IS698: Enterprise Web Design Using Standards (ver. Summer 2007)

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Administrative Issues of this Course

Introduction to the Topic

Brief Schedule of the Course

What is in my eLearning Pack this Semester?

Detailed Weekly Schedule of the Course

Final Deadline to Submit ALL Assignments

This is your latest, therefore the most current schedule. Last update: July 12, 2007, (Update history: May 22, 14, April 4, 2007 )

Please Read This! It Contains Vital Information about the Course as well as All the Assignments, Homework and Grades!

PLEASE save the TREES! Please DO NOT Print this syllabus. Use this web site to read it in this electronic format; it will be updated during the semester. Thank you!

Welcome to IS698 Summer 2007; The Distance Learning Class: Enterprise Web Design Using Standards

Enterprise Web Design Using Standards is a graduate level information systems course, covering simple-to-complex methods, tools and technologies advanced enterprise web-designers using web standards should know.

Besides up-to-date analysis methods, facts, tools and technologies, it also incorporates several real-world industrial case studies with design components.

With the aid of several browser-readable 3D interactive multimedia learning resources and full-screen DVD videos, we introduce basic concepts about standards, open source versus proprietary strategies, interoperability, ease of implementation, maintenance and support, customer requirements analysis, web design project management, effective virtual web design team management, and others.

Then we focus on computer networking and Internet concepts, technologies and standards, such as protocol and file type standards including HTTP, FTP, SMTP, RSS, RTSP, WEBDAV, TCP/IP, data structures and transfer standards, such as XML, (X)HTML, then client-side scripting with JavaScript, and server-side scripting using PHP, ASP .NET, JSP, Perl, Ruby, Python, and others.

Then we introduce presentation standards using CSS, development standards including REST, AJAX, Ruby on Rails, standard server solutions, such as Apache, IIS, browser standards, such as IE, Firefox/Mozilla, Netscape, Safari, Lynx, accessibility standards, such as WCAG, WAI, and others.

Having established a strong standards-based focus and foundation, and a clear understanding of interoperability issues over the web, in the design component of the class we'll introduce real-world case studies, and exciting small-scale web design projects.

By following our well-established, collaborative eLearning resources and methods, each student will be able to create his, or her own web-design project.

Furthermore, they will develop competence and confidence in building web-based systems based upon standards, by simultaneously focusing on specific customer requirements, functionality issues, web project management and information systems engineering solutions, time, technology and budget constraints.

One more important course design consideration: We take a simultaneously professional engineering and holistic view... we don't jump into coding and ignore proper planning. Remember: according to the Sandish Group over 80% of IT / IS projects fail, costing annually over $50 billion in the USA only (!), because the developers did not understand what the customers truly wanted in the first place and therefore coded unwanted programs...with unwanted bugs... This is why you should see the variety of DVDs, work through the 3D eBooks BEFORE you start to develop and code your own web page design (using standards)... This will be lot of fun, because you'll be able to innovate without any major limits, and implement only a realistic portion of your own ideas and designs.

by

Paul G. Ranky, PhD
Full Tenured Professor
Registered Chartered Professional Engineer
Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), Audit Division and Lean Enterprise / Advanced Manufacturing Division
Also Member of ASEE, IEEE, IEE, FEANI, SAE, PMI
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and the IS/ IT Program
NJIT, University Heights, NJ 07102 -1982

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A NEW, and unique feature of this course: International Collaboration between us, and other university students! As part of an informal academic collaborative effort I set up with other universities in Hong Kong/China, Japan, United Kingdom and Europe. I provide here links to international Masters students' work. Please feel free to review, comment, and get involved. This is an attempt to increase the global aspects of this course for the benefit of all students and faculty involved. Please e-mail me if you are interested and I'll put you in touch!

You can e-mail me at NJIT: ranky@njit.edu (Please note, that for reliability reasons I have added another email address: cimware@mac.com )

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Note, that this is a combined Welcome Letter and Course Outline. Please read it carefully. You will find all essential course information here. Follow this syllabus to achieve an 'A'.

Please note, that this document will be updated during the semester. If anything is unclear please contact me. According to NJIT's policies, in this course the NJIT Honor Code will be upheld, and that any violations will be brought to the immediate attention of the Dean of Students. Also, students will be consulted with by the instructor and must agree to any modifications or deviations from the syllabus throughout the course of the semester. As you see, I fully believe in teamwork, because in a team 2+2 = 5 (... and we need extra good hands in any project, don't we...)

