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The Art Institute of Atlanta
IMD 210 Fundamentals of Scripting Languages
Section A Spring 2005
Course Outline

Table of Contents
COURSE DESCRIPTION .........................................................................................................3
Credits ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Prerequisite..................................................................................................................................................... 3
OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................................3
COURSE INFORMATION .......................................................................................................3
Textbooks........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Supplemental Materials................................................................................................................................ 3
Technology...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Course Online ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Room/time....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Instructor ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
COURSE GRADING .................................................................................................................4
Quizzes & Exams........................................................................................................................................... 4
Extra Credit ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Grading Scale ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Submitting Assignments ............................................................................................................................... 5
Web Server ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Late Assignments........................................................................................................................................... 5
Exams and Quizzes ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Grading Policy ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Course Attendance Policy ............................................................................................................................ 5
Attendance Appeals Process ........................................................................................................................ 6
ACADEMIC HONESTY............................................................................................................6
DISCLAIMER ...........................................................................................................................6
SCHEDULE...............................................................................................................................7
STUDY QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................9
Week 2 Study Questions ............................................................................................................................... 9
Week 3 Study Questions and Readings...................................................................................................... 9
Week 4 Study Questions and Readings...................................................................................................... 9
Week 6 Study Questions and Readings....................................................................................................10

IMD 210 Fundamentals of Scripting Languages Section A Spring Quarter 2005 - Course Outline - The Art Institute of Atlanta 1

ASSIGNMENTS ......................................................................................................................11
Assignment 1. Course Weblog...................................................................................................................11
Assignment 2 CSS Layout ..........................................................................................................................11
Assignment 3. Site Redesign 1 ...................................................................................................................11
Assignment 4. Site Redesign 2 ...................................................................................................................11
EXTRA CREDIT .....................................................................................................................12
Extra Credit 1. CSS Tutorial.....................................................................................................................12
Extra Credit 2. Dynamic CSS....................................................................................................................12

Please note: The contents of this course outline may be revised by the instructor during the quarter.
The changes may be made to improve and facilitate the students’ achievement of the competencies for the course.


The Art Institute of Atlanta
IMD 210 Fundamentals of Scripting Languages
Section A
Course Outline, Spring 2005

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students develop basic programming concepts and skills and combine them with interface design skills. The course
emphasizes integrating programming concepts with interface design for a client-side environment

Credits
4 Credits, 6 Hours

Prerequisite
IMD 110 Interactive Design Concepts

OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
o Discuss the pros and cons of W3C standards in relation to XHTML and CSS
o Explain the concept(s) behind the separation of content structure from content presentation.
o Define and explain the concept of the Document Object Model.
o Discuss the relationship of the Document Object Model to XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript
o Redesign existing websites to adhere to W3C web standards
o Define and discuss absolute, relative, static, and fixed positioning methods
o Define and discuss the "Box Model" and its relationship to CSS layout techniques.
o Demonstrate proficiency writing CSS for web page layout and design
o Explain browser compatibility issues related to CSS
o Locate online information sources on accessibility
o Apply web accessibility guidelines when developing web sites
o Describe basic programming process
o Recognize basic programming concepts
o Demonstrate understanding of programming language syntax rules
o Demonstrate understanding of statements, data type, variables, operators, and expressions.
o Demonstrate understanding of conditional branching and repeat loops
o Demonstrate use of commenting code
o Perform programming fundamentals (loops, variables, conditionals) using JavaScript
o Apply JavaScript to XHTML pages to: open customized browser windows, detect form fields for valid data entry, and
create rollover effects to provide user feedback. Define the acronym DHTML
o Demonstrate the use of color, contrast, size, position, type and proximity to facilitate successful visual communication

COURSE INFORMATION
Textbooks
 Shafer, Dan.(2003).HTML Utopia:Designing Without Tables Using CSS. SitePoint. ISBN: 0-9579218-2-9
 Schmitt, Christopher. (2004). CSS Cookbook. O’Reilly. ISBN: 0-596-00576-8 (optional)
 Moncur, Michael. (2000). Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours. ISBN: 0-672-32025-8

Supplemental Materials
Blank CD-R’s, thumb drive, or portable hard drive for file storage. You will need a web account (server space) to
upload assignments. If you do not have an account, please contact the service bureau on 2nd floor.


