As part of ITP’s new undergraduate program, Interactive Media Arts (IMA) which launched in Fall 2018, this course will provide a foundation for understanding modern web development with a focus on front end technologies and accessing public data. The forms and uses of these technologies are explored in a laboratory context of experimentation and discussion. This studio stresses interactivity, usability, and the quality and appropriateness of look and feel.
While this course is geared towards Tisch IMA students it will be open to all NYU students pending space and prerequisites. Aside from Tisch IMA students, this course will particularly benefit students who are studying away in NY from our sibling program IMA in Shanghai and Interactive Media in Abu Dhabi among other NYU students.
- New York University
- Tisch School of the Arts
- Front-End Web
- Course Syllabus
- IMNY-UT 228 / 4 Credits
- Interactive Media Arts
- 7/23/2023
- Instructor Name: Lenin Compres
This course will provide a foundation for understanding modern web development with a focus on front end technologies and accessing public data. The forms and uses of these technologies are explored in a laboratory context of experimentation and discussion. This studio stresses interactivity, usability, and the quality and appropriateness of look and feel.
Students will create two web applications, including one that leverages public APIs and Javascript libraries. The goal of the course is for students to learn how to think holistically about an application, both by designing a clear user experience and understanding the algorithmic steps required to build it. Assignments are arranged in sequence to enable the production of a website of high quality in design and engineering.
At the completion of this course, the student will:
- Know how to design, build, and develop content for a professional-quality website.
- Understand and implement the iterative design and development process
- Learn how to proactively learn, also known as self-regulated learning. In any learning situation, you should study beforehand, make/do, debug, reflect, adjust, and do it all over again (iteration). Learning happens in a cycle.
- Create an internal developer / creative community
User Interface (UI) / User Experience (UX)
- HTML5 / CSS3
- The Responsive Web (flexible media & media queries)
- Javascript, Javascript Libraries + Frameworks
- Using Public Data via APIs
You will need a modern laptop (4 years old or younger is a good rule of thumb). Limited numbers are available for checkout from the department. Commercial software required in the course will be made available on the laptops available for checkout. Other required software is freely available.
All software required for the course is freely available
- Browser: Chrome or Firefox
- Github Account: github.com/join
- Developer Tools for Chrome or Firefox
- Firebug for Firefox, http://getfirebug.com/ or
- Chrome Developer Tools, https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools
- HTML Text Editor (Visual Studio Code, Atom, Brackets.io, etc)
- Web Server Space
- We will be using Github Pages to host your websites, but you are welcome to purchase your own server space as well.
Grades for the course will follow the standard A through F letter grading system and will be determined by the following breakdown:
We will have weekly assignments that are relevant to material from the previous class. Most assignments will include a Learning Log, where you will be asked to provide some assessment of your clarity on a topic after doing a tutorial. Please write on your Learning Logs (a personal blog or documentation) . You can create your logs on Github, Notion, Wordpress, even Google docs, if you prefer. Here are some things to include in your weekly logs:
- Identify (name, URL, sections, etc.) at least one tutorial that you did, and respond to the following.
- Instances where you achieved clarity, i.e. understood something or felt pieces of knowledge falling into place towards a greater understanding.
- Instances where you did NOT achieve clarity and why. What can you do to aid your understanding?
- Connections you made among the week’s readings, lectures, class activities, homework assignments, etc.
- Links to any web page, source code or layout files you created (Codepen, Figma, Github, P5 Editor, etc.).
Add the link to your logs to the class list under your name. Ask the instructor or GA for access, if you are unable to edit this page.
Each assignment is due by the next class meeting after they are assigned unless stated otherwise. It is expected that you will spend 6 to 8 hours a week on the class outside of class itself. This will include reviewing material, reading, watching video, completing assignments and so on. Please budget your time accordingly.
Each assignment will be marked as complete (full credit), partially complete (half credit), or incomplete (no credit). To be complete an assignment should meet the criteria specified in the syllabus including documentation. If significant portions are simply not attempted or the assignment is turned in late (up to 1 week) then it may be marked partially complete. If it is more than a week late, not turned in, or an attempt isn’t made to meet the criteria specified it will be marked incomplete.
The midterm assignment will be a project that demonstrates a working knowledge of website design and responsive HTML & CSS. This project must be completed, published, and presented.
This class will be participatory, you are expected to participate in discussions and give feedback to other students both in class and participate with their projects. This is 20% of your overall grade. Each student will be asked to do a 5-min presentation on a Learning Log throughout the semester, which is part of your participation grade.
