Project One: Background and Ambitions

Due by Sunday, February 9, 2020

Project Description

You will write three to four paragraphs about your background as well as your ambitions for this class and your career at IIT and beyond. Begin by writing this in either simple plain text (.txt) or Markdown (.md) in your text-editor of choice. Be sure to make frequent, descriptive commits in Git as you write.

Once you have finished your plain-text version, use git tag to tag it as plain-text. You will then create a basic structured HTML page out of your plain-text work (revision to your content is encouraged), styled with a separate, basic stylesheet in CSS that is linked to your HTML via the <link> tag. Commit this also to Git as you write.

Deliverables and Deadlines

  1. Due by Friday, January 31: Post draft project-repository GitHub link to Basecamp. Create a new message thread with your name and Project One, something like “Scarlet Hawk: Project One.” Include in your post a few questions for peer and instructor feedback.
  2. Due by Monday, February 3: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other student projects on Basecamp.
  3. Due by Sunday, February 9: Email instructor with final project deliverables. The email should contain:
    • The https:// link to your project’s GitHub repository
    • A 4-5 sentence self-critique of your project and your progress in class to this point

Project Requirements

  1. All source files in UTF-8/Unicode character encoding with Unix-style line endings (LF), entabbed with spaces (two spaces per level of indent)
  2. Valid, well-formed HTML5 and CSS
  3. HTML-based fallbacks for any media elements (image, audio, video) that you include
  4. Organized, readable source that is hand-written and original (no WYSIWYGs or code-generators)
  5. A Git repository with frequent commits and meaningful commit messages that accurately reflect each set of changes that you make
  6. Your Git repository must contain only the files and commits from this project

Project Goals

  • Learn to work with plain text and do basic HTML and CSS source-formatting
  • Learn to name files for the web
  • Learn to organize files in a Git repository
  • Learn to share your work via GitHub
  • Learn some basics of HTML and CSS
  • Create a mobile-friendly, mobile-first design

Project Two: Single-Page Web Presence

Due by Thursday, March 26, 2020

Project Description

You will create a mobile-first, responsively designed single-page web presence for yourself for or a club, organization, or business that you are affiliated with that currently has no web presence. If you already have a web presence that you do not wish to alter, you will create a GitHub homepage for yourself on github.io using GitHub pages.

Deliverables and Deadlines

  1. Due by Sunday, March 1: Post your draft project GitHub link and video presentation to Basecamp. Include a three-minute narrated or closed-captioned screen-capture video presentation of your work in progress, hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or another similar service. List in your post a few questions for peer and instructor feedback. In short, your Basecamp post should include:
    • Your name in the subject of the post so it’s easier to track discussions; for example, Jane Q. Student: Single-Page Presence Draft
    • the URL to the video of your work in progress
    • the URL to your project’s GitHub repository
  2. Due by Thursday, March 5: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other student projects on Basecamp.
  3. Due by Thursday, March 26: Email instructor with final project deliverables. The email should contain:
    • The https:// link to your project’s GitHub repository
    • A 1-2 paragraph self-critique of your project and your progress in class so far

Project Requirements

  1. All source files in UTF-8/Unicode character encoding with Unix-style line endings (LF), entabbed with spaces (two spaces per level of indent)
  2. Valid, well-formed HTML5 and CSS
  3. One single HTML file linked to one single CSS file
  4. HTML-based fallbacks for any media elements (image, audio, video) that you include
  5. Thoughtful use of media queries with breakpoints specified in em units
  6. Organized, readable source that is hand-written and original (no WYSIWYGs or code generators)
  7. A Git repository with frequent commits and meaningful commit messages that accurately reflect each set of changes that you make
  8. GitHub repository must contain only the files and commits from this project

Project Goals

  • Engage the rhetorical complexities of writing content for a single-page presence
  • Increase your sophistication in writing HTML and CSS
  • Make use of URL fragments and id attributes to construct on-page navigation
  • Employ mobile-first, responsive design techniques
  • Design to a typographic scale
  • Design to a basic grid system

Project Three: Expanded Web Presence

Due by Thursday, April 23, 2020

Project Description

Building on your expanding web design abilities, you will revisit your single-page presence and expand it to a multi-page or multi-page-like presence that provides greater user engagement and a stronger representation of yourself (e.g., through an online portfolio of work) or your organization (e.g., by showcasing activities, members, etc.).