Technology
Internet connectivity, Scanner, Adobe Photoshop, HTML editing software, FTP application.

Course Online
http://www.classbot.com/

Room/time
Day/Time Room
Class: Thurs 8:00-9:50 PM 320
Lab: Wed 6-9:50 PM 216

Instructor
Name: Aarron Walter
Phone: 770-689-5006
Email: aarron@classbot.com
Office hours: Mon. 4-6 PM
Thurs. 4-6 PM
Room 217

COURSE GRADING
The final grade will be based on the following scheduled activities:
Activity / Title Points %
Assignment
Assignment 1 Course Weblog 100 10
Assignment 2 CSS Layout 100 10
Assignment 3 Site Redesign 1 200 20
Assignment 4 Site Redesign 2 200 20

Quizzes & Exams
Weekly Quizzes 100 10
Final Exam 150 15
Midterm Exam 150 15

Extra Credit
Extra Credit 1 Dynamic Style Sheets 10 +1
Extra Credit 2 CSS Tutorial Site 10 +1

Grading Scale
% Grade % Grade % Grade % Grade
96-100 A 86-89 B+ 76-79 C+ =< 69 F
90-95 A- 83-85 B 73-75 C
80-82 B- 70-72 C-


Submitting Assignments
Every student will create a personal online “jump” page for this class. The URL for this page should be posted in the
Class Bot drop box by the specified deadline.

All assignments need to be uploaded to a web server by the stipulated time/date and linked from your personal
“jump” page. Each student’s jump page must have the following information on it:
o Your Name
o Course number, name and section
o Instructor’s name
o Assignment titles
o Your email contact link.
o Links to all assignments (typically the assignment title)

Web Server
Please note that all your assignments need to be submitted online. You may use the student server (5MB free) or
your own server space so long as it is not a free server such as Free Webs, Geo Cities, Angel Fire, etc. Any
assignments submitted on a free server will not be accepted.

Late Assignments
If an assignment cannot be accessed online on the due date, it will not be graded, resulting in a 0 for the assignment.
If an assignment is not received on time, it cannot be resubmitted.

Exams and Quizzes
The midterm and the final exams must be taken at the scheduled time/date. Failure to appear for these exams will
result in a score of ‘0’ for the corresponding test. Similarly, if you are absent or late on the day of a quiz, you will
not be able to take the quiz and will receive a “0” for the corresponding quiz.

Grading Policy
Please note that per the department policy, in order to take the portfolio class and graduate, all students in the
Interactive Media Design program need to have a grade of C or higher in all core courses (courses beginning with
IMD).
It is the goal of this policy to improve the academic performance of students in the classroom by stressing the
importance of course attendance and reinforcing the work-ready expectations of employers for employee attendance.

Students should be prepared to start the quarter the first day of classes and to drop/add courses early in the first week
of the quarter to minimize absences.

The following attendance requirements are in addition to and amend those currently published in the AIA Student
Handbook and Daily Planner.

Course Attendance Policy
o Students are required to attend all class meetings, to arrive on time, and to stay for the full duration of the class.
o Students arriving 20 minutes after the start of each class will be marked absent. Students who leave class before the
class is over and without the approval of the instructor will be marked absent.
o Students who accumulate more than three absences may be dropped from the course and a grade of “FS,”
Fail/Suspension, will be recorded for the course. Students who are suspended receive no refund for the course.

There are no excused absences. Students may verify their attendance with the instructor of the course. In the event a
student is suspended from a course and believes an error in recording attendance has been made, he or she should
first contact the instructor.


