LIBR 240-11
Information Technology Tools and Applications
Spring 2011 Greensheet

Heather Ebey
E-mail
Office Location
Office Hours: Virtually by e-mail; online using Elluminate; Skype. Office hours in Elluminate are schedule when needed if the question cannot be resolved in email.


Course Links
Greensheet
Instructions
Calendar
Resources
D2L
iSchool eBookstore
 

Textbooks and Software | Course Requirements

This class section is using the Desire2Learn LMS, not ANGEL. The University will automatically enroll you in the Desire2Learn (D2L) course site before the start date.  (All  courses will be using D2L starting Summer 2011.) I will send more information through MySJSU about the class and D2L before the class begins. You will need to login to D2L to get the password to attend the mandatory Elluminate session on January 26, 2011, 7:00 p.m. PST.

Course Description

We will focus on best practices in modular Web design: standards-compliant XHTML for structure and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for presentation. We will discuss developing style sheets for screen, printer, and mobile devices. You will learn how to create web-based forms and a little bit about how to use the PHP and JavaScript languages. You will also learn how to use SSI (server side includes) for modular design. We’ll work with photographic images and graphics and learn how optimize images for the Web. We will introduce HTML 5.

We will spend several weeks focusing on integrating and using various Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, social bookmarking, online collaboration tools, creating RSS feeds, and digital storytelling. The course includes a brief introduction to XML and its style sheet language XSLT. Throughout the semester, there will be an emphasis on making a web site both accessible (U.S. Section 508 / WCAG 2.0) and usable.

Course Prerequisite: LIBR 202

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the course, a student should be able to:

  • Demonstrate and explain modular web design techniques using standards-based XHTML and CSS.
  • Know how to use CSS to support different devices (screen, printers, and handheld devices).
  • Develop conceptual and practical strategies for presenting information on the web.
  • Understand the client-server relationship and how to work with a Unix server.
  • Demonstrate use of Web 2.0 technologies such as RSS, blogs, wikis, Flickr, and optionally podcasting and video blogging (e.g., YouTube, Viddler) and how to integrate these with your web site.
  • Understand how to make Web pages more usable and accessible and demonstrate awareness of accessibility and cultural issues.
  • Be able to incorporate tables, interactive forms, images (optimized for web presentation) into web pages.
  • Understand the difference between client-side (JavaScript) and server-side (PHP) web programming and incorporate some JavaScript and PHP in web pages.
  • Work with files on a Unix server, execute basic Unix commands, and use a Unix text editor (pico or vi) for simple editing.
  • Build an XML file and access it via an XSLT style sheet.

LIBR 240 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

  • (G) Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge;
  • (H) Demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities.

Course Requirements

Technology Requirements
You should not take this class unless your computer and Internet access meets the minimum requirements described on the SLIS Home Computing requirements page (see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm).

You will need a high-speed connection (DSL, cable, etc.) to successfully take this class. I will assume that you meet the requirements.

Tasks to do Before the Class Begins
Please do the following prior to the Elluminate session on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. PST.

  • Order and receive the required text.
  • Make sure you have MS Word compatible software [Word is used to submit links to homework], two Internet browsers and a text or HTML editor installed on your computer. (See software requirements for Instructions page in above navigation.) A PDF reader, such as Adobe Reader, is required.
  • Visit the Desire2Learn course page before the mandatory Elluminate meeting at 7:00 p.m. PST, Wedneday, January 26th. Additional course related login and password information is available on the D2L course site in the first announcement.
  • We have a lot to cover, so start looking at the first assignment before the required Elluminate session on January 26th or as soon as you have access to Desire2Learn.
  • Take an Elluminate class if you do not know how to use Elluminate. See Student Guide to Elluminate (http://ischool.sjsu.edu/software/eluminate/students/).

Course Demands
This class requires a considerable amount of time each week. Depending on background and comfort with the technologies covered, students spend 10 to 20 hours per week reading / watching / listening to course material and completing assignments. You must have sufficient time to devote to the class if you want to be successful. The final project will likely take you 20 or more hours to complete.

Measuring Student Learning Outcomes
Assignment Points & Percentage of Grade

Fourteen Weekly Assignments 800 points 80%
Final Project 200 points 20%

Extra Credit
Opportunities to earn credit points will be available for select assignments throughout the semester. The total typically varies between 12 to 18 points depending on the semester, but the extra credit requires deeper understanding of the material.

Late Assignments and Incompletes
I will accept late assignments up to 2 days late, but the late assignment will get an automatic reduction of 10% of the available points. Late assignments are not eligible for extra credit points. I will not accept any assignment more than two (2) days after the due date with a one-time exception: You are permitted one no-penalty, no reason needed extension of one week on one assignment during the semester, but you must request it prior to the due date for the assignment. IMPORTANT: Users who take this one-week extension cannot be late on the next assignment. Unless otherwise stated on the assignment posted or on the dropbox label on Desire2Learn, an assignment is due by 8:00 a.m. PT each Tuesday and late assignments are due by 8:00 a.m. PT on the next Thursday in the same week.

Many assignments build on previous assignments, so you cannot skip an assignment without getting lost.

Final projects may be turned in between Tuesday, May 17th and Saturday, May 21st at 11:59 p.m. PT. No final project or any final project pages modified after Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PT will be accepted.

If you have an illness (medical certificate supplied) or a family tragedy, please contact the instructor.

No incompletes will be awarded.

Textbooks and Software

In addition to the required textbook, other required and recommended material will be assigned from online resources, Word documents, PDFs, and audio and video resources. Though I recommend CSS: The Missing Manual, other CSS books may be suitable. I have a list of recommended CSS books that I will provide in the first week. You can also use the King Library Safari Books Online (SJSU) database for recommended books, but not the required textbook. If you are unfamiliar with using the King Library databases, see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/resources/liborientation.htm

See instructions for details on software.

Required Textbooks:

  • Castro, E. (2006). HTML, XHTML, and CSS (6th ed.). Peachpit Press. Available through Amazon: 0321430840. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Recommended Textbooks:

  • McFarland, D. (2009). CSS: The missing manual (2nd ed.). Pogue Press. Available through Amazon: 0596802447. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

  • "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
    • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
    • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
  • "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

icon showing link leads to the PDF file viewer known as Acrobat Reader Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.