Deliverables and Deadlines

  1. Due by Thursday, April 9: Post your draft project GitHub link and video presentation to Basecamp. Include a three-minute narrated or closed-captioned screen-capture video presentation of your work in progress, hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or another similar service. List in your post a few questions for peer and instructor feedback. In short, your Basecamp post should include:
    • Your name in the subject of the post so it’s easier to track discussions; for example, Jane Q. Student: Multi-Page Presence Draft
    • the URL to the video of your work in progress
    • the URL to your project’s GitHub repository
    • the URL to your live, world-viewable project in progress
  2. Due by Thursday, April 16: Respond with helpful feedback to at least 3 other student projects on Basecamp.
  3. Due by Thursday, April 23: Email instructor with final project deliverables. The email should contain:
    • The https:// link to your project’s GitHub repository
    • A 1-2 paragraph self-critique of your project and your progress in class so far

Project Requirements

  1. Valid, well-formed HTML5 and CSS
  2. One single CSS file for controlling the design of all site pages
  3. HTML-based fallbacks for any media elements (image, audio, video) that you include
  4. Thoughtful use of min-width media-queries with breakpoints specified in em units
  5. Careful use of semantic sectioning elements (e.g., <header>, <article>, and so forth)
  6. JavaScript that does not throw any uncaught errors, for projects that use JavaScript
  7. Organized, readable source that is hand-written and original (no WYSIWYGs or code-generators)
  8. A Git repository with frequent commits and meaningful commit messages that accurately reflect each set of changes that you make
  9. Your GitHub repository must contain only the files and commits from this project, and possibly also Project Two
  10. A live, world-viewable URL (can simply be at your <username>.github.io; set up through GitHub Pages)

Project Goals

  • Revise an existing web project of your own creation (Project Two)
  • Engage the rhetorical complexities of writing content for a multi-page web presence
  • Experiment with creative ways to present examples of your academic or professional work
  • Increase your sophistication in writing HTML and CSS
  • Employ enhanced mobile-first, responsive design techniques
  • Design to a typographic scale
  • Design to a basic grid system

Project Four: Revised Web Presence

Due by Thursday, May 7, 2020

Project Description

Based on feedback from Project Three and your own personal ambitions, you will make additional revisions and improvements to your site based on your work for Project Three. You will also deploy your site to a public URL, if you have not done so previously.

Additionally, students enrolled in COM 530 must attempt to implement some advanced feature to extend their site’s sophistication or functionality. That work does not need to be implemented into the deployed site; a feature branch in the site’s GitHub repository will suffice. COM 530 students unsure of what kind of feature to pursue should consult with the instructor.

Deliverables and Deadlines

  1. Due by Thursday, May 7: Email instructor with final project deliverables (NOTE: this deadline is firm). The email should contain:
    • The https:// link to your project’s GitHub repository
    • The link to your live, world-viewable site
    • A 1-2 paragraph self-critique of your project, including the improvements you made, and your progress in class this semester

Project Requirements

  1. A Git repository with frequent commits and meaningful commit messages that accurately reflect each set of changes that you make
  2. A live, world-viewable URL (can simply be at your <username>.github.io; set up through GitHub Pages)
  3. (COM 530 Only): A feature branch in your repository showcasing your attempt to implement an advanced feature

Project Goals

  • Revise an existing web project of your own creation (Project Three)
  • Deploy your work to a server on the open web
  • (COM 530 Only): explore and perhaps implement an advanced feature to extend your site