Attendance Appeals Process
Students may appeal a course suspension. Such appeals must be made in writing to the Registrar. Appeals will only
be considered when the absences were beyond the control of the student and all absences are fully documented.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As a member of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual
and academic integrity. Under all circumstances, students are expected to be honest in their dealings with faculty,
administrative staff, and fellow students. In speaking with any member of the college community, students must
give an accurate representation of the facts at hand. Students are required to refrain from any and all forms of
dishonorable or unethical conduct related to academic work. In class assignments, students must submit work that
fairly and accurately reflects their level of accomplishment. Any work that is not the product of the student’s own
efforts is considered dishonest. Engaging in academic dishonesty can have serious consequences for the students.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:
o Cheating
o Plagiarism
o Submission of the same work in two or more classes without prior approval of the course faculty involved.
o Submission of any work (full or partial) not actually produced by the student.
o Submission of any work without clear acknowledgement (reference/credit) of the original author or creator of work.

Students proven to have been dishonest in submitting or presenting their work in this class will receive the F (fail)
grade for the class. Record of this incident will also be kept in the student’s file. If such an incidence occurs and you
would like to file a written appeal, you may do so with the academic director of the department.

DISCLAIMER
All work designed and developed in this class should carry the following statement (typically displayed at the
bottom of the page):
This interactive media project was created by students for educational purposes at The Art Institute of
Atlanta and is in no way intended for commercial gain or as a source of public information.


SCHEDULE
Date Reading Assignments Due Topic/Activity
to be Completed Before
Class

Wed. Lab Create course blog.
4/6 CSS Review
(wk 1)

Thurs. Class http://www.macromedia.c Putting CSS into Perspective
4/7 om/devnet/contribute/artic CSS: the separation of content structure from
(wk 1) les/hakon_lie_interview.ht content presentation.
ml

Wed. Lab Assignment 1: CSS positioning techniques.
4/13 Course Web Log Create a CSS-only layout.
(wk 2)

Thurs. Class Designing Without The Box Model
4/14 Tables Using CSS Box properties
(wk 2) Ch. 4: CSS Website CSS Positioning: Static, Relative, Absolute,
Design and Fixed.
Ch.5: Building the
Skeleton

Wed. Lab Examining CSS Zen Garden mark-up.
4/20 Converting table layout to CSS-based layout.
(wk 3)

Thurs. Class Designing Without Advanced CSS positioning concepts.
4/21 Tables Using CSS
(wk 3) Ch. 6: Putting Things in
Their Place

http://www.positionisever
ything.net/articles/flow-
pos.html

ything.net/articles/float-
theory.html

Wed. Lab http://www.sitepoint.com/ CSS menu systems using list elements
4/27 article/browser-specific-
(wk 4) css-hacks

Thurs. Class CSS Cookbook Midterm review
4/28 Ch. 9: Hacks and Examining CSS browser bugs and current
(wk 4) Workarounds solutions.
http://www.positionisever The Box Model Hacks
ything.net/articles/doctype
s.html

ything.net/articles/box-
model.html

Wed. Lab Assignment 2. CSS CSS Zen Garden show and tell
5/4 Layout Introduction to Redesign 1 assignment
(wk 5) Commence planning, designing and
production of Redesign 1 assignment


Date Reading Assignments Due Topic/Activity
to be Completed Before
Class

Thurs. Class Midterm Exam
5/5
(wk 5)

Wed. Lab CSS design techniques
5/11
(wk 6)

Thurs. Class Designing Without How CSS deals with fonts
5/12 Tables Using CSS Text properties and effects
(wk 6) Ch. 8: Making Fonts
Consistent
Ch. 9: Text Effects and
the Cascade.

