The following five preparatory assignments are to be submitted by the
dates listed on the syllabus. The first and second of these, due in the
third and seventh weeks of term respectively, are required of every student
considering the web project option. The others are all group assignments,
and as such are the responsibility of each project team as a whole. The
group assignments require the creation of web pages of increasing complexity.
Submission of these assignments takes the form of an email to
the instructor (cc'd to all members of the group) indicating the URL of
the completed assignment, along with the working title of the project
and the names of all group members.
- Web project critique: a three-page essay
critically evaluating two existing student projects on the ECE site,
one chosen from the Professor's Picks
section, and one that is not included there. Each site should be considered
with respect to both content and design, and with specific reference
to the web design principles outlined elsewhere
on this site.
- Project proposal: a two- to three-paragraph
description of the scope and purpose of a proposed web project. Save
your description as a simple html file on your personal server space
with the file name "proposal.html," being sure also to provide
your name and the title of the proposed project. Print out a copy of
this file using your web browser and turn it in by the specified date.
In addition, please post a brief message to "web project proposals"
discussion thread on the class Coursetools
page indicating the title of your project and the complete URL of
your proposal.html file. This way, other students can read your description
and contact you if they're interested in working on your project.
- Preliminary bibliography: a properly
formatted list of six or more works, including at least one primary
source and at least one journal article, that you have identified as
potentially useful for your research. The list need not be annotated
at this stage. Prepare as a simple html file on one team member's personal
server space with the file name "bibliography.html". See the
ECE bibliography page for tips
on building and formatting your bibliography.
- Preliminary outline: a schematic overview
of the structure and content of your site in the form of a provisional
skeleton site, consisting of linked pages containing brief summaries
of their eventual content and links to the other main pages to which
they will be connected. The home page of your skeleton site should have
the filename "index.html". Submit your site by uploading
it to your ECE project folder.
- Draft introduction: a more fully fleshed out skeleton site, including a finished mock-up of your site's front page and at least two polished content pages. The front page should display all required information (see project requirements) and provide live links to the rest of your site, including the main content pages and also notes, bibliography, and credits pages. This assignment is to be submitted by uploading it to your group's project folder on the ECE site.