Mailing Address: Paul G. Ranky, PhD
Full Tenured Professor
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and IS/IT
NJIT, University Heights, NJ 07102 -1982

You can e-mail me at NJIT: ranky@njit.edu (Please note, that for reliability reasons I have added another e-mail address: cimware@mac.com . Please use this and send again your e-mail if you don't get an answer from me within 4-6 working days. I can read the cimware@mac.com account over the Internet anywhere where I have Internet access, therefore even if I am away at a conference on NJIT business, we can be in touch.)

Note, that my office is in ITC 2519 at NJIT. My office hours for the Summer 2007 semester will be by appointment only by e-mail, and I'll be happy to see you as soon as I can.

Find out more about the Professor’s past and current research work and background at (don't miss some of my best diving pictures...):
http://www.cimwareukandusa.com/aboutpgr.htm

Academic Calendar

Please look up the NJIT web site: http://www.njit.edu/v2/Directory/Admin/Registrar/Calendar/2007summer.html

Academic Calendar 2007 Summer (First and Second Sessions)

April 2 Summer Registration Begins For NJIT Students
April 2 Summer Registration Begins For Visiting Students
First Summer Session Dates
(All courses that begin in May along with Distance
Learning, Thesis/Project/Dissertation & Independent Study)

May 18 Schedule Change & Late Fees Begin
May 21 1st Summer Session Begins
May 24 Last Day to Register For All Courses Beginning in the 1st session
May 24 Last Day to Register For All Courses Meeting the Entire Summer
May 24 100% Refund Ends for Courses Beginning in the 1st session
May 24 100% Refund Ends for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
May 25 W Grades posted for all 1st Session Withdrawals
May 25 W Grades posted for all Courses Meeting the entire summer.
May 28 Memorial Day No Classes
May 30 80% Refund Ends for Courses Beginning in the 1st session
May 31 60% Refund Ends For Courses Beginning in the 1st session
June 4 40% Refund Ends For Courses Beginning in the 1st session
June 6 20% Refund Ends For Courses Beginning in the 1st Session
June 13 1st Session Withdrawal Deadline
May 31 80% Refund Ends for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
June 7 60% Refund Ends for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
June 14 40% Refund Ends for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
June 21 20% Refund Ends for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
June 25 1st Session Classes End
June 27 1st Session Grades Due
July 18 Withdrawal Deadline for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
Second Summer Session Dates

July 2 2nd Summer Session Begins
July 3 Last Day To Register For 2nd Session
July 3 100% Refund Ends for 2nd Session
July 4 No Classes
July 5 W Grades posted for all 2nd Session withdrawals
July 5 80% Refund Ends for 2nd Session
July 16 Middle Session Courses End
July 9 60% Refund Ends For 2nd Session
July 11 40% Refund EndsFor 2nd Session
July 12 20% Refund Ends For 2nd Session
July 17 Grades Due for all Middle Session Courses
July 18 Withdrawal Deadline for Courses Meeting the entire summer.
July 18 Withdrawal Deadline for 2nd Session
Aug 6 2nd Session and Entire Summer Courses End
Aug 8 2nd Session Grades Due

IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL STUDENTS :
  1. Please read this new syllabus carefully. Having read and understood it please email your instructor the following (you can copy paste the list below into your email for consistency):
  2. Please note, that in case your e-mail is not answered it means that my response wasn't delivered due to e-mail address / account issues at your end, or perhaps at the NJIT end... Sorry, You have to fix your side, I'll fix my side.
  3. Naturally my e-mail at NJIT can fail too, as it has in the past. In this case either wait until NJIT resolves this, or use the alternative reliable e-mail address provided: cimware@mac.com
  4. Due to the fact that I teach and supervise several students, I cannot confirm the receipt of your homework assignments, but when you get my comments and the grade you'll see that I am working on your assignments too. It is important that you prepare them as well as you can, on time, although I will try to tolerate lateness if there is a good reason for it. I am keen to help you to truly master the subject, not just to get a grade...
  5. PLEASE set up your own web page including your photo in the web page, use NJIT's FREE web server, or your company's, or your own, or other solutions that work for you... it is your choice... as long as it works... PLEASE submit your assignments electronically via the web. Since I deal with several assignments every semester ALL YOUR ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE submitted electronically. If you do this over the web, it becomes very easy for all of us. (Some students send me PDF files, Word files, Excel files, pictures, etc. and ask me to understand and integrate all that... sorry, I cannot do that. I need an email with your URL in it; and your web-page should follow web standards.
  6. PLEASE do NOT use MS-Publisher as a web authoring tool, since according to last semester's experience it has linking problems even within an entirely MS, so called 'industry standard' environment... not to mention the internationally accepted Internet community... 'If they cannot see your web pages then why to bother at all...' therefore make sure that your web pages are being used for knowledge collection and knowledge management and therefore are accessible from anywhere in the world... using different browsers... and even different operating systems... (not just the multiple-award winning operating systems, that are often full of bugs, but also those that offer reliable, virus free quality solutions...)
  7. Please make sure that your URL works before you send me an email with a URL in it so that I can click on it and directly link to your assignment(s). The best approach is to set up your own web page on the NJIT server, or on a server of your choice, and then add every assignment to this URL as you develop them. This will be an extremely valuable knowledge documentation method to learn and a valuable resource for YOUR future when YOU apply for a job! Please let me know if you need help.
  8. When you are done, you trigger my grading process by sending me an email with your full URL in it, so that it links just by clicking on it.
  9. Since this course is about web-standards, please try to stick to standards, so that we can all enjoy your wonderful web pages... Since some of the analysis work for this course will be done in MS - Excel (templates are provided in the eLearning Pack CDs/ DVDs), we include Excel as being a web standard, although strictly speaking it is not.
  10. As you post a new assignment, or an improved version of an already graded assignment PLEASE email me about this with the proper link (the full URL in the email, so that I can just click on it and I am at your web page).
  11. We plan to use the Highlander email-to-class system offered by NJIT, therefore pls. READ the email address you have offered to NJIT, ELSE I CANNOT BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU BY EMAIL; since this is the ONLY email my NJIT system knows about you (even if you have 6 others...)
  12. Please note, that the NJIT Honor Code will be upheld, and that any violations will be brought to the immediate attention of the Dean of Students. Students will be made aware of any modifications or deviations from the syllabus throughout the course of the semester.
  13. In case you chose the NJIT free web-hosting path, these are the steps my students suggested in the past to follow when uploading web pages to the NJIT server (Note: I use professional servers; I do not use the NJIT server, therefore if you need help in terms of VPN (Virtual Private Network) links, or how to download software from the NJIT website, or why your web page does not work with the FTP (File Transfer PRotocol Program) NJIT offers PLEASE contact the NJIT computing help desk, NOT me. I also suggest, that you network with other students in the class, or via chat-groups (instant messaging systems) and by any other means; I will help in this as much as I can by emailing these important links to everybody during the first week of class, as soon as I get the class roster from NJIT's Registrar.

    As an NJIT graduate distance learning, or in other words eLearning Student you are entitled to benefit of significant FREE computing resources, meaning hardware, software, as well as on-line email, web-site storage space, and related Internet and NJIT intranet server services. The steps below intend to help you on how to set up a web page for documenting your assignments for this course. Please read and follow each step. Obviously if you already have a web page, either through work, or business, or otherwise, please feel free to use that, or the one you prefer. Note, that you can use any suitable web authoring software. NJIT has a few on free offer too.

    These are the steps to follow (as provided by NJIT's IT and Computing Services):

    Hopefully all works... I'd like to see your beautiful web pages!

    1. Visit: http://csd.njit.edu/resources/webservices.php and read the instructions for Home page Setup. If you don't understand the details offered, please contact NJIT Academic Computing at Tel: (973)-596-2900, and they'll take you through. (Note, that lines can be busy during peak times, such as at the beginning of the semester, or towards the end of the semester, therefore to sort this out the earlier the better!)
    2. You should have an index.html file as your 'title page', because search engines will find you via the index.html file, and your hyper links to other files should be programmed passing through this index.html file.
    3. Please make sure, that you create your index.html file in your public_html directory and have all your other .html, .jpg, .xlx, .mov, etc. files in the same directory, else you will have a 'path error', meaning that your files will not link when viewed by others over the Internet.
    4. Last, but not least: ALWAYS test your uploaded assignment using your own, as well as somebody else's computer, to make sure, that everything works fine. (If you don't have a second, independent computer on the web, ask one of your classmates, or friends to check it for you, by sending him/her an email with a full URL in it, like this: http://www.mycoursewebpage.edu). Also note, that besides the class discussions (live class), the eLearning pack CDs have several examples on the architecture of simple and complex web-pages. All of these are in open source, please study them! We'll discuss some of this in class too!
    5. Last, but not least: ALWAYS test your uploaded assignment using your own, as well as somebody else's computer, to make sure that everything works fine. (Also, ask one of your classmates, or friends to check it for you, by sending him/her an email with a full URL in it).
    6. Please note, that the eLearning pack CDs/DVDs have several examples of browser compatible resources. All of these can be studied by you. Note, that it is a USA and international copyright violation to upload an entire 3D eBook of mine, or DVD video in any format onto a server, or onto the Internet. Try to stay out of trouble, PLEASE!

