DTC 355: Fall 2020: Calendar

Week-by-week details of the semester’s classes are listed below. This calendar is subject to change. The instructor may update it periodically and will notify the class of any significant changes. Also, see the syllabus for general course information.

Look on Blackboard for PDF files of the instructor’s lecture slides. You are free to use them for study or review as part of this class, but do not share or distribute the files.

Jump directly to a specific week:


Week 1: 08/24–08/28: Unit 1, Lessons 1-2: Information and the Internet

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 0: Welcome and Course Introduction (08/24)
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 1: Discussion of The Library of Babel and the nature of information
    • Unit 1, Lesson 2: How the Internet Works
  • Due before Week 2:
    • Read the short story “The Library of Babel,” by Jorge Luis Borges (PDF on Blackboard) and complete the quiz on it (on Blackboard).
    • Complete small activities as described on Blackboard:
      • submit a song;
      • upload drawings.

Week 2: 08/31–09/04: Unit 1: Lessons 3-8: Introducing UI/UX, Strategy, and Scope

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 3: Intro to UX and the 5 elements (08/31)
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 4: Differences between UI and UX
    • Unit 1, Lesson 5: Real-world examples of UI/UX problems
    • Unit 1, Lesson 6: Strategy
    • Unit 1, Lesson 7: Scope
    • Unit 1, Lesson 8: Project Launch: Major Project #1: Web Site Audit
  • Due before Week 3:
    • Read from The Elements of User Experience:
      • Chapter 1: User Experience and Why It Matters
      • Chapter 2: Meet the Elements
      • Chapter 3: Strategy
      • Chapter 4: Scope
    • Complete activities as described on Blackboard:
      • discuss Norman doors on campus;
      • describe a frustrating web experience.

Week 3: 09/07–09/11: Unit 1: Lessons 9-11: UX Structure and Skeleton, and Card Sorting

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 9: Structure (09/09)
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 10: Card Sorting (includes an activity)
    • Unit 1, Lesson 11: Skeleton
    • Unit 1, Lesson 12: Wireframes and Mockflow (includes activity) (moved to Week 4)
  • Due before Week 4:
    • Read from The Elements of User Experience:
      • Chapter 5: Structure
      • Chapter 6: Skeleton
    • Read The Difference Between Information Architecture (IA) and Navigation as well as book excerpts posted on Blackboard under Activities > Week 3
    • Complete Card Sorting Activity (from Unit 1, Lesson 10)
    • Complete Mockflow Activity (from Lesson 12) (moved to Week 4)

Week 4: 09/14–09/18: Unit 1: Lessons 12-14: Wireframing, Surface Design, and Accessibility

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 12: Wireframes and Mockflow (includes activity)
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 13: Surface
    • Unit 1, Lesson 14: Accessibility (includes activity)
  • Due before Week 5:
    • Read from The Elements of User Experience: Chapter 7, Surface
    • Read additional resources and book excerpts posted on Blackboard under Activities > Week 4
    • Complete the Mockflow activity from Lesson 12 and turn in the exported image on Blackboard
    • Complete the quizzes on grids and white space
    • Complete WSU’s Web Accessibility Training and turn in the PDF certificate on Blackboard (after Lesson 14)

Week 5: 09/21–09/25: Unit 1: Lessons 15-16: Inspiration and Usability Testing

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 15: Finding Inspiration (includes activity) — rescheduled for Wednesday, September 23
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 1, Lesson 16: Testing for Usability and Success
  • Due before Week 6:

Week 6: 09/28–10/02: Unit 2: Lessons 1-3: The Internet and Programming

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 2, Lesson 1: The Internet and Web Pages
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 2, Lesson 2: Introducing HTML + CSS
    • Unit 2, Lesson 3: More HTML + CSS
  • Due before Week 7:
    • Sign up for $30/year hosting at Reclaim Hosting. For your free domain name, choose your first initial, last name, and the course number; for example, tdevries355.com.
    • Watch the video “Encryption and public keys“.
    • At W3Schools, read:
    • Complete the HTML activity (poem or song lyric) from Unit 2, Lesson 3; due Wednesday, October 7, by midnight, via Blackboard.

