Programming via the Web -- Fall 2012

Syllabus

Welcome

Welcome to CMSC 122. This class provides an introduction to the internet/web capabilities and trends, and to computer programming in the context of building full-featured web sites. Intended for students with no previous programming experience who wish to understand the technologies making web sites possible, this course will provide a set of practical problem solving skills necessary for the development of dynamic client-side web content. This class provides non-majors with a basic skill set for leveraging web technologies within their own majors and research interests and an appreciation of both the potential and limits of such resources.

Topical Content

Instructors

Fawzi Emad
Pedram Sadeghian

Textbooks

Recommended

Title Authors ISBN
JavaScript: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition John Pollack 0-07-222790-7
HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference Jennifer Niederst Robbins 0-596-52727-6
CSS Pocket Reference (Any Edition) Eric A. Meyer

Textbook(s) Note: A textbook may be available as an eBook (EBK). This version is the actual text, costs less than the text,and is available for 180 days. It is downloaded directly to the students computer and sent via email.

Course Grades

Final grades will be computed according the following weights.

40% Projects
8% Research Paper (8-10 pages)
10% Quizzes (Some Pop Quizzes)
11% Midterm #1
11% Midterm #2
20% Final Exam

Due dates

Programming Projects

The due dates for these assignments are rigid. Programming assignments will be due at 11:00PM on the date specified at the top of the project description. You may submit a programming assignment up to 24 hours after the due date, but you will be penalized 20 points (we will subtract 20 points from your total). No assignments will be accepted after the late deadline. Exceptional circumstances will be considered only if discussed with the instructor before the assignment is due. These assignments are to be submitted electronically according to the instructions provided in the project description. We will not accept programming assignments via email.

Written Assignments

Assignments that are to be handed in on paper will be due at the beginning of class. These assignments will not be accepted after the due date unless there are very extraordinary circumstances.

Project Implementation

Projects in this class must be completed individually and collaboration is not permitted. All assignments can be done on the machine of your choice. You are welcome to do the work on a home computer if you have one. There should not be any machine-specific dependencies in your code. However, if we are not able to run your program because there is a difference between your and our computer environments, you must work with us to get your program to work in our environment.

Class Announcements

You are responsible for reading the class announcements that are posted on this webpage often (at least once a day). Important information about the course (e.g., deadlines, project updates, etc.) will be posted in this section.

CORE Interdisciplinary and/or Emerging Issues (IE)

CORE-General Education has both broad learning outcomes for the program as a whole and outcomes for each of the different CORE Distributive Studies categories. To see the Student Learning Outcomes for CORE, please visit: http://www.ugst.umd.edu/core/LearningOutcome.htm. No one CORE course will address all of the Learning Outcome Goals listed for its category. Some courses may contribute to general education in important ways not directly covered by the learning outcomes listed.

Excused Absences

  1. Any student who needs to be excused for an absence from a single class session , due to a medically necessitated absence shall:
    • Make a reasonable attempt to inform the instructor of his/her illness prior to the class. If you are going to miss a quiz we expect to hear from you (either email or a telephone message) before the class session begins.
    • Upon returning to the class, present their instructor with a self-signed note attesting to the date of their illness. The note must contain an acknowledgment by the student that the information provided is true and correct. Providing false information to University officials is prohibited under Part 9(h) of the Code of Student Conduct (V-1.00(B) University of Maryland Code of Student Conduct) and may result in disciplinary action.
    • This self-documentation may not be used for the Major Scheduled Grading Events as defined below and it may only be used for 1 class meeting during the course.

  2. Any student who needs to be excused for more than one absence, or for a "Major Scheduled Grading Event", must provide written documentation of the illness from the Health Center or from an outside health care provider. This documentation must verify dates of treatment and indicate the timeframe that the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities. The documentation should be given to the instructor, not the TA. The Major Scheduled Grading Events for this course include:
    • Midterm #1
    • Midterm #2
    • Final Exam

Academic Honesty

All assignments/exams must be done individually. Please visit the webpage of the Student Honor Council for a detailed explanation of what constitutes academic dishonesty. Note that it includes not only cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism, but also includes helping other students commit acts of academic dishonesty by allowing them to obtain copies of your work. You are allowed to use the Web for reference purposes, but you may not copy code from any website or any other source. In short, all submitted work must be your own.

Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with harshly. Each such case will be referred to the University's Office of Judicial Programs. If the student is found to be responsible of academic dishonesty, the typical sanction results in a special grade "XF", indicating that the course was failed due to academic dishonesty. More serious instances can result in expulsion from the university. If you have any doubt as to whether an act of yours might constitute academic dishonesty, please contact your instructor.

Course Evaluations

Your participation in the evaluation of courses through CourseEvalUM is a responsibility you hold as a student member of our academic community. Your feedback is confidential and important to the improvement of teaching and learning at the University as well as to the tenure and promotion process. Please go directly to the website (www.courseevalum.umd.edu) to complete your evaluations. By completing all of your evaluations each semester, you will have the privilege of accessing online, at Testudo, the evaluation reports for the thousands of courses for which 70% or more students submitted their evaluations.

You can find more information, including periodic updates, at the IRPA course evaluation web site

https://www.irpa.umd.edu/Assessment/CourseEval/fac_faq.shtml

Disability Support Services

Any student eligible for and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to a disability is requested to provide, to the instructor in office hours, a letter of accommodation from the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) within the first two weeks of the semester.

Web Accessibility