As always,

Happy Learning,

Professor Paul G Ranky, PhD

P.S. One more important opportunity! The 21st Century Information Systems Engineer must be a professional information searcher, information and knowledge creator, as well as somebody who can reason over several different sets of information and then select the best possible solution path under constraints... not an easy task considering the number and types of constraints we all face... In order to help this process, as part of this course, as you prepare for your assignments, please visit NJIT's wast and advanced electronic library. See some of the typical information searches and how the results can be evaluated. For our purposes, we'll use NJIT's SCOPUS electronic database. You can reach it via: http://www.scopus.com.libdb.njit.edu:8888/scopus/home.url, all you need is your UCID and password (as offered by NJIT to every NJIT student) to access this site. Really useful... Enjoy!

Contents (IS 698: Enterprise Web Design Using Standards)

NJIT IS 698

Narrative Description of the Course:

As an example, imagine a world in which every automobile you design, manufacture and maintain has a unique, custom-built engine, with unique bearings, pistons, cylinders, fuel injection system, electrical power supply, and other components. In this world every single automobile is different...

Now imagine, that you need to simultaneously compete and collaborate with other designers and manufacturers who design their cars based on well-tested, reusable components and objects, create standard base-platforms, and customize them only at very high levels. This way they simultaneously satisfy their diverse customer base, their shrinking time-to-market design and financial constraints, as well as the system maintenance requirements.

It is obvious that any product, process or service system, designed of well-tested, reusable objects, based on standards is the way forward. This is why we offer this unique course.

Enterprise Web Design Using Standards is a graduate level information systems course, covering simple-to-complex methods, tools and technologies advanced enterprise web-designers using web standards should know. Besides up-to-date analysis methods, facts, tools and technologies, it also incorporates several real-world industrial case studies with design components.

With the aid of several browser-readable 3D interactive multimedia learning resources and full-screen DVD videos, we introduce basic concepts about standards, open source versus proprietary strategies, interoperability, ease of implementation, maintenance and support, customer requirements analysis, web design project management, effective virtual web design team management, and others.

Then we focus on computer networking and Internet concepts, technologies and standards, such as protocol and file type standards including HTTP, FTP, SMTP, RSS, RTSP, WEBDAV, TCP/IP, data structures and transfer standards, such as XML, (X)HTML, then client-side scripting with JavaScript, and server-side scripting using PHP, ASP .NET, JSP, Perl, Ruby, Python, and others.

Then we introduce presentation standards using CSS, development standards including REST, AJAX, Ruby on Rails, standard server solutions, such as Apache, IIS, browser standards, such as IE, Firefox/Mozilla, Netscape, Safari, Lynx, accessibility standards, such as WCAG, WAI, and others.

Having established a strong standards-based focus and foundation, and a clear understanding of interoperability issues over the web, in the design component of the class we'll introduce real-world case studies, and exciting small-scale web design projects. By following our well-established, collaborative eLearning resources and methods, each student will be able to create his, or her own web-design project.

Furthermore, they will develop competence and confidence in building web-based systems based upon standards, by simultaneously focusing on specific customer requirements, functionality issues, engineering solutions, time, technology and budget constraints.

It is essential to understand that none of the web design methods using standards work in practice unless they are applied to all levels of the (preferably digital) enterprise, including the internal, as well as external networked customers and supply chains.

This broadly interpreted networked, digital enterprise truly reflects several interrelated systems. For simplicity, in this course when students develop their assignments with their own (virtual) companies collaborating with the eLearning Pack offered 4 companies, can focus on any of the following enterprise systems:

  1. Product design (e.g. design of computers, automobiles, or aircraft, or furniture, or a network, or others), or
  2. Processing (e.g. manufacturing, assembly, packaging, robotized painting), or
  3. Service company (e.g. eCommerce and marketing services, or financial services, or educational services, or medical services), and/or a
  4. Global network of product, process, or service companies

The key is not lose focus: many students in this course get carried away (because they enjoy their freedom...) and forget, that their company must focus on Enterprise web design using standards...

In a few words, at the end of this course, you should produce a nice standards-based web page, that meets all the design requirements, is professionally project managed and satisfies your own (virtual) company requirements, in collaboration with the four companies offered in your eLearning Pack.

Enterprise web design using standards has its best chance if implemented in a modern, digital factory, or service environment, in which every major process is monitored, based on analytical, quantitative and computational methods... (For more on this topic, as an engineering IS example, please read our on-line, web-based article).

