HTML-2: Syllabus

Contacting Your Instructor - Muiz Brinkerhoff

Email:

classes@insideSkills.com
for personal communications with me, email is the BEST way to contact me.

You MUST put 'CS-50.11B' at the BEGINNING of the Subject line of EVERY email to me. There is NO GUARANTEE I will find your email and respond to it, if this Subject line prefix is missing.

NOTE: ALL requests for help with COURSE WORK and ASSIGMENTS, MUST be posted in the Discussion Forum, so that all students can see the question and can benefit by the answer or answers posted, and also to avoid my having to answer the same question multiple times in multiple private emails.

Requests for help of a non-personal nature sent via email will be returned, so they can be posted in the appropriate Forum area.

Also use a descriptive Subject so that I can easily determine the topic, as well as locate the email again if needed. It's pretty frustrating to have a series of emails in my box with no subject, or just the generic word 'Help' in the subject.

Thanks in advance for honoring these 2 requests. There is NO GUARANTEE that I will respond to any email that is missing either of these 2 features.

Email is usually answered within 24 hours, if not sooner.

Discussion Forum:

This is where you'll post ALL requests for help with ASSIGNMENTS and COURSE WORK, so that everyone in the class can benefit from the answers. It is also where you'll post your replies to the various assignment segments and Discussion Topics, and where you can also post Tips, Tricks, and other Resources that you've discovered that you'd like to share with the class.

In-Person Open Lab Hours

Santa Rosa Campus, room 2812, 2nd Flr Maggini
Thurs 12 noon - 2pm
(This is an Open Lab session following the weekly lecture/demonstration session)

In-Person Office Hours

Thursdays, 2 - 2.30pm (after the Open Lab session)
Adjunct Faculty Office (inside the CS Office, 3rd Flr Maggini Hall, Santa Rosa Campus)

Online Office Hours

Tues 9.30 - 10am,
using CCC Confer Virtual Office/Classroom powered by Elluminate!

--login at cccConfer.org, in the Office Hours section
http://www.cccconfer.org/products.aspx
and enter your first name, last name, email address, a screen name (your first name and first initial of your last name) plus the passcode, 298512.

NOTE: You CANNOT use your computer's built in microphone and normal speakers for the Online Office Hours session, as they will produce a very annoying echo of everything you say and hear, which will make clear communication for everyone too difficult.

For those without a fast internet connection, or without a plug-in headset, there is the possibility of dialing in to a toll free number, and joining my Office Hours session via your telephone.

HOWEVER, I will not REGULARLY be dialing into the telephone conference portion of my Office Hours session. You MUST FIRST alert me via email that you need to exercise this option.

If you do, and if I confirm that I'll speak with you via CCC Confer's Telephone Conference Session, you will then dial in to the following toll free number

1-888-886-3951

and enter the passcode, 298512, followed by a hash symbol (#) when prompted

NOTE: you MUST get your computer configured with two Java applications BEFORE attempting to login and join your first cccConfer office hours session. This configuration/readiness confirmation can take as little as 5, or as long as 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether or not you have the latest Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP), and Java Web Start (Javaws), applications installed already on your computer, and the speed of your internet connection.

Complete the configuration/readiness confirmation step, using the link below, ASAP, so that you'll be ready to join an office hours session, should you need to.

cccconfer.org/support/supportReadiness.aspx

Muiz's various Websites & Homepages:

www.insideSkills.com/classes
This is where you are right now. It is my own personal domain (a subsection of my InsideSkills.com domain), not connected to any of the official SRJC websites. This is where all of my class section websites are located. Each of the official college class section pages you may see at CATE (online.santarosa.edu), have links that point back here to this domain, and the appropriate class websites located here.

online.santarosa.edu/homepage/mbrinkerhoff
This URL leads to my official SRJC homepage. It is located at the SRJC CATE system website. CATE stands for Center for Advanced Technology in Education, which is a course management system where instructors can create entire course websites, with tests, gradebooks, mailing lists, and bulletin boards, etc. Many instructors at the college, and especially those who don't have the time or interest in creating their own separate course websites, host their course websites, course materials, and gradebooks for their online classes at CATE. My homepage at CATE has a link which points back to this insideSkills.com/classes site, as do all of my individual official Class Section web pages also found at CATE (online.santarosa.edu).

The important thing to keep in mind is that the various websites are separate, though they may have links that point to the others, and that each system, and possibly each class section, may have its own login username and password. You need to stay clear about where you are, and which username and password is appropriate for the site your browser is showing you.

