INFO 246-14
Information Technology Tools and Applications
Topic: Learning to use Drupal and Understanding Content Management Systems (CMS)
Spring 2021 Syllabus

Raymond Dean
E-mail
Office location: Stockton, MO
Office Hours: Virtually by e-mail

This course does not use Canvas

One day before the semester starts, you will receive a MySJSU message with instructions for accessing the course website.

Course Description

We will learn to build and maintain a website using the Drupal content management system. We will get our feet wet with some basic theme and module coding. However, this is not primarily a coding class, and no prior coding experience is required. Most of the work will involve using Drupal's web-based interface.

Course Requirements

You will complete 14 assignments in order to demonstrate the application of the concepts learned. There will be no tests or quizzes.

Written and video tutorials will be provided to demonstrate how to complete each assignment.

Throughout the course, you will be expected to create a journal entry addressing an issue relevant to the lesson's topic of discussion.

Course Calendar

Grading

• 14 Assignments: 900 points (90%)
• Weekly Journal/Participation: 100 points (10%)

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Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

INFO 246 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the features and benefits of content management systems.
2. Create custom forms and gather data.
3. Install and enable themes and modules.
4. Create user roles and assign permissions.
5. Use taxonomies and menus to organize content.
6. Create custom content types.
7. Display content using views and contributed modules.
8. Combine modules and settings to create complex features.
9. Create a basic Drupal module.
10. Manage media for a Drupal website.
11. Develop workflow processes.
12. Understand the basics of Drupal theming practices.
13. Implement Drupal best practices in site development and maintenance.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 246 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

No Textbooks For This Course.

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Grading Scale

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

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 or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — 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 if you wish to stay in the program. 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.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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