Based on the above, the key is to understand, that the way we live and work is changing rapidly. This is offering an enormous competitive advantage to those who embrace the new thinking, the new methods and new tools that enable lean, flexible, contextually deep, agile, secure and simplified information exchange and collaboration via web design using standards.

In this course, we'll learn how to turn this new knowledge into a strategic advantage for all of your information systems work.

Also, we should notice, that in a modern quality enterprise, or service information is communicated to distributed workforces and networks of contributing partners and customers. 'Enterprise 2.0' is the modern term established by leading quality-focused enterprises for the methods, tools, technologies and business practices that liberate the workforce from the constraints of legacy communication and productivity tools. It provides business managers with access to the right information at the right time through a web of inter-connected applications, services and devices.

Enterprise 2.0 makes accessible the collective intelligence of many, translating to a huge competitive advantage in the form of increased innovation, productivity, lean-flexibility, and agility. (Note, that although SOA, or Service Oriented Architecture enterprise solutions can make this concept reality... SOA is not the focus of this course, nevertheless many web-standards we cover, that can make SOA reality, are! It is important to note, that besides IT security, SOA tops the list of most IS/IT professionals...)

Because via our web-based information systems engineering networks data and information feeds every important process step, the key attributes of Enterprise 1.0 (the old approach), versus Enterprise 2.0 (the new, web- standard approach) can be summarized as follows:

To summarize, the methods and tools we learn in this course effect the entire enterprise, or service organization, including humans and machines, their business systems, product design, process planning, manufacturing planning, the shop floor, packaging, maintenance, after sales service, the global supply chains, the marketing efforts, the financial services, and all others, for several life-cycles.

Because of the impact web design using standards creates, this course is aimed at graduate IS (and IT) students, professional information systems engineering students, managers and research students, scientists, engineers and managers working in industry, wishing to learn about enterprise web design methods using standards.

Distance Learning Students purchase their educationally priced eLearning Packs from the NJIT Bookstore (pls. contact Frank, or the NJIT Bookstore over the web). PLEASE NOTE, that all of the eLearning Pack materials are copyrighted and therefore are for individual use only. You can put selected objects (e.g. images, or video clips, or others up-to-10% of the total content) with proper references to the original material (in the usual format: 'Courtesy of xyz, published by ABC...) into your assignments and post them onto your website, but it is ILLEGAL for you to put an entire 3D eBook, or an entire DVD video (I only use these as examples) onto your web page, or server, or somebody else's server. I mention this here because some students break the copyright law and therefore can get into major legal trouble with publishers; something I do not want you to experience, because it is expensive and nasty...

Every eLearning Pack design architecture is the same, but in terms of actual content is different, because it is customized. In the syllabus below, I will point out which sections of these resources are required as you progress with your studies and the related assignments / homeworks. I know, that it looks complex, but then we are learning a complex subject... this syllabus, as well as the eLearning Pack resources with me always there on email, tel., etc. will help you to master the subject; just as thousands of students did in the past... no worries!

This is what you'll find in every eLearning Pack for this course (besides the web, these are all the resources you'll need for this course):

The eLearning Packs will give us a great opportunity to work on projects in collaboration with the four selected companies (also in your eLearning Pack). PLEASE NOTE, that each eLearning pack is different, nevertheless the methods we use are the same. Each student should therefore use one eLearning Pack.

Also note, that you will need a multimedia computer (approx. 800 MHz, or preferably MUCH faster, with a CD drive and 800x600 resolution screen min., 1024x768 or better screen preferred), a link to the Internet and email, as well as a recent version (not older than yr. 1998) version of MS-Excel in your machine. Furthermore you'll need Apple's crossplatform quicktime media player to enjoy the 3D objects we use (yes, it is a web-standard, even in the books of the USA military, DOD, IBM, Google, etc.). You can test your machine on this object: it is a Mercedes Benz concept car. As you move the cursor over the poster frame of the image, by holding down the mouse, you should be able to turn the car left and right. Enjoy! (It might take a few seconds to download, because it is a good resolution file...). You can also test our movie clips (they turn up in different sizes on the web and in my eBook CDs...) This is an example of a BMW Z3; a nice little car.

PLEASE NOTE, that as a student of NJIT, you are entitled to a large number of educational software titles, and software & hardware discounts, therefore please make sure that you take advantage of the huge educational discounts offered (even if you work for a company).

See NJIT's bookstore, as well as contact NJIT's computing help desks over the web for further details). You'll also need to be able to play DVD videos either on your computer, or using a standard USA NTSC DVD player linked to a TV set. (Some DVD videos in your pack are wide screen videos, but play well on 4:3 screens too.