In the past students have gotten confused and have had a lot of frustration trying to use a username and password from one site to access another site, because they just assumed that a single username and password would work for every login, no matter where they were.

If you're having trouble logging in, and ask for help in the Forum. REMEMBER you MUST include the URL of the page where you are trying to enter your Username and Password. If you don't include that crucial info, I'll just have to ask for it, and it will delay getting you the help you want.

Your Class Website Location at student:

http://student.santarosa.edu/~username
This is the generic browser URL of the student webserver where you'll upload your class website and other assignments. You can tell it is a browser URL because of the 'http://" at the beginning. Also notice the generic student "username" in place of an actual account name. Also CRUCIAL is the tilde character ~, which precedes the user name. You must always include this character in the browser URL, or your website will not be found.

Be AWARE that though the domain is santarosa.edu, it is a DIFFERENT location than online.santarosa.edu, and different again from this website (www.insideSkills.com/classes), and the login username and password used to access your web account at student.santarosa.edu may be different from those you have used in previous classes, or to access other locations or accounts.

Texts and Materials:

Required Text: Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, paperback
Elizabeth Freeman and Eric Freeman
2006, O'Reilly Publishers, Sebastopol California
ISBN-10: 0-596-10197-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-596-10197-8; link to Amazon.com for this text ($26.39 plus shipping)
http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-HTML-CSS-XHTML/
dp/059610197X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&
qid=1234378196&sr=8-1

Campus Bookstore-Petaluma ($40 new, $30 used)
Recommended CD: If you are struggling with the course material, there is a CD that may help. You may purchase a CD that contains the course content, videos demonstrating many of the techniques you must master and mistakes made frequently by beginners, plus advanced tips. The name of the CD is Creating Web Pages - HTML 2, and it is self-published by Linda Hemenway. It can be purchased online at
www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?videogeeks_02_continue-page

Special Note - If you are a student who happens to be Deaf, or Hard of Hearing, a copy of the CD with captioned videos is available. Please contact the Disability Resources Department to receive your CD. Debbie Ezersky Coordinator, Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program, 707-522-2657/TTY (522-2702/Voice), or email dezersky@santarosa.edu.
Recommended Resource References: CSS Pocket Reference, 3rd edition
Eric Meyer
2007, O'Reilly Publishers, Sebastopol, California
ISBN-10: 0-596-51505-7
ISBN-13: 9780596515058

link to Amazon.com for this text ($9.99 new, from $7.28 used, plus shipping)
www.amazon.com/CSS-Pocket-Reference-Presentation-OReilly/dp/0596515057/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251334180&sr=8-1

Campus Bookstore ($10 new, $7.50 used)
TEXT/Mtls #4-Recommended Book: HTML+XTMHL Pocket Reference, 3rd edition
Jennifer Niederst Robbins
2006, O'Reilly Publishers, Sebastopol, California
ISBN-10: 0-596-52727-6
ISBN-13: 9780596527273

link to Amazon.com for this text ($9.35 new, plus shipping)
www.amazon.com/HTML-XHTML-Pocket-Reference-OReilly/dp/0596527276/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Campus Bookstore ($13 new, $9.75 used)

Other Required Materials

Since this course focuses on creating Web pages, you MUST have regular, dependable access to:

a computer (Mac or Windows)
a web browser (Firefox v2 or 3 is recommended as your Primary browser, Safari, and Internet Explorer can be used as secondary browsers to see how they render your pages)

(NOTE that IE versions 6 and earlier, are very quirky when it comes to following the CSS standards, especially those properties relating to page layout, and often require hacks and work arounds to force them to display a page the way the CSS calls for -- and sometimes one can only achieve "close", not "exactly" to how the other browsers render the page. If at all possible, upgrade at least to v7.)

If you are an AOL user, you MUST download and install Firefox for use in this class. The AOL browser is problematic and since I'm not an AOL subscriber, I can't help you troubleshoot any problems that may arise.
reliable, regular access to the Internet
- you need to keep in frequent touch with the Discussion Forum, and the Announcements section on the Home page of this class website. ( frequently means at least 3 times a week, PLUS every time you work on your assignments )
a working email account that you check frequently ( same definition as above )
a working web account at student.santarosa.edu the college's student web server, where you'll upload your assignment web pages
- if you don't have an account, or
- if you've forgotten your password,
  - see the instructions and links at student.santarosa.edu.
- If you need some extra assistance, BEFORE posting a Help Request in the Forum, or contacting me individually, make sure you have read the appropriate sections of the Start Here, the Instructions for Preliminary Steps page (which is also accessed from the Start Here page in the several Step by Step Instructions sections), and FAQ page of this website.