Wed. Lab Assignment 3: Presentations of redesign site
5/18 Redesign 1 Rollovers and transparent PNG’s
(wk 7) Using youngpup.net script libraries.
Manipulating windows

Thurs. Class Sams Teach Yourself Pseudo-code
5/19 JavaScript Program flow diagrams
(wk 7) Ch. 1: Understanding JavaScript “dot” syntax
JavaScript (Math vs. logical operators)
Ch.4: How JavaScript
Programs Work
Ch.10: Working with the
Document Object Model
Ch. 12: Responding to
Events

Wed. Lab Browser detection
5/25 Form validation
(wk 8) Browser windows

Thurs. Class Sams Teach Yourself Strings
5/26 JavaScript Conditionals (if…else)
(wk 8) Ch. 5: Using Variables Local & global variables (scoping)
and Functions Arrays
Ch.6: Using Strings and Review for Final Exam
Arrays
Ch.7: Testing and
Comparing Values
Ch. 13: Using Windows
and Frames

Wed. Lab Work on Redesign 2
6/1
(wk 9)

Thurs. Class "Show and Tell" current progress on final
6/2 assignment.
(wk 9)

Wed. Lab Assignment 4: Presentation of final redesign assignment.
6/8 Redesign 2
(wk 10)

Thurs. Class Final Exam
6/9
(wk 10)


STUDY QUESTIONS
Week 2 Study Questions
1. What are the five main rules in writing well structured XHTML
2. Why is it important to separate content from presentation?
3. Why is it important to validate our mark-up & CSS?
4. What are the two major parts of a CSS rule?
5. Define these tags: th, thead, thead, tbody, caption.
6. Define these CSS properties: float, margin, padding, and border.
7. Define these CSS properties: font-family, font-size, line-height, letter-spacing.
8. What is the “Box Model?”
9. What is the difference between a CSS class and an ID?
10. What is the difference between a DIV and a SPAN?
11. How does the term “Cascade” relate to the conflicts in CSS rules?
12. What is the purpose of the Document Type Declaration?
13. What is the difference between a browser’s “quirks” mode and it’s “standards” model?
14. Define inline, embedded, and external (aka. Local, global, and linked) Stylesheets?

Additional Resources
o http://www.nypl.org/styleguide/
o http://www.alistapart.com/stories/betterliving/
o http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/css/propindex/all.htm

Week 3 Study Questions and Readings
15. Who is Jeffery Zeldman, and why is he so well known?
16. What is z-index and how is it used?
17. How does the float property work?
18. Explain absolute positioning.
19. Explain relative positioning
20. Explain fixed positioning
21. What effect does margin, border, and padding have on an element’s width?
22. Draw a diagram explaining the “Box Model”.
23. What is one way to cure many IE browser bugs?
24. What is the effect of using the clear property with floated elements?

25. What site tracks and documents CSS bug and hacks?
26. How can we circumventing a majority of IE/PC bugs without using hacks?
27. What is one way to catch design problems before they become too complicated to repair?
28. What browsers should be used when designing with CSS?
29. What is one method of circumventing Netscape 4 CSS issues?
30. Which HTML tags are used in creating CSS menu systems?

o http://www.positioniseverything.net/ie-primer.html
o http://youngpup.net/2004/condcomm
o http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/ccomment_ovw.asp


31. What is the Document Object Model (DOM)?
32. Does every browser make use of the same DOM?
33. What are some of JavaScript’s capabilities?
34. Is JavaScript a server-side or client-side technology?
35. What is an activity diagram?
36. What is meant by branching in activity diagrams?

o http://pigseye.kennesaw.edu/~dbraun/csis4650/A&D/UML_tutorial/diagrams.htm
o http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/98/37/index3a.html?tw=backend

37. Write both an HTML comment and a JavaScript comment.
38. What is the difference between a string and a number?
39. What is the result of the alert() method?
40. What is the result of the document.write() method?
41. What is an event handler?
42. What is a conditional statement used for?
43. What is a variable?
44. What is the difference between a local and a global variable?
45. How would you make a link that opens a pop-up window?
46. How would you write a link to close a pop-up window?

o http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/98/37/index3a.html?tw=backend
o http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/javascript/index.html

47. What is an Array?
48. What is a conditional statement?
49. What is the difference between an variable and an array?
50. What is a repeat loop?
51. What does the indexOf () string method perform?
52. What does the charAt() string method perform?
53. What does the substring() string method perform?
54. What is browser detection?
55. What is form validation?

o http://www.classbot.com/javascript/


ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1. Course Web Log
Create a course journal using blogger.com. Create your own custom template, and improve it as the quarter continues.
Your blog should be posting to your server space and working properly by the end of lab one. At week five, you should
have your own custom template in place following basic design principles. By then end of the quarter, your blog should
make use of an external style sheet for its formatting and layout, and should use valid XHTML and CSS.
Include all links to all assignments per the instructions in the above the section titled, “Submitting Assignments”.

