This semester, we'll cover a wide and somewhat random set of topics related to advanced web design. During the first two weeks of the course, we'll decide on particular topics and assign responsibility for constructing modules.

Each of you will be assigned several modules to cover for the class. For each module, you'll need to

• do background readings to better understand basic concepts and best practices in that area
• locate several background readings that your classmates will read in preparation for the module you're developing
• create a short (15- to 30-minute) class lecture/discussion/activity that you'll lead, along with supporting materials (cheatsheets, examples, links to resources on the web, etc.)

In addition to modules that everyone will be developing, we may also pick one or more course projects, the scope and content of which will also be decided on by the class during the first two weeks. Possible projects (a completely non-exhaustive list) include an online textbook on web design, a redesign of a large website, or some other topic.

I'll lead the first several modules to get us started.

Grading

Modules (75%): The majority of your course grade is based on the modules you design and lead. We'll cover the specific grading criteria in class, but those grades will include a majority component that I determine based on your preparation and delivery and a minority component based on feedback from your peers.

Attendance and Participation (25%): Because a lot of this class (both topic and procedures) are being developed on the fly (by you and your classmates), you have to both show up and actively participate. Just showing up to class won't be worth more than a handful of points; you need to contribute to class discussion and activities. Fifteen percent your course grade will be determined by me and ten percent determined by your classmates at the end of the semester.

Plagiarism

Like the majority of realworld design and writing, web design relies heavily on the practice from studying and then borrowing judiciously from other sources. There's a gray area between being influenced by someone else's design or code and plagiarising someone else's design or code. If you're not sure which side of that fuzzy boundary you're on, check with me or play it safe with an attribution or link to the primary source.

Here's a rule of thumb for educational situations: If an instructor is grading you on your ability to develop something original, don't submit work that was created by someone else. If you're borrowing key ideas from another source, cite those sources with an attribution or link.

And here's an example: Assume you're asked to develop a class module on doing rollovers in CSS. You do a bunch of background reading on the topic and draw up an outline of seven basic concepts and five examples to cover in your module. During your background reading, you use a site that includes a killer set of examples you'd like to include in your module. Can you use them?

Maybe. (I told you this was a gray area.) First, if the examples are really "killer" (in other words, distinctive or otherwise not completely dull), then you would at least need to link to otherwise cite the original source for the examples to make it clear where they were borrowed from. Second, if a large portion of your module is basically just showing the examples that someone else created, just pointing to those examples isn't a very substantial activity on your part. You have to do something to earn your grade. So you would get more credit for finding a range of examples from different sites or interspersing a couple of found examples with other things you've created on your own.

A related sub-example: For the same module development assignment, you find a Creative Commons, attribution-license image you'd like to use as the banner for the exercise page you develop for your module. You're going to take the CC-licensed image, put some large text on top of it with the title of your module and your name, and also provide an attribution to the original creator's site in the footer of your page. Since the banner for the site is only a very small portion of what you're being graded on for the assignment, and you've followed both the legal (CC-license, in this case) and learning (citing your sources) guidelines, using the image would be fine with me.