Schedule of Topics (preliminary)
This schedule is subject to change and revision; the latest version will always be on this page.

Topic 1: Define Your Site: Mission, Vision, Purpose and Goals (November 17)

Exercise 1: Organize your team and define your site
Readings: Lynch Chapter 1, Rosenfeld Chapter 1
Online Reading: Web Strategy
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/strategy.html

Topic 2: Designing Your Site: In-House or Outsource? (November 17)

Exercise 2: Outsourcing: Pick a design firm
Online Reading: Outsourcing Web Design
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/outsource.html

Topic 3: Web Server/Hosting Options and Domain Name Registration (December 1)

Exercise 3: Select a hosting option
Online Reading: Finding a Web Host
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webhost.html
Domain Names
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/domainnames.html

Topic 4: The Web Site Proposal (December 1)

Exercise 3: Drafting a Web Site Proposal
Online Reading: Web Site Proposals
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/proposals.html

Topic 5: Web Site Structure

Exercise 5: Designing Your Web site: top-down and bottom-up (December 8)
Readings: Lynch Chapters 2 and 3; Rosenfeld Chapters 2, 3 and 4
Online Reading:Yale/AIM Style Manual (online version)
http://imc.iit.edu/internet.access/manual/

Topic 6: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) (December 8)

Exercise 6: Team Web Site Orientation
Readings: Niederst Chapter 23
Online Reading: Cascading Style Sheets
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/css.html

Topic 7: Design Standards for Site Consistancy (December  15)

Exercise 7: Drafting a design standard
Readings: Handouts
Online Reading: Web Standards
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webstandards.html

Topic 8: Web Programming Languages, Databases and Plug-Ins (December 15)

Exercise 8: Creating Dynamic HTML with JavaScript
Readings: Niederst Chapter 23
Online Reading: Programming Languages, Databases and Plug-ins
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/prog.html

Topic 9:  Networking Isn't Just Cables: Industry Standards, Industry Contacts and the Business of Web Development (January 12)

Exercise9: Organizations, Associations, and Publications
Online Reading: Organizations, Associations, & Standards
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/orgsstan.html
Web Developer Periodicals and Publications
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webpubs.html
The Business of Web Development
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webbusiness1.html

Topic  10: Graphical Navigation Schemes (January 5)

Exercise 10: Creating an Imagemap
Readings: Lynch Chapter 7, Rosenfeld Chapter 4
Online Reading: Photos and Imagemaps
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webphoto.html

Topic 11: The Web Inside: Intranets (January 12)

Exercise 11: Intranet Design
Online Reading: Intranets 
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/intranets.html

Topic 12: Do You Want Cookies in Your Shopping Cart? (January 5)

Online Reading: Tracking Users
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/trackingusers.html

Topic 13: Internet Security Overview (January 26)

Online Reading: Introduction to Internet Security
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/netsecurity.html

Topic 14: Web Site Structural Management (January 19)

Online Reading: Web Site Management
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/webmgmt.html

Topic 15: Privacy and Other Policies (January 26)

Exercise 15: Creating a Privacy Policy
Online Reading:Privacy Policies
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/privacypolicy.html

Topic 16: How Will They Pay Us?: Online Transactions (January 19)

Online Reading:Online Transactions and Payment Methods
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/onlinetransactions.html

Topic 17: Extranets: Do I Want to Let Those Guys Into My Site? (February 2)

Exercise 17: Extranet design
Online Reading: Extranets
http://itwebmaster.iit.edu/ECOM564/resources/extranets.html

Topic 18: Website Architecture Review and Lessons Learned (February 2)

Exercise 18: Lessons Learned Discussion
Online Reading:

Topics 19/20: Team Site Presentations (February 9)

Final Exam (February 16)

Assignments
There will be three assignments and a final exam for the class. Assignments will be completed and submitted in teams; each team will have about five members.

Assignment 1 will be a proposal for an e-commerce Web site

Assignment 2 will be a standards document defining the design of the e-commerce proposed in assignment 1

Assignment 3 will be an e-commerce Web site as proposed in assignment 1

The Final Exam will be a certification-style exam consisting of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and short essay questions to demonstrate mastery of the material covered; questions will be based on the learning objectives for each topic.

Grading
Grading criteria for the class will be as follows:

• Outstanding work reflecting substantial effort:
  90-100% A
• Adequate work fully meeting that expected of a graduate student:
  80-89% B
• Weak but still marginally satisfactory work:
  70-79% C
• Substandard work not meeting reasonable expectations:
  60-69% D
• Unsatisfactory work:
  0-59% F