course information
Course Numbers: WA 01301, Section 1, 41822
Course Hours: M 6:30 – 9:00pm
Course Location: Education Hall 2110
Printable Syllabus: wolff-wrt-syllabus-f08 (.pdf)
Required Texts | Office Hours | Contacting Each Other | Students with Disabilities | Attendance and Late Work | Grading
Required Texts and Materials
All texts are available at the Rowan Bookstore or at your preferred online bookstore.
Adobe Creative Team, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book. Berkeley: Adobe P, 2007. Make sure CD is actually included in the back of the book.
Goto, K. & Cotler, E. (2005). Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works. Indianapolis: New Riders.
Griffiths, P. (2006). HTML Dog: The Best-Practice Guide to XHTML and CSS. Berkeley: New Riders.
Neilson, J. & Loranger, H. (2006). Prioritizing Web Usability. Berkeley: New Riders Press
- Various photocopies and online readings.
- Computer with Internet access
- Microsoft Word or any of many online alternatives (papers must be turned in in .doc or .rtf; no other formats will be accepted)
- Rowan email address
- Other materials as needed
Office Hours
Office hours are designed for you, giving you a more private environment in which we may talk about your work, your performance in class, etc. If you are unable to see me during my office hours, do not hesitate to make an appointment to see me at a different time. We will have at least one required conference during the second half of the semester.
Contacting Each Other
There will be times during the semester when I will need to contact the class and you will need to contact me. I will contact you via your Rowan email account, so please be sure that you are checking it regularly and/or forwarding it to the email service you use most regularly. If you do not know your Rowan email address, you can find it on the Email page of the Rowan web site.
I am in my office only during office hours and the brief times before and after class. As a result, calling me in my office will not get you an immediate response. I strongly suggest you contact me via email, which I check all day long.
Email, however, tends to be seen as an informal medium. This, however, should not always be the case. All emails that I send to you will have a meaningful subject line and a proper salutation (“Hi Class,” or “Hi Jane,” etc.). The first sentence will notify you of the purpose of the email, and then will get to the heart of the matter. It will end with a formal closing (“Thanks, BW”). I expect the same from any email you send. Any email that does not will immediately be deleted and not responded to.
Students with Disabilities
Your academic success is important. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The Academic Success Center can be reached at 856.256.4234. The Center is located on the 3rd Floor of Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals.
Attendance and Late Work
You are expected to attend class every day. You cannot pass this class if you miss more than 25% of the scheduled meeting times, including excused and unexcused absences. For our section of Writing, Research, and Technology, which meets once a week, the maximum number of permissible absences is 3.
Excused Absences
You will be permitted to make up missed work for excused absences only. These include:
- religious observances
- official University activities
- illness
- death of a family member or loved one
- inclement weather
You must provide verifiable documentation. Consult with your instructor for what is considered acceptable.
In the case of religious observances or official University activities, you must inform your instructor in advance of your absence for it to be excused.
In the case of illness, death of a family member or loved one, or inclement weather, you must inform your instructor as soon as possible after the fact.
If the events described above lead to your exceeding the maximum absence limit, you will be referred to the Dean of Students for a hardship withdrawal from the class.
Unexcused Absences
Unexcused absences will be treated using the following scale:
- 1 or fewer, no penalty
- 2 absences, -1/3 final grade (a B would become a B-)
- 3 absences, -2/3 final grade (a B would become a C+)
This rate of deduction continues until reaching the maximum, after which you will receive an F for the course.
Grading
Grades in this course are determined on the basis of a Learning Record Online, which accompanies a portfolio of work presented both at the midterm and at end of term. These portfolios present a selection of your work, formal and informal, plus ongoing observations about your learning, plus an analysis of your work development across five dimensions of learning: confidence and independence, knowledge and understanding, skills and strategies, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflectiveness. This development centers on the major strands of work:
Research
Gathering and organizing relevant information from different sources.
Collaboration
Working with others to achieve a common goal. Collaboration can take place in groups, on forums, in emails, and other on- and off-line locations.
Critical Thinking, Writing, and Reading
Students will develop their ability to read judiciously, think about, and write about texts in a variety of genres and media.
Graphic Design
The design of graphics, and other Web-based multimedia, for the purpose of publication on the Web. An understanding of the implications that multimedia has on Web page usability and accessibility.
Web Design
Designing Web pages with an understanding of the user’s perspective and the implications of how certain features affect a user’s experience.
For every missing non-online posting assignment, your grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. For every 2 missing online postings your grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. For every 3 late assignments, your final grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. It is better to complete an assignment late then to not complete it at all. Any plagiarism—intended or not—will result in a failing grade for the course.