Welcome & Introductions; The Web in 2020
Week One
Agenda for the Week of January 13 Video
Welcome and overview
Course policies & calendar
Introduce Project One
Technology setup
Assigned Work
Due Tuesday, January 21
To Read
Graphic Design: The New Basics , 2nd ed. (GDTNB), Foreword, Back to the
Bauhaus, Beyond the Basics; Formstorming (pp. 12–31)
How to Design and Write Web Pages , 2nd ed. (HDWWP), Ch. 1–5
Jeremy Keith, The Web is
Agreement [Video, 28 mins]
To Do
Sign up for a GitHub account
As soon as possible: Submit COM 330/530 Contract and Survey (link in your
@hawk.iit.edu inbox)
As soon as possible: Create Basecamp account (invite will arrive after you submit
the Contract and Survey)
Computer setup (Firefox Developer Edition, Atom.io, Node.js, Git); follow these
instructions
Participate in Week One reading discussion on Basecamp
Essential Languages Overview; Content Preparation and HTML Structure
Week Two
Agenda for the Week of January 20 Video
Text editors
Version control (Git)
Overview of HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Basic source-formatting rules
HTML structure and semantics
Assigned Work
Due Monday, January 27
To Do
Participate in Week Two reading discussion on Basecamp
Continue writing material for Project One.
CSS and Basic Typography and Typesetting
Week Three
Agenda for the Week of January 27 Video
Working small
CSS syntax
CSS’s relationship to HTML
HTML validation
Typesetting concepts
Modular Scales
Foundational typography in CSS
Assigned Work
Due Monday, February 3
To Do
Begin building your stylesheet for Project One.
Project Deadlines
Project One: Post draft project-repository GitHub link to
Basecamp. (Due by Friday, January 31)
Project One: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other
student projects on Basecamp. (Due by Monday, February 3)
Progressive Enhancement; Responsive Media and Accessibility Basics
Week Four
Agenda for the Week of February 3 Video
Review: commit messages, source formatting, and validation
Building the accessible web
Basic accessible, responsive images
Understanding progressive enhancement
Executing an accessible, progressively enhanced site design
Assigned Work
Due Monday, February 10
Project Deadlines
Project One: Email instructor with final project deliverables.
(Due by Sunday, February 9)
Sketching and Executing Mobile-First Design; Stylesheet Organization
Week Five
Agenda for the Week of February 10 Video
Introduce Project Two
Foundations for understanding CSS layout
Conceiving a site design from the smallest possible screen
Building with min-width
media queries in CSS
Organizing CSS (SMACSS)
Assigned Work
Due Monday, February 17
To Read
GDTNB, Gestalt Principles, Framing, Hierarchy (pp. 98–139)
Rachel Andrew, The New CSS Layout (TNCL), Foreword, Ch. 1–3
Rachel Andrew, Refactoring
(the way we talk about) CSS [Video, 50 minutes]
To Do
Begin work on Project Two
Grids and Layout I
Week Six
Agenda for the Week of February 17 Video
HTML foundations: sectioning structures; in praise of lists
Theorizing layouts: macro and micro
SMACSS: Base, Layout, Module, and State
Legacy CSS layout (floats, positioning)
The new CSS layout: Flexbox, CSS Grid
Reasoning through the use of one layout method over another
Grids: bespoke and columnar/modular
Assigned Work
Due Monday, February 24
Grids and Layout II
Week Seven
Agenda for the Week of February 24 Video
Deeper into conceiving and executing CSS layouts
Building layouts as slowly as possible
Isolating experimental or exploratory work in throwaway repos
Coordinating legacy and new CSS layout methods
Assigned Work
Due Monday, March 2
To Read
GDTNB, Layers, Transparency (pp. 140–165)
TNCL, Ch. 7–8
MDN, Learn CSS Layout
(all Guides listed in the main column)
Jen Simmons,
Resilient CSS (playlist of seven videos; watch them all)
Project Deadlines
Project Two: Post your draft project GitHub link and video
presentation to Basecamp. (Due by Sunday, March 1)
Q&A and Catching Our Breath
Week Eight
Agenda for the Week of March 2 Video
Stolley responds on weekly video to all questions posted to Basecamp Q&A
thread by 3pm Tuesday, March 3
Assigned Work
Due Monday, March 9
Project Deadlines
Project Two: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other
student projects on Basecamp. (Due by Thursday, March 5)
Responsive Media; Color and Texture
Week Nine
Agenda for the Week of March 9 Video
Basics of color theory
Selecting and auditioning colors
Use of textures (gradients, tessellation)
Responsive images with srcset
and <picture>
Responsive audio and video
Assigned Work
Due Monday, March 23
Agenda for the Week of March 16
No class
Site Architecture and Organization; Navigation
Week Eleven
Agenda for the Week of March 23 Video
Triage the rest of the semester
Introduce Project Three
Refresh and review a bunch of
issues that came up in the Project Two drafts
Understanding site architecture
Understanding paths and URLs
Building robust site navigation
Assigned Work
Due Monday, March 30
To Read
GDTNB, Pattern, Diagram (pp. 200–231)
HDWWP, Ch. 8, 21
Project Deadlines
Project Two: Email instructor with final project deliverables.
(Due by Thursday, March 26)
Creating Reusable Markup Patterns; Revisiting Responsive Topics and Typography
Week Twelve
Agenda for the Week of March 30 Video
Creating reusable markup patterns
Leveraging the Snippets package in Atom.io
Navigation: structure and styles
Deeper into web typography
Taking another look at RWD and responsive media
Assigned Work
Due Monday, April 6
JavaScript: A Fuller Introduction
Week Thirteen
Agenda for the Week of April 6 Video
JavaScript fundamentals
Assigned Work
Due Monday, April 13
Project Deadlines
Project Three: Post your draft project GitHub link and video
presentation to Basecamp. (Due by Thursday, April 9)
Unobtrusive DOM Scripting: JavaScript + the Document Object Model (DOM)
Week Fourteen
Agenda for the Week of April 13 Video
Manipulating HTML with JavaScript via the DOM
Assigned Work
Due Monday, April 20
Project Deadlines
Project Three: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other
student projects on Basecamp. (Due by Thursday, April 16)
JavaScript-powered Image Slideshows
Week Fifteen
Agenda for the Week of April 20 Video
Introduce the final project
Student request: JavaScript-powered slideshow/carousel
Assigned Work
Due Monday, April 27
To Read
GDTNB, Time and Motion, Rules and Randomness (pp. 232–259)
HDWWP, Ch. 22–25 (especially Ch. 24)
Project Deadlines
Project Three: Email instructor with final project deliverables.
(Due by Thursday, April 23)
Agenda for the Week of April 27
Stolley available for help and feedback
Assigned Work
Due Thursday, May 7
To Do
Get help and feedback on final project.
Project Deadlines
Project Four: Email instructor with final project deliverables
(NOTE: this deadline is firm). (Due by Thursday, May 7)
Dr. Karl Stolley , Associate Professor of Digital
Writing & Rhetoric
karl.stolley@gmail.com
Office hours via Basecamp Chat or Pings on Tuesdays, 4pm to 5pm, or
by appointment or chance. I’m always signed into Basecamp and closely monitor my
notifications. Message or email any time—I make students a priority, and I will respond as
soon as I am able.