¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

Module Content:Ìý

This technology-focused module will introduce students to the Web, where it came from, how it has evolved, how it works today, and where it might be going in future. Students will gain a strong understanding of the technologies behind the Internet and the Web, and will build practical skills in those technologies while using the most suitable web development tools. Ìý

This is an opportunity for students to build a strong socio-technical foundation for the rest of the degree, as well as to learn strategies for acquiring technical skills, including troubleshooting techniques and peer learning/support strategies with relevance to real-world practice.Ìý

Students will progressively learn about topics that may include but are not limited to: history of the web; HTML; CSS; JavaScript; distributed ledger technologies; XML; JSON; web services and data; web design principles; user experience; accessibility; web architectures; peer-to-peer technologies; decentralised applications; search engines and search engine optimisation, and tools for creating, publishing, monitoring, and maintaining websites. The module will also touch on web archiving and preservation and the ways in which website design impacts preservation. With a broad base of technical skills, the module enables students to choose a learning path for further understanding of web development and other web technologies.Ìý

Some weeks the themes will be heavily practical and technology-focused, and others may include broader theoretical discussions and themes such as the importance of accessible design, privacy and openness.Ìý

Learning Outcomes:Ìý

On completion of this modules students will be able to:

• Be able to describe the basic principles of website operation Ìý
• Be able to use markup, styling, meta-markup languages, and software in web development Ìý
• Be able to articulate the importance of best practices on issues such as decoupling content and presentation, usability and accessibility, or openness.  Ìý
• Be able to demonstrate practical skills in creating simple websites.Ìý

Delivery Method:Ìý

A combination of teaching and learning methods will be used: lectures, opportunities for student collaboration, and computing laboratory work, putting more emphasis on learning through practical work and production (tutorial exercises and mini-projects) to ground the more theoretical aspects of the module syllabus in tangible outputs.Ìý

Additional Information:Ìý

Students will work on tutorial sheets and will receive weekly formative feedback from tutors in lab-sessions, working in smaller groups. Students work individually on small mini-projects throughout the module, and discuss their work in groups which offers the chance to receive peer feedback.Ìý

Indicative Readings:Ìý

• Colborne, Giles, Simple and Usable (New Riders, 2017)
• Firth, Ashley, Practical Web Inclusion and Accessibility: A Comprehensive Guide to Access Needs (Apress, 2019)
• Gray, Mary L., and Siddharth Suri, Ghost Work (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
• Pellow, David, and Lisa Sun-Hee Park, The Silicon Valley of Dreams: Environmental Justice, Immigrant Workers, and the High-Tech Global Economy (New York University, 2002)
• Ryan, Johnny, A History of the Internet and the Digital Future (Reaktion, 2013)