Class will culminate with final projects. It is expected that these will be both technology and content driven. The final project will be built over the course of several weeks. This project must be completed, published, and presented.
5% - Students will be expected to document their work on Github. This will involve regular publishing of source code and assignments, using comments and README files as necessary. (Github will be a topic we cover in class.)
5% - At the end of each session, students will need to submit a Ticket to Leave to the class Slack.
- List at least 1 thing you learned today in class.
- What concept(s) confuses you from today’s lecture, discussion, or exercises? (This will give you a clue as to what you should study before the next class.)
Each student will be judged on the quality, experimentation, and improvement that their work shows.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been of the highest level, showing sustained excellence in meeting course responsibilities. Work clearly differentiates itself from other work, has memorable impact, pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The student thoroughly understands the web design and development process.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been good, though not of the highest level. Work demonstrates a better than average web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been adequate, satisfactorily meeting the course requirements. Work is average and competent, showing a basic understanding of the web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been less than adequate. Work is lacking in many or most areas that show any understanding of visual foundation. Problems may include lack of interest, procrastination, poor planning and poor craft.
Performance and attendance of the student has been such that course requirements have not been met. Work shows no overall understanding of the course material on many levels or either a severe lack of interest.
Attendance is mandatory. Please inform the professor via email if you are going to miss a class. Showing up late for class or an excessive number of absences will adversely affect your grade.
At most two (2) unexcused absences will be tolerated without effect to your grade. Any more than two (2) unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your final grade by one whole grade for each unexcused absence. For example, three (3) unexcused absences will result in your highest possible grade being a B instead of an A. Four (4) unexcused absences will result in your highest possible grade being a C and so on. Six (6) unexcused absences will result in an automatic F for the course. Two (2) late arrivals will count for one (1) absence.
This class will be highly participatory. You are expected to contribute to discussions, engage in group work, give feedback to your peers, and otherwise fully participate in class.
Recreational use of phones, music players, video game systems and other devices are forbidden. Laptops and tablets are allowed for note taking, in class work, as well as relevant research only. Activities not related to the class, such as recreational use of the internet, including all social media websites, email and instant messaging, game playing, and work for other classes, will not be permitted. Such activities are disrespectful to the instructor and distracting to others.
Classes will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, hands-on tutorials, homework review, presentations, and group work. You will need to come to class prepared with a laptop and any other supplies specified for that class.
The course will be one (1) time per week for three hours (3:00) for a total of 15 weeks.
We will have weekly assignments that are relevant to material from the previous class. Most assignments will include a Learning Log, where you will be asked to provide some assessment of your clarity on a topic after doing a tutorial. Please refer to the Learning Logs file in this repository for more instructions.
Each assignment is due by the next class meeting after they are assigned unless stated otherwise. It is expected that you will spend 6 to 8 hours a week on the class outside of class itself. This will include reviewing material, reading, watching video, completing assignments and so on. Please budget your time accordingly.
Each assignment will be marked as complete (full credit), partially complete (half credit), or incomplete (no credit). To be complete an assignment should meet the criteria specified in the syllabus including documentation. If significant portions are simply not attempted or the assignment is turned in late (up to 1 week) then it may be marked partially complete. If it is more than a week late, not turned in, or an attempt isn’t made to meet the criteria specified it will be marked incomplete.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.
The core of the educational experience at the Tisch School of the Arts is the creation of original academic and artistic work by students for the critical review of faculty members. It is therefore of the utmost importance that students at all times provide their instructors with an accurate sense of their current abilities and knowledge in order to receive appropriate constructive criticism and advice. Any attempt to evade that essential, transparent transaction between instructor and student through plagiarism or cheating is educationally self-defeating and a grave violation of Tisch School of the Arts community standards. For all the details on plagiarism, please refer to page 10 of the Tisch School of the Arts, Policies and Procedures Handbook, which can be found online at https://tisch.nyu.edu/student-affairs/important-resources/tisch-policies-and-handbooks
Please feel free to make suggestions to your instructor about ways in which this class could become more accessible to you. Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.
Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. If you experience any health or mental health issues during this course, we encourage you to utilize the support services of the 24/7 NYU Wellness Exchange at 212-443-9999. Also, all students who may require academic accommodation due to a qualified disability, physical or mental, please register with the Moses Center at 212-998-4980. Please let your instructor know if you need help connecting to these resources.
Laptops will be an essential part of the course and may be used in class during workshops and for taking notes in lectures. Laptops must be closed during class discussions and student presentations. Phone use in class is strictly prohibited unless directly related to a presentation of your own work or if you are asked to do so as part of the curriculum.
Tisch School of the Arts to dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link: Title IX at NYU.