Reading for a degree... A few words about 'reading for a degree'... for hundreds of years, academics and other professionals all over the world emphasized the importance of reading for a degree. Here is a short list of excellent resources that will help you to deepen your understanding in the subject area of this course.

Please read more on the subject if you can. (I certainly try to offer you lots of useful resources.)

Useful web links for web standards. (Honestly, the only challenge is, that it will probably take you around 400-500 years to read all the work outline in the web pages below... keep these links as good references for the future too.)

0. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): This is THE MOST useful link... and you can spend 100 years of your life reading it all... nevertheless you'll find everything here, that is current and important regarding web standard technologies... As W3C states it: The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
URL: http://www.w3.org/

1. Developing with web standards... is a useful source with lots of excellent further links:
http://www.456bereastreet.com/lab/developing_with_web_standards/

2. The web standards checklist by Russ Weakley
is probably slightly dated, nevertheless very interesting document, certainly worth to read some of it. URL:
http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/checklist.htm

3. The Web Standards Project: A very useful standards-focused site, with lots of valuable information... and it is usually up-to-date too...
This is the link: http://www.webstandards.org/

4. Web Design Standards Help, Web Design Standards Tutorials, Web Design Standards Code... This is a very useful source with code, tutorials and some excellent real-world examples... One snag though; it will take you over 100 years to learn all the tricks... and of course nobody stops working during the 100 years whilst you are learning this...
URL: http://www.devarticles.com/c/b/Web-Design-Standards/

5. Accessible Web page Design for the Disabled: Resources (... using standards): As this site correctly states: Web sites, just like buildings, can be designed to meet the needs of all people, including those with disabilities. Unfortunately, most current web pages contain major access barriers. This site was created to promote awareness about the need for accessible web design and to steer those who wish to learn more about the topic into the right direction. The audience for this resource guide include public school teachers and administrators; college and university instructors, administrators, and policy makers; distance educators; librarians; and disability professionals.
This is an excellent site, and if you work on IS in courseware development it might be a must for you... another site, that needs over 100 years of reading and absorbing...
URL: http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/accessible/pub_resources.htm

Optional, additional reading: Many of the books below are available in the NJIT bookstore. As a student you can access the NJIT bookstore even digitally over the web.

Schedule: The summer semester is equivalent to a typical 15 week long semester, but it is run in compressed mode. You have to complete and submit 6 assignments (see them below in detail). There is no final examination, the course is assessed based on the 6 assignments.

Since each eLearning Pack is different in content, each of you work with me on different assignments, using the same methods base.

You keep in touch with me by email and you gradually put your assignments onto your web pages that you design using standards. You put the URL into your email so that it links, and you ask me for evaluation and grading. I am available via email to help you throughout the duration of this course.

The schedule and deadlines for all assignments are below. All assignments should be in electronic format. If there is something not clear, please email, or make an appointment and see me.

There is a limited number of rework options (typically one per assignment) to assure that you do your best and learn the most, and of course get the fair grade for your efforts. I am keen to help, but I need your help to be able to help you. Your hard and timely work is the best help for all of us! I follow a fair system; ask my past students about me...

Class 1: Introduction and overview of the course as well as the subject. I suggest you review your eLearning Pack first. See what the different collaborative companies are doing, and what you plan to do with your 5th company you are setting up for enterprise web design using standards. Keep in mind, that everything you'll look at in your eLearning Pack and in this course should have the enterprise web design using standards focus. Having done so, I suggest you look at some DVDs and see more about the scope of this course. See DVD videos labeled: 1, 2, and 3. As you watch the DVDs take notes. I also suggest you read the introductory Chapter (Chapter 1) of the 3D eBook (label 6).

After this, spend some time thinking about your own project plans in this class. Try to think of this: how should I collaborate with the 4 eLearning Pack companies, what web pages should I design, satisfying what requirements, following what process steps, using what standards, objects, etc. What is my dream project and what is realistic to implement for this class?

