Module: Web Design

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

All Module information is indicative, and this portal is an interim interface pending the full upgrade of Coursebuilder and subsequent integration to the new DCU Student Information System (DCU Key).

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Web Design
Module Code	CA106 (ITS) / CSC1061 (Banner)
Faculty	Engineering & Computing	School	Computing
Module Co-ordinator	Jane Kernan
Module Teachers	Andrew Mccarren, Denise Freir, Dongyun Nie, Tracey Mehigan
NFQ level	6	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

Coursework Only
Array

Description

This module will introduce students to the principles of good design practise for websites, taking into consideration accessibility for users who may have a disability. The student will be able to choose the most appropriate technologies to design and implement a website to produce standards-compliant sites which include interactive content. The student will also be able to design their sites taking various types of access-device (desktop and mobile) into account.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the ways in which computers communicate with each other
2. Understand the process of creating simple structured web pages
3. Understand the correct use of tables and images in web pages
4. Use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to control the appearance of content on a web page
5. Describe the main features of effective web site design
6. analyse websites to address web page accessibility and usability issues
7. Add interactivity to webpages using libraries such as JQuery and simple forms.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	24	No Description
Laboratory	10	No Description
Assignment Completion	10	First assessed exercise
Assignment Completion	25	Second Assessed exercise
Independent Study	56	No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

What is the Internet?
The components that make up the internet (WWW, Email, FTP etc). INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB. History of the WWW.

Basic HTML
BASIC HTML elements - Tags for simple document layout. Headings, Lists (Ordered, Unordered, Definition). lists and Nested lists. Creating a larger HTML document. Creating hypertext links. Using links effectively.

Advanced Features
How to ad tabular data to web pages. When to use, and when not to use tabular data. Adding images to web pages. Introduction to web-site accessibility.

Principles of good website design
Understanding the user's requirements. How to approach the task of designing a website. How to put the site on the internet. How to encourage visitors to return often to the site. How to maintain the website.

Responsive Design
Structural Vs. Visual mark-up. Using CSS for page appearance and layout. Using colour and fonts in an appropriate mannner. Correctly using markup to provide page structure and CSS to provide appearance. using HTML and CSS to design for a range of platforms such as desktop and mobile platforms

Adding other content to the site.
Incorporating audio/video into a webpage. Incorporating interactivity and/or dynamic content into a website using pre-written libraries such as JQuery. Adding simple forms to a web page. (note this module does not teach forms processing, it merely shows how forms may be used to capture the data and incorporated into a site

Website Usability
Usability objectives. Usability Specification. Evaluation techniques (automatic and human).

n/a

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Loop Quiz	Understanding of basic HTML and web.	10%	Week 4
Digital Project	Create styled web site	25%	Week 7
Loop Quiz	CSS and HTML understanding	15%	Week 9
Group assignment	Design and implement an interactive accessible website	50%	Week 11

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Nigel Chapman and Jenny Chapman: 2006, Web design: A complete Introduction, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 0470060891

Other Resources

41740, Website, W3C, 0, W3Schools.com, 41741, Website, 0, The Web Standards Project, www.webstandards.org, 41742, Website, 0, Web AIM: Accessibility In Mind, www.webaim.org,