Marking Criteria
Total Points: /100
o Technical sophistication (50)
o Visual sophistication (50)

Assignment 2. CSS Layout
Using the example XHTML provided at http://csszengarden.com, create a unique layout and page design for this single
XHTML document. You are not allowed to modify the HTML at all. You may use embedded style sheets during the design
process, but they must be externalized once the design is complete. You are not allowed to begin with the example CSS file.
You may consult it, but you must build your CSS from scratch. A word of advice, keep the style rules as simple as possible.
Often students will create odd combinations of negative margins, absolute positioning and padding to nudge things around
the page. More often than not, the same results can be had using only positioning. When things get too complex, scrap the
style rule and start fresh. You will end up with the answer faster and with cleaner code. Be diligent in planning your design
on paper first. Look at the examples at CSSZenGarden.com and realize just how high the benchmark has been set.

Marking Criteria:
Total Points: /100

Assignment 3. Site Redesign 1
Redesign the SPOA (Skate Park of Athens, http://www.diggiemoon.com/spoa/ ). Use XHTML 1.0 Transitional markup and
CSS for layout. You will be redesigning 4 pages (Home, The Plan, News, Donate). If you plan the page structure well
before you begin, the process will go much more smoothly. Firstly, create and validate the clean, well-structured XHTML.
Second, apply the style. The site must appear to be 90% consistent between Internet Explorer 6 (PC), Mozilla /Firefox, and
Opera 7.

Marking Criteria
Total Points: /200

Assignment 4. Site Redesign 2
Redesign the following web site. Use XHTML 1.0 Transitional markup and CSS for layout. (http://thisamericanlife.org/)
The assignment has the same criteria as Redesign 1. The assignment has more pages and more content to work with.
The following pages are required to be redesigned. Redesign the site as if it only consisted of the following pages:

o Home - http://thisamericanlife.com/
o Never heard us? - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/about.html
o Where to Listen - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/listen.html
o Press Clips - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/press.html
o Staff - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/staff.html
o All Episodes - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/archives/archivemain.html
o FAQ - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/faq.html
o Mailinglist - http://epistolary.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/thislife
o For Educators - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/educate.html
o Internships - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/faq_extras/internships.html


o Submitting Work - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/faq_extras/faqsubmissions.html
o Contact us - http://thisamericanlife.com/pages/contact.html

You are NOT allowed to redesign the logo.
You are NOT allowed to edit down the copy.
You ARE allowed to reorganize and restructure the content to improve the information architecture and usability.
You must retain the sponsor logos.

Marking Criteria
Total Points: /200

EXTRA CREDIT
Extra Credit 1. CSS Tutorial
Create a tutorial site on the use of CSS. Your navigation system will have buttons/links labeled ‘Home’, ‘CSS intro' (w/ sub
pages -local, global, and linked),'Style rules'(discuss - selectors, properties, and values),'The Box Model' (discuss - padding,
borders and margins), and "Links to resources".

Your user interface should indicate where one is in the site. Your site should also demonstrate your understanding of divs,
used both as a placement/layout device AND as a tool for creating design elements. Your site should demonstrate the
separation of content from presentation. This includes properties such as colors, typography, and positioning. Be sure to
keep your code clear and well commented.

Marking Criteria
Total Points: /10
o Quality of content (4)

Extra Credit 2. Dynamic CSS
Create 4 extra style sheets for your course blog. Add five links to the blog, which will activate the style sheets upon clicking
the link. See http://www.ailistapart.com for further information on approaches to this problem.

Marking Criteria
Total Points: /10


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