Other important student activities (this is what you should do to get an 'A' in this class, and most importantly learn the subject):

  1. Read this syllabus carefully. I agree, that it is long, but I am trying to answer all your questions...and at this point of time I don't even know you yet...
  2. Know your deadlines, what is needed and by when. I will give you guidance on how to proceed, and in what order, but if you suffer some delays because of business travel, or other professional reasosns, just try to catch up as soon as you can.
  3. You'll have lots of freedom to innovate in this class. Enjoy this, work hard and do not abuse this freedom I give you to learn and explore and deliver your own designs.
  4. Review your eLearning Pack companies. Who are they? What are they doing? How can they help you with your new Enterprise Web Design Using Standards product / process innovation? You must work with them... the boss says so... global collaboration is a MUST for all of us and this is one way to learn this... pick certain aspects of each company, that will be key for your collaborative efforts. You don't have to deal with every possible aspects of every company... one or two of each is fine.
  5. Review all other resources in your eLearning Pack. See what you have and how do the resources relate to the study program in this class. We take a holistic view... we don't jump into coding and ignore professional planning... remember: according to the Sandish Group over 80% of IT / IS projects fail because the developers did not understand what the customers truly wanted in the first place... This is why you should see the variety of DVDs, work through the 3D eBooks BEFORE you start to develop and code your own web page design (using standards)...
  6. To prepare for the first assignment (Assignment 0, since this is the zero stage) invent a new Web-design using standards - focused company that you will develop (virtually) with the 4 collaborative companies in your eLearning Pack). Your company should develop a web page using standards, and/or web - focused products, processes, and/or services (in all cases, using web standards!); something that you are already familiar with. There are plenty of opportunities here for you to explore, innovate and have fun; this should be a fun class! Just think and invent. Can think BIG, don't have to implement it all!

Class 2: Finish watching DVD labels 1, 2 and 3, and prepare your Assignment 0.

Assignment 0: DL students submit this assignment by email/or better: web: Each DL student prepares a one page, executive summary describing the way your virtual company (i.e. the 5th company) will collaborate with the 4 companies (to be found in your customized eLearning Pack). I am keen to see how will they develop TOGETHER a new quality product, process, or service. More accurately: a web page using standards, and/or web - focused products, processes, and/or services (in all cases, using web standards!); something that you are already familiar with.

This is also a good time to start to set up your own web page... you can use any server you like; NJIT offers you FREE web hosting. You might want to get a pro. service and pay for it, or try something FREE from the web. It is your choice, as long as it works...

Include your project Title, Author (Your Name and Your PHOTO, your Class code: IS698 DL, Date, your eLearning Pack serial number and the collaborative companies you have ( a MUST!). I will respond to this by email, comment and hopefully accept your plans. Note, that in this and other assignments in this course I give you a lot of freedom to innovate. This is why I do not specify every assignment step-by-step in every detail, and treat you as a problem solving machine in K12.. we passed that by now... I want you to learn to think, act and innovate better, and better all the way...

I hope you like the idea, because innovation is the ONLY future for us in a global economy... consider, that in India, or China large IT and IS projects are developed for typically for 1/100th of the cost in the USA... BUT is the quality of system design there? ... Are those folks mapping our culture into the code?... What happens when we need changes and updates?... Are they using solid USA-led standards, and modern software tools, so that we know how to move on...? ... or are we going to have a permanent dependency being developed?...

Well, the solution is to follow a FAIR and COLLABORATIVE approach based on QUALITY STANDARDS and PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT. I hope you get my point.

To help you, these are the detailed steps you should take:

Typical Mistakes:

Classes 3 and 4: Watch DVDs: labels 1, 2, 3 again, and 4 and 5, and take notes as you watch them. Focus on Enterprise web design challenges.

Submit Assignment No. 1: Lecture Videos with experts on DVD videos (Internet and networking-basics and web design challenges). After having submitted this assignment to me I’ll make comments on it that you suppose to consider and then rework your assignment. (Max. 10%)

Please follow this structure for your assignment:

Typical Mistakes: Why am I loosing grade points in this assignment?

Classes 5 and 6: Read Chapters 1 and 2 in the Intro. to Web Design... 3D eBook (label 6), and follow through the enterprise web design project management chapter examples and designs in particular. As you design your project processes always think of this: what should be my major process steps for designing the project as specified in Assignment 0, in collaboration with the 4 companies in the eLearning Pack? I give you a very robust solution, nevertheless you should either customize that, or develop your own and customize that. I give you the freedom.

Submit Assignment No. 2: Your web design project management method and process model, in which you'll show your major process steps towards achieving your web design goals (Max. 20%)

Please follow this structure for your assignment:

Typical Mistakes: Why am I loosing grade points in this assignment?

Classes 7 and 8: Your customer requirements analysis method and model, in which you will analyze and then show how you plan to achieve your web design goals (using standards) as outlined in Assignment 0 (Max. 20%)

Student Activities:

  1. Carry on reading the 3D eBook (label 6) in the eLearning Pack.
  2. For a more in-depth treatment on customer requirements analysis, read the case study 3D eBook (label 7). Here you'll see some nice multimedia solutions too.
  3. CORA (Customer Oriented Requirements Analysis) educates a requirements analysis (i.e. an extended QFD) method and offers examples and solutions, as well as active code-tools for you to execute (in the form of MS Excel templates).

