A Seven-Week HTML/JavaScript Course

Textbook: Negrino & Smith, "JavaScript for the World Wide Web", Peachpit Press, 3rd Ed. (1998).

The student will:

· Learn some of the differences between various browsers

· Use Notepad and Netscape Composer for the creation & editing of HTML

· Create web pages using HTML basics (including tables, hypertext references, images, and image maps)

· Use additional HTML, such as buttons, text boxes, and forms

· Use good programming techniques

· Include JavaScript in HTML programs, including looping, functions, if statements, engineering calculations, window creation, special image techniques

· Learn how animated graphics are created (but not actually create any)

These techniques have a wide applicability to the world wide web and the object-oriented-programming (OOP) that makes up so much of Java and JavaScript. If someone needs to learn C++ or Java at a later time, the process will be made easier because JavaScript is similar to these languages. JavaScript and HTML are easy to learn, have little overhead (one can start programming right away), and are server safe (there are no pointers as there are in C++). Because OOP is the modern way to program, students will be able to build on this knowledge at subsequent points in their careers.

Each of the seven modules has some exercises and selfquizzes, which will be done by each group of two students (since we'll probably have two students sharing each machine). SelfQuizzes are automatically sent to the instructor; each member of the group will receive a "10/10" grade if at least 70 % of the questions are correct. (Since the course is not being offered presently, the quizzes will not be sent to the instructor.) However, assignments are to be done individually. There will be an individual on-machine competency exam (80 min) at the end of the seven weeks. You'll find additional examples at this site.

Note! In the first class, as well as in several others, you are directed to "drag" folders into other folders in order to copy them into those other folders. This is fine for copying from a local directory to another local directory, since this is essentially a DOS copy in a Windows environment. But it may not work if you want to copy from (or to) a web accessible directory to (or from) a local directory, because the web accessible directory is on a VMS system (not DOS/Windows). To do that, you have to learn how to "ftp" (file transfer protocol). An ftp program is on your desktop so that you can upload your files to a web-enabled directory. While your WWW directory is a part of your "M" drive, you cannot see it by double clicking on M from "My Computer." You can see it only through the ftp program.

Please use this link to access the classes.