities. In each course, they are responsible for knowing the requirements and restrictions regarding research and writing, assessments, collaborative work, the use of study aids, the appropriateness of assistance, and other issues. Likewise, instructors are responsible to clearly state expectations and model best practices.

Further information on what constitutes academic dishonesty is detailed in UVU Policy 541: Student Code of Conduct.

Equity and Title IX

Title IX states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Students who believe they have been excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or discriminated against because of their sex may contact the EO/AA office to make a report, ask questions, or share concerns by email at: titleix@uvu.edu, in-person at BA-203, or by phone at: (801) 863-7999. To learn more about the Equity and Title IX office please visit us online

Religious accommodation

UVU values and acknowledges a wide range of faiths and religions as part of our student body, and as such provides accommodations for students. Religious belief includes the student's faith or conscience as well as the student's participation in an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student's religious tradition or religious organization. The accommodations include reasonable student absences from scheduled examinations or academic requirements if they create an undue hardship for sincerely held religious beliefs. For this to occur, the student must provide a written notice to the instructor of the course for which the student seeks said accommodation prior to the event.

The UVU campus has a place for meditation, prayer, reflection, or other forms of individual religious expression as is described on their website.