Informing Faculty Case Template

2006-01-09-1
MAY 31, 2006

ALBERT DIETER RITZHAUPT

TEACHING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AT A DISTANCE (A)
Albert Ritzhaupt, Adjunct Instructor of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of North
Florida (UNF) faced a dilemma in the fall semester of 2005. He was teaching a computer programming
course online, CGS 3559 – Introduction to the Internet. For the first nine weeks of the course, his
perception had been that things were running smoothly. That perception had just