Submit Assignment No. 3: Your customer requirements analysis method and model, in which you will analyze and then show how you plan to achieve your web design goals (using standards) as outlined in Assignment 0 (Max. 20%)

When developing the CORA matrix try to put down all

Please note, that the best assignments show evidence that the student has worked through the learning material provided in the eLearning Pack, therefore feel free to incorporate digital images, text and even video clips or 3D VR objects provided on the CDs / DVDs into your assignment; nevertheless never forget to credit the source of such objects in the bibliography.

Typical Mistakes: Why am I loosing grade points in this assignment?

Classes 9, 10 and 11: Your enterprise web design using standard components: At this stage you have seen some real-world challenges, what your requirements model suggests and process model supports, the plans you have outlined in Assignment 0, therefore you are ready to learn a lot more about web design standards.

The core for this is in one of the 3D eBooks in your pack (label 8), and the web resources, in particular the ones listed in your 3D eBook (label 8), the remaining DVDs (labels 9 and 10), as well as in this syllabus (see above).

We focus on web standards, such as protocol and file type standards including HTTP, FTP, SMTP, RSS, RTSP, WEBDAV, TCP/IP, data structures and transfer standards, such as XML, (X)HTML, then client-side scripting with JavaScript, and server-side scripting using PHP, ASP .NET, JSP, Perl, Ruby, Python, and others.

Then we introduce presentation standards using CSS, development standards including REST, AJAX, Ruby on Rails, standard server solutions, such as Apache, IIS, browser standards, such as IE, Firefox/Mozilla, Netscape, Safari, Lynx, accessibility standards, such as WCAG, WAI, and others.

Having established a strong standards-based focus and foundation, and a clear understanding of interoperability issues over the web, in the design component of the class we'll introduce real-world case studies, and exciting small-scale web design projects, developed by the students.

Furthermore, they will develop competence and confidence in building professionally planned web-based systems (see Assignments 0, and 1), based upon standards, by simultaneously focusing on specific customer requirements (see Assignment 2), functionality issues, engineering solutions, time, technology and budget constraints (see more on pro-management issues in the 3D eBooks in your eLearning Pack).

Submit Assignment No. 4: Your enterprise web design using standard components, objects, methods, protocol and file type standards, data structures and transfer standards, client-side and server-side scripting, and other designs (Max. 30%)

Typical Mistakes: Why am I loosing grade points in this assignment?

Classes 12, 13, 14 and 15: Your enterprise web design project using standards: final integration and validation / test. In this assignment you should be able to integrate everything you have learned in this class. As you can see, you have started to work on this assignment as of day one... the difference is, that at this stage all should nicely fit together, just as it is in a professionally designed automobile, or computer of house, or bridge, or hospital or university... using standards.

In this final assignment, I / we would like to celebrate with you and enjoy your amazing enterprise web designs using standards!

Submit Assignment No. 5: Your enterprise web design using standards final integration and validation / test project (Max. 30%)

11.59 pm, Monday, August 6, 2007 = ABSOLUTELY THE LAST DAY TO SUBMIT any new or reworked assignments! All submissions MUST be electronic = by email / web.

Schedule and due dates: As above. The total course duration is equivalent to 15 live week, 3 hr graduate class sessions. Students will be required to complete each assignment. Assignments totaling 110% max.

Grade "A" for this class requires min. 90% total. Note, that we don't have a Midterm or a Final exam, because of the integrated nature, the practical computational requirements, and the research contents of the customized assignments, BUT you must complete Assignments 0, 1 and 2 by Midterm time, or in DL mode by around half time (see above) if you want to get an 'A', and the rest by the end-of-semester deadline (see above) at a high quality. Thank you for helping me to be able to help you!

GRADING POLICIES: Letter grades will be assigned according to the following total score attained in the class. Individual exams and assignments will not be curved, but the final grade may be adjusted.

IMPORTANT ground rules on improving assignments during semester, and after end the end of semester, after having received your grade:

One more time, the NJIT Grade Scale:

90-100 = A
85-89 = B+
80-84 = B
75-79 = C+
70-74 = C
60-69 = D
0-59 = F

It is over! Congratulations!

PLEASE VIRUS CHECK EVERY SUBMITTED FILE!

PLEASE save the TREES! Please DO NOT Print this syllabus. Use this web site to read it in this electronic format; it will be updated during the semester. Thank you!