CA241:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
1) Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition) (Voices That Matter) 3rd Edition
2) The Principles of Beautiful Web Design Fourth Edition By Jason Beaird, James George, & Alex Walker
| Tuesday | Thursday | |
| Week of 3/10 | SPRING BREAK | SPRING BREAK |
| Week of 3/17 | 3/18 Course Overview & Website Planning Discuss course objectives and expectations. Introduce website goals, audience, and user experience. Activity: Analyze good and bad website examples. Assign: Brainstorm personal website purpose and audience. Read DMMT Ch. 1-2 PBWD Intro & Ch. 1 | 3/20 WIX Introduction & Setup Walk through WIX basics: dashboard, themes, customization. Activity: Students set up their own WIX sites. Choose a theme and customize the homepage layout. Assign: Website Critique & UX Analysis due 3/27 |
| Week of 3/24 | 3/25 Site Mapping & Wireframing Discuss intuitive navigation, menu structure, and user flow. Activity: Sketch wireframes for personal website layout. Assign: Create a site map for their personal website. Read DMMT Ch. 3-4 PBWD Ch. 2 | 3/27 Hands-On: Creating Menus & Pages in WIX Demonstrate how to create pages, categories, and menus. Activity: Students build and structure their site’s main pages. Assign: Wireframing & Information Architecture due 4/3 |
| Week of 3/31 | 4/1 Color, Typography, and Visual Identity Discuss branding, color psychology, and typography. Activity: Create color palette and font combinations using Colors & Fonts. Assign: Apply brand colors and fonts to their site/ find sites and create quick style guides Read DMMT Ch. 5-6 PBWD Ch. 3 | 4/3 Local Business Project Kickoff Introduce local businesses needing a website. Activity: Research business, define audience & goals. Elishia Breetz will be coming to class to introduce her travel business and present ideas for a website. Assign: Create a style guide for your business or partner business. Style guide should include all the elements from the presentation in class. Due 4/10 |
| Week of 4/7 | 4/8 Writing for the Web & Call-to-Actions Discuss effective web copy, CTAs, and readability. Activity: Rewrite sample web pages for clarity and engagement. Assign: Draft homepage content for personal site. Read DMMT Ch. 7-8 PBWD Ch. 4 | 4/10 WIX Page Builders & Templates Demo page builders (Elementor, Gutenberg,) Activity: Design homepage layout using a page builder. Assign: User Persona & Journey Mapping due 4/17 |
| Week of 4/14 | 4/15 Using Images & Videos Effectively Discuss image optimization, alt text, and copyright rules. Activity: Find and add high-quality images/videos to personal site. Assign: Optimize and upload at least 3 images. Read DMMT Ch. 9 PBWD Ch. 5 | 4/15 Using Images & Videos Effectively Discuss image optimization, alt text, and copyright rules. Activity: Find and add high-quality images/videos to personal site. Assign: Optimize and upload at least 3 images. Read DMMT Ch. 9 PBWD Ch. 5 |
| Week of 4/21 | 4/22 No Face to Face Class Work on your final portfolio to submit as well as personal/business website mockup Read DMMT Ch. 10 PBWD Conclusion | 4/24 User Testing & Feedback Conduct peer reviews and usability testing on each other's sites. Assign: Finalize final pitches and presentations for our final in class 4/29 & 5/1 |
| Week of 4/28 | 4/29 Local Business Website Presentation & Course Wrap-Up Present a business website to the class & possibly the business owner. Students present final personal sites | 5/1 Local Business Website Presentation & Course Wrap-Up Present a business website to the class & possibly the business owner. Students present final personal sites Final Exam portfolio due |
Outside-of-Class Work Expectation:
A minimum of two hours out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time.
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS (all due Thursday @ midnight)
Website Critique & UX Analysis due 3/27...........................................................................................10pt
Wireframing & Information Architecture due 4/3.............................................................................20pt
Style Guide due 4/10..............................................................................................................................25pt
User Persona & Journey Mapping due 4/17........................................................................................10pt
Create 3 Main Page Designs for your business or local business due 4/24.....................................20pt
Final “exam” Portfolio presentation or pitch (color/PDF)due 5/1.....................................................15pt
TOTAL POINTS.......................................................................................................................................100pt
Dates to Remember:
March 26 Last Day to Drop Full Semester Classes
April 18 Good Friday Holiday
May 2 Last Day of Classes – Full Semester and Abbreviated Session II
May 5-8 Final Examinations
Grading Policy
A-90-100%
B-80-89%
C-70-79%
D-60-69%
F-Below 60%
All late work will receive a grade reduction of 50%
Instructor Course Policies
See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.
As is consistent in the field of journalism and public relations, punctuality and the ability to meet deadlines are critical attributes for any individual working to achieve success in the field. It is expected that students arrive on time to class. It is expected that during class, no electronic devices will be used to serve as distractions. And finally, it is expected that all assignments meet the deadlines specified in the syllabus. Any assignment not turned in at the beginning of the class on the day it is due will only receive 50% credit. See the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity Policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Stay in Good Academic and Financial Aid Standing
Academic Good Standing Requirements – GPA: 1.8 for first semester, 2.0 cum thereafter; credits: complete 12 per semester; ENG100/101: C- or above; 1 semester of probation if any requirement not met, then 6-month academic suspension, less than 1.0 any semester = suspension.
Financial Aid Requirements – GPA: 2.0 cumulative every semester; credits: pass 67% of classes; 1 semester of probation if any requirement is not met, then 6-month academic suspension, less than 1.0 any semester = suspension.
Graduation Requirements – GPA: 2.0 (check requirements for major); credits: 124 hours, 40 upper division hours; courses: complete required general education and major coursework.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct will not be tolerated in the classroom. Failure to follow the aforementioned classroom policies may result in additional academic penalties as determined by the instructor and/or by the Office of Academic Affairs. In this course, you may use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to help with brainstorming, generating ideas, or refining your work, but you must always cite and acknowledge your use of AI. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work is a violation of academic integrity and will result in a failing grade. Please document your use of AI tools by including screenshots of the prompts and outputs, and cite the AI tool as you would any other source. If you have any questions about the AI policy, please do not hesitate to ask.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: SP25 Final Exam Schedule Graduate:
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Class Attendance Policy |
Accessibility and Disability Services
Accessibility and Disability Services
Wilmington College provides accommodations and services for student with a variety of disabilities, including chronic illnesses, psychological, physical, medical, learning, and sensory disability amongst others. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability and feel you may need a reasonable accommodation to fulfill the essential functions of this course, you are encouraged to contact:
Spencer Izor, Associate Vice President of Compliance - Title IX/ADA Coordinator at spencer.izor@wilmington.edu or 937-481-2365 or Nathan Flack, Academic Resource Manager at 937-481-2208 to learn more about the process and procedures for requesting accommodations, or by visiting College Hall Room 306a or the Robinson Communication Center, Room 103.
Religious Accommodations
Wilmington College strives for an inclusive climate and welcomes students from all backgrounds, faiths, and experiences. If religious observance impedes your ability to participate fully in classroom activities or a principal holiday from your religious tradition occurs during the semester and conflicts with class meetings or activities, please make the professor aware of this immediately to determine if a reasonable accommodation is possible.