Week 7: 10/05–10/09: Unit 2: Lessons 3-6: HTML + CSS, Continued


Week 8: 10/12–10/16: Unit 2: Lessons 7-9: HTML + CSS, Continued

  • Live Lectures:
    • Open lab time on 10/12 for HTML/CSS support
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 2, Lesson 7: Forms
    • Unit 2, Lesson 8: Web Critiques
    • Unit 2, Lesson 9: Grids and Bootstrap 4
    • Unit 2, Extra: Using PHP to Simplify Site Management — replaced with Extra Reading link, below
  • Extra Reading:
    • Reusing HTML Blocks with PHP — description of an extra credit option that can simplify managing blocks of content which repeat across all your pages (like menus and footers)
  • Due before Week 9:
    • By Friday, 10/16: your Major Project #2 draft website URL on the MP2 Draft Review #1 discussion board, and leave peer reviews for 3 others

Week 9: 10/19–10/23: Unit 2: Lessons 10-12: HTML + CSS, Continued

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 2, Lesson 10: Responsive CSS
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 2, Lesson 11: Advanced Bootstrap 4 Features
    • Unit 2, Lesson 12: Metadata, Social Media Sharing, and Analytics
  • Due before Week 10:

Week 10: 10/26–10/30: Unit 2: Open Labs

  • No new lectures; open lab time to work on Major Project #2 and get help if needed
  • Meet with the instructor during class time or schedule a Zoom meeting
  • Due before Week 11:

Week 11: 11/02–11/06: Unit 3: Lessons 1-3: Content Management

  • Live Lectures:
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 2: Installing a CMS: WordPress
    • Unit 3, Lesson 3: WordPress Themes and Plug-ins
  • Due before Week 12:
    • Install WordPress and the prescribed themes and plugins on your web hosting

Week 12: 11/09–11/13: Unit 3: Lessons 4-6: Site planning and Organization

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 4: Review of Site Planning
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 5: Organizing Pages and Menus
    • Unit 3, Lesson 6: Editing Content in Gutenberg and Pagebuilders
    • Unit 3, Extra: Fixing the WordPress/ExactMetrics Profile
  • Due before Week 13:

Week 13: 11/16–11/20: Unit 3: Lessons 7-9: Developing Content

  • Live Lectures:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 8: Writing About Us Pages, FAQs, and Instructions
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 7: Writing and Designing Home Pages and Landing Pages
    • Unit 3, Lesson 9: Managing Graphic and Video Content
  • Due this week:
    • The results of your Major Project #3 card sort activity is due for peer review on 11/25 (via Blackboard).
  • Due by end of Week 15:
    • Draft versions of your MP#3 site are due for peer review on Friday, December 4, 2020.

Week 14: 11/23–11/27: Thanksgiving Break, no class


Week 15: 11/30–12/04: Unit 3: Lessons 10-12: WordPress and Business

  • Live Lectures:
    • Open Lab Time to ask questions about Major Project #3
  • Recordings:
    • Unit 3, Lesson 10: Using HTML and CSS to Customize WordPress
    • Unit 3, Lesson 11: Basics of Intellectual Property
    • Unit 3, Lesson 12: Design Thinking and Basics of Working With Web Design Clients
  • Due this week:
    • UPDATED: draft versions of your MP#3 site are due for peer review on Monday, December 7, 2020.
  • Due before Week 16:

Week 16: 12/07–12/11: Unit 3: Open Labs

  • No new lectures; open lab time to work on Major Project #3 and get help if needed
  • Meet with the instructor during class times or schedule a Zoom meeting.

Week 17: 12/14–12/17: Finals Week

  • No final exam.
  • All of Major Project #3 is due via Blackboard before midnight on Monday, December 14, 2020.