Pass/No Pass vs Letter Grade

This class is available to be taken for Pass/No Pass (P/NP -- formerly known as Credit/No Credit), as well as for a letter grade. Students may change their status until 08 Apr 2010. The appropriate form must be submitted to Admissions & Records before that deadline -- A&R will not allow status changes after that date.

Students working towards a WEB CERTIFICATE from SRJC or planning to transfer credits to another school, the MUST take the class for a letter grade.

Dropping the Class

If you decide to drop this course, or if your life becomes too busy or too complicated to do the course work and submit the assignments, it is your responsibility to officially drop it, online or by submitting a drop form to Admissions & Records.

Instructors no longer automatically drop students who stop participating. Only No Shows (students who have never checked in) are dropped by the instructor. If you submit the Check In form, you have "attended" the first class, and cannot be dropped as a No Show.

If you stop submitting assignments and do not drop the course yourself, you will receive an F (or No Pass) as a final grade. This is college policy, which instructors must follow.

Also please do me the personal courtesy of letting me know that you're dropping, rather than just disappearing.

Dropping Deadlines

To get a a refund, drop before 25 Mar 2010
To avoid a 'W', drop before 01 Apr 2010
To drop with a 'W', drop before 06 May 2010

Any students still officially on the class roster after 06 May 2010 are required to have a grade issued. Petitions to drop courses late, submitted once this deadline has passed, are no longer approved by Admissions as readily as they were in the past.

Class "Attendance"

Students are expected to attend each week's lecture/demonstration session, in order to benefit from hearing and seeing the material for that week presented by the instructor, and to make use of the in-person, face to face context, for asking questions and getting immediate responses -- much faster and more efficient than using email or the Discussion Forum.

While attendance does not contribute towards your grade, if you choose to skip the lecture/demonstrations, you may be making it harder on yourself to understand the course material, and to complete your assignments.

If situations arise in your work, family, or home lives, which impact your ability to stay on track with the assignment deadlines, please communicate with me. If you encounter difficulties with the assignments, don't isolate, don't try to 'tough it out', don't wait until you've gone into overwhelm ... let me know what's going on -- either by posting a request for help in the Discussion Forum, or if the situation is personal, via a private email. Other students may be experiencing the same frustrations and difficulties, but if you don't speak up, you are forcing yourself to suffer alone.

Standards of Conduct

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner which reflects their awareness of common standards of human decency, politeness, and the basic civil and human rights of others. By registering for a class at SRJC, students agree to make themselves aware of, and to actively abide by, SRJC's official Code of Student Conduct as published at www.santarosa.edu/admin/scs/index.html and the three additional pages entitled: Sections 1, 2, and 3. Please familiarize yourself with the Code of Conduct, so that you are clear about it.

Doing Your Own Work vs Plagiarism/Cheating

All students enrolled in courses at SRJC are expected to do their own work. Plagiarism is defined as any work created by someone else which is stolen, copied, 'borrowed', or otherwise submitted as your own work, or included as part of your work, without permission from the original owner, and/or a clearly stated attribution of true ownership. This includes the work of other students, other authors, from textbooks, from web sites, or from any other sources not produced by the student her/himself. Any work submitted under a student's name, without clear attibution to the contrary, is deemed to be represented as the work of that student.

By registering for a class at the college, students agree to do their own work, and not to steal the work of others and submit it as their own.

If plagiarism is discovered the student will receive a 0 grade for that assignment, an email warning, and the Department Chair will be notified. If it happens a second time, the Dean will be involved, and the student may be given an F for the class.

Guidelines: How Assignments are Submitted for Grading,

for more info, open: Assignment Submission Form Guidelines

Late Assignment Penalty - 20% Deduction

All assignments are due by the following week's class session before I leave campus. Late submissions, without a pre-approved deadline extension from me, will receive a 20% late penalty deduction -- that is, 20% deducted from the number of points available for that submission.

Submissions more than 1 week late are not accepted for credit, without prior approval from me.

Not a Self-Paced Class

The class format is NOT self-paced. Assignments are due each week by the published deadlines, though you do have the freedom to decide when during each week to work on them, as long as you are able to submit them by the published deadlines.

PLAN AHEAD and budget your time accordingly, rather than leaving things to the very last minute. DO NOT WAIT until the morning of the deadline day to begin your assignments, as they will often take longer to complete than you anticipate.

You can expect to spend 6 - 10 hours each week on the work for this course. Some students will be able to do the work in half that time, and others may require twice that long, or even longer if they find the material particularly challenging.

Since I also have a life outside of this class, if it turns out that you need to request a deadline extension, make the email request at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline, in order to give me sufficient time to see and respond to it.

FAIR WARNING: If you make a deadline extension request after noon on the day before the deadline, there is no guarantee that I'll see it and approve it before the deadline. And be aware that approaching me right before the class begins, to ask for a deadline extension is TOO LATE.

BE PROACTIVE, look ahead, budget your time -- and if need be request a deadline extension. If it turns out you don't need it, no harm done.

2 (two) Late Assignments ONLY

You may submit ONLY 2 assignments late during this 8 week course, whether or not you have requested and received deadline extensions for them. After those 2 late submissions, all subseqent late submissions receive NO CREDIT.

If your life is so busy that it requires you to submit more than 2 assignments late, you are probably too busy to give this course the time and attention that it requires, and should seriously consider dropping the course before you fail it, and taking it again in the future when you schedule is less busy.

Students falling behind by more than 2 lessons and the corresponding assignments may have difficulty catching up, and may be advised to drop the class rather than risking an unsatisfactory grade. This will be determined on a case by case basis, in communication with the student.

Grades

Scores for Individual Assignments

Each assignment and quiz has a certain number of points to be earned. Details for each assigment will show the total points, and very often the breakdown for each segment, if the assignment has different parts.

If I deduct any points for an assignment, I will send you an email explaining the reason for the deduction. It will be a very brief explanation -- "missing <title> tag, -2 points", "one sentence not sufficient for Discussion Topic, -5 points", and so on.

I'm sorry but though I might want to take the time to give each student regular, positive encouragement with every assignment, I won't be sending any individual acknowlegements or praise for doing a good job when I give full points for an assignment. There simply isn't the time to do this.

Instructors for this course get paid for 4.3 hours a week, per section, no matter how much time it actually takes to prepare the class, answer emails, post explanations in the Forum, grade assignments, and provide assisstance to students who need it. I sincerely wish it were different.

Please remember that if I give full points, you ARE doing a good job, and I'm aware of it.

Scores for each week's assignments will be posted in an online gradebook located at the CATE online.santarosa.edu website. Use the Grades link in the nav bar on any page. If I'm teaching multiple sections of the class, use the Section link for the Class Section that you're registered in to access the correct section Gradebook.

You'll need to login with your CATE username and password, which you created for this class on the initial Check In form.

Assignments will be scored and the Gradebook updated, by the latest, ONE week after the published assignment due dates.

Assignments returned for ReDo:

If a submitted assignment has so many errors or missing elements that less than 70% of the possible points are earned, I may, occasionally, and at my disgression, "return" it to be redone for a maximum 'redo' score of 70% of the total points. I'll send an email alerting the student to the need to redo the assignment.

Redos will normally be due by the next assignment deadline along with the assignments normally due on that date, unless a different due date is negotiated with me. ONLY 1 assigment may be redone during this course.

Assignments returned for a Redo, which are not re-done by the Redo deadline (normally the next regular assignment due date), will receive No Credit.

Final Grades

Final grades are calculated by dividing total points earned by total points available, the decimal result expressed as a percentage, and converted to a letter grade in the standard fashion:

A >= 90%
B >= 80%
C >= 70%
D >= 60%
F < 60%

Computer Labs

The SRJC provides several computer labs including:

Petaluma Open Lab - Petaluma Campus, room PC 641 (Richard W Call Bldg)
Santa Rosa Open Lab - Santa Rosa Campus, Maggini Hall, 2nd floor
- (NOTE: The old Maggini Hall 3rd floor open lab is no longer available, as that room is now a classroom. The open lab is now on the 2nd floor, in what used to be the Business Dept open lab. That lab is now being shared by students taking both CIS and BOT courses.
- If you are a Mac user, there are only 4 MacIntosh computers in the Maggini 2nd floor Open Lab
  - So far this has not been a problem for Mac users, however if all 4 are in use when you want to work, you might consider the Petaluma Open Lab -- ALL computers in that lab are dual-boot machines, running both Mac and Windows.

If you don't have access to a computer and the necessary software at home, or at work, it is your responsibility to arrange your schedule to use the SRJC computer lab regularly, so that you can submit your assignments.

