FIT1011 Web systems 1 - Semester 1 , 2007 unit guide

Chief Examiner

Lecturers

Outline

Brief introduction to the physical structure of the Internet. W3C and its role. Document markup: HTML and XHTML. Hypertext. Web site structure and navigation. Elements of web pages: text, graphics, media. Design with and implementation of: lists, tables, frames, layers, cascading style sheets. Web graphics: vector and bitmap images, image constraints, digitising images, basic graphic design. Plug-ins. Multimedia: audio and video capture and streaming. Web page design principles. Elements of visual design. Form design and implementation. Brief introduction to the use of scripts. Site development life cycle. Legal and ethical considerations. XML: structure of XML documents, validating XML documents, Web design using XML. Web sites for mobile devices.

Objectives

• The physical structure of the Internet;
• The role of mark-up languages, especially XHTML
• The features of XHTML;
• The use of graphics and multimedia in web applications
• The basic principles of web site design, implementation and maintenance
• Some of the legal and ethical issues associated with the Internet, especially the area of copyright.

• professionalism towards respecting copyright
• requiring professional standards in designing and implementing web applications.

• writing syntactically correct XHTML code;
• developing graphics suitable for web use;
• developing scripted streaming multimedia presentations;
• developing structurally correct web sites with intuitive navigational paradigms

Prerequisites

Unit relationships

Texts and software

Required text(s)

None

Textbook availability

Not applicable.

Software requirements

The following software can be downloaded from the unit web site. This software is also available in designated laboratories

 Firefox. Browser

Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or later. Browser for viewing web pages.

40tude HTML Editor

Top Style Lite Editor

Install Zip.

XML Writer Version 2

Microsoft XML Component (MSXML 4).

WS-ftp.

Openwave Phone Emulator (Version 7.0).

Software may be:

• downloaded from http://walkabout.netcomp.monash.edu.au

Hardware requirements

On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

Recommended reading

Castro, Elizabeth. HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS, Peachpit Press; Berkeley CA, 5 edition, 2003

Library access

Study resources

Study resources for FIT1011 are:

The FIT1011 website, http://walkabout.infotech.monash.edu.au/walkabout/FIT1011 where lecture materials, audio lectures, tutorial exercises, assignment specifications, sample exam and supplementary materials are posted.

Unit website

Structure and organisation

Timetable

Assessment

Assessment weighting

Assessment for the unit consists of 3 assignments with a weighting of 40%, submission of quiz questions with a weighting of 5% and submission of tutorial exercises with a weighting of 5% and an examination with a weighting of 50%.

Assessment Policy

To pass this unit you must:

earn at least 40% of the marks available for the assignments AND at least 40% in the examination. In addition students must receive 50% overall to pass the unit.

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

Ass% + Exam% + Quiz + Exercises

Assessment Requirements

Assignment specifications will be made available http://walkabout.infotech.monash.edu.au/walkabout/fit1011/.

Assignment Submission

Assignments will be submitted by ftp to the student server. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received. Quizzes and exercises are submitted through the Walkabout web site.

Extensions and late submissions

Late submission of assignments

Late assignments are not accepted for correction, and zero marks are awarded accordingly. The only exception to this is in the case of illness or other serious cause. In any such cases, proper third party documentation (e.g. a doctor's certificate) would have to be supplied. Where a doctor's certificate is supplied, then an extension may be allowed for time specified on the doctor's certificate.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

Extensions

It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. 

Requests for extensions must be made by email to the unit lecturer at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Grading of assessment

Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

Assignment return

Assignment correction sheets will be completed and placed in the student's directory on the student server. Quiz and Exercise results are returned by automated emails.

Feedback

Feedback to you

You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

Feedback from you

You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

And if you are having problems

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Plagiarism and cheating

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Communication

Communication methods

See the unit website

Notices

Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the unit website. Unit emails are sent, usually one a week. Failure to read the notices or emails is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

See the title page of the unit web site for times of on campus and online help sessions.

If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.