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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CS 130-2"
COURSE NAME: "Web Design I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2025
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Stefano Gazziano
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The premise of this course is that a web site differs from a traditional media publication because its contents can be updated at any moment, many possibilities exist for making it interactive, and reader attention span is short. The course provides students with technical knowledge and skills required to build a web site, while covering design, communication, and computer-human interaction issues. Topics include web history, HTML, style sheets, and effective information searching. As a final project, students create a web site on a liberal arts topic, which will be judged by the instructor and a reader specialized in the chosen topic.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

1       Introduction: history and essential standards of the World Wide Web. How the Web works. References online: the W3C tutorial and other reference material.

2       HTML and CSS Primer. Tools for Web design: Web editors, HTML Editors, Web publishing.

3       Web building primer. Basic web page. Advanced HTML and CSS , adding colours, images, and links; HTML5 writing standards.

4       Box Flow model, building blocks of a web site. Midterm Web site

5       Templates, developing for mobile devices, sigle page websites, responsive models, information architecture

6 AI assisted website devlopment,  coding,

7  Guiding AI assisted coding , final web site development
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

On completion of the course students should be able to

1.      Write web pages using HTML directly or in combination with a HTML or Web editor.

2.      Make web pages available on the web using file upload programs.

3.      Use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to make web content attractive and comfortable to update.

4.      Implement current coding standards, design and usability

5.      Demonstrate principles of good file and directory management, in the context of Web applications.

6.  Learn AI assisted coding and AI guidance.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Head First HTML and CSS: A Learner's Guide to Creating Standards-Based Web PagesElisabeth Robson , Eric Freeman O'Reilly Media; 2nd ed.978-0596159900  Ebook  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Attendance and class assignments Class assignments are used to encourage students to continuously study throughout the course. Assignments will either require to answer a set of theoretical questions or to solve practical exercises where a given web page must be modified by applying the latest features learnt in class. 30
PortfolioThe Portofolio will require the student to develop a web site in two steps (tasks):The first task must be ready for the midterm exam and the second one for the final exam.The design features and aesthetic quality of the web pages in the portofolio are expected to increase progressively throughout the course. The weigh of the two tasks is 20% for the first task (midterm) and 50% for the second task (final). Students will include in their work a written report where they analyze and justify their design-implementation choices (coding, color scheme, navigational features, information organization, etc.).The grade will be based upon the following: Coding ability, Page design and structure, Content design, Site design. 70

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cou
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance is mandatory as all lessons will be held in the computer laboratory and will be a combination of theory and practice. Students spending most of the class time using smart-phones or the like will be marked absent. 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Weeks 1–6 – Foundations (Manual Coding)

1. Introduction to the Internet: how the web works

  • Web servers, browsers

  • HTML: a simple HTML page

2. Hyperlinks and HTML editors

  • Structure of a web page, file organization

  • CSS basics

  • Project: Lounge Website 1

3. Working with images

  • Inserting images, attributes, captions, resizing

  • Using images as links (thumbnails, editing)

  • Colours and fonts

  • Midterm assessment checkpoint

4. Web page construction

  • Inline vs. block elements

  • Uploading a site to a server

  • Advanced CSS (divs, spans, fonts, styles)

  • Project: Lounge Website 2 (extended)

5. Tables, box model, flow model

6. Recap and Midterm Week

  • Midterm Project Due

Weeks 7–12 – AI-Assisted Web Coding & Design

7. Responsive design and single-page sites

  • Trends in modern web design

  • Project: Starbuzz Website 1

  • Metacognitive checkpoint: Reflection on responsive layouts vs. AI-generated ones

8. Templates and CMS

  • Web templates, introduction to CMS (WordPress, Wix, etc.)

  • Project: Travel Website (start Final Project theme)

9. AI-Assisted Coding I

  • Using AI for HTML & CSS generation

  • Prompt logs introduced

  • Checkpoint: Students must generate code with 2 different AI agents, compare outputs

10. AI-Assisted Coding II

  • Debugging AI code

  • Adding responsive components (navbars, cards, grids)

  • Checkpoint: Debug diary + explain why chosen code works

11. AI-Assisted Web Design

  • AI for content (text), imagery, accessibility

  • Critical evaluation of AI assets (style consistency, ethics)

  • Checkpoint: Style/ethics note + accessibility audit

12. Final Project Development

  • Students integrate manual + AI-assisted work

  • Documentation of AI usage, prompts, and manual contributions

  • Checkpoint: Reflection draft due

Weeks 13–14 – Final Projects

13. Final project build week
14. Final presentations & reflection

  • Oral walkthrough of AI-assisted features

  • Submission of documentation

Assessment Structure

  • Manual coding assignments (Weeks 1–6): 30%

  • AI-assisted weekly checkpoints (Weeks 9–12): 30%

  • Final project (Weeks 12–14): 40%