It is also YOUR responsibility to be aware of the opening and closing times of the lab(s) you use, as well as any restricted hours or early closings in connection with school holidays and exam week at the end of the semester. The schedule for the lab is usually posted on the Lab door, and often there are copies at the lab assistant's desk.

During the summer session the labs have a different, more restricted, schedule than during fall and spring semesters.

Open lab times and other information of interest can be viewed at the CS website

CS Lab Info and Link to All Campus Lab Hours

Printing in Campus Labs

For quite a few years, it has been College policy that the printers in the open labs CANNOT be used to print anything but the FINAL copy of the assignment that is being turned in for grading.

This means that students may NOT print the class website, nor any of the instructions pages from the class website, nor preliminary or practice versions of the assignment, nor any anything from any other website. ONLY the assignment to be turned in may be printed.

The reason for this is the expense of paper and printer ink cartridges. With the extremely restrictced State Education budget, the amount of money allocated for paper and ink in the open labs has been slashed without mercy. If the lab goes through the amount of paper and ink allocated for a semester, before that semester ends, the printers will sit empty of ink, and or paper, until the next semester.

Do yourself a favor, by doing your part to conserve ink and paper, and also avoid being busted and embarrassed publicly by one of the lab assistants, who will confiscate any pages that you have printed which are not being turned in for grading.

There are printers in the library where you can pay by the page to print out class Syllabi, or assignment instruction details, or anything else you'd like print. Alternatively, use your printer at home, or at work.

Net-iquette: General Email & Forum Posting Etiquette

Email, forum postings, and other text-based messages can easily be misinterpreted or misunderstood by those reading what has been written, because text-based communications lack the additional layers and dimensions of information available in face-to-face, in person, or voice-to-voice, telephone communications ... the various subtleties, nuances, and emphases of vocal tones, myriad facial expressions, and other body language cues can't be seen or heard in a typed communication.

All of these can make the very same series of words mean completely different things -- a simple statement of fact, a question, a hostile or aggressive challenge or insult, a humorous or ironic commentary or satire, a sarcastic put-down or judgement, and so on.

Keeping this in mind:

Be brief, polite, patient, and never post a communication when angry
Always remember that there is no such thing as a single sense of humor, and what one person finds very funny, another can find deeply disrespectful, insulting, or offensive
Please keep all emails and forum postings focused on the subject matter of the class
Please DO NOT post or send jokes, humorous items, or any other Off Topic items, including chain letters, political or religious forwards, sales or marketing opportunities, and so on and so on
Always include a pertinent subject/title for the posting so that the reader can quickly identify the message and determine its importance or relevance to her/him.
Never assume your email messages are private, or that they will be read ONLY by yourself or the recipient -- backup copies are always kept on some server, somewhere
Use capital letters (upper case) ONLY to highlight or emphasize an important word or phrase or to distinguish a title or heading. CAPITALIZING WHOLE SENTENCES OR PARAGRAPHS IS RECEIVED AND INTERPRETED AS SHOUTING! -- so use CAPs sparingly
Be professional, kind, compassionate, and polite when speaking to others, and share your own experiences rather than talking about others. Email is easily forwarded.
Never forward any personal email without FIRST getting the author's permission

Guidelines: Using the Discussion Forum for Help

for more info, open: Discussion Forum Guidelines

In-Person, Face to Face, Assistance

Since this is an in-person, face to face class, you have the valuable opportunity to ask questions during the weekly class lecture/demonstration and to get immediate answers, instead of having to type a long explanation of your question or the situation surrounding it, and then wait for a response to it.

There is also an Open Lab session connected with this section, for 2 hours following each class session, where I'm available for individual, hands on assistance.

If questions arise outside of the weekly class and lab sessions, you can post your question about course related issues in the Discussion Forum, or if your issue is person, you can send me an email.

Guidelines: When to Ask for Help

for more info, open: Asking for Help Guidelines

Guidelines: 7 Pertinent Details When Requesting Help

for more info, open: 7 Pertinent Details Guidelines

Weekly Class Topics, Reading and Schedule of Assignments

See the Assignments Calendar page for an Overview of the full 8 weeks, and each week's Lesson page for specific details about each week's reading and watching assignments, from the text and the CD, and homework assignment details, and due dates.

HTML - Level 2

CS 50.11-B, section 8277, Spring 2010

presented by Muiz Brinkerhoff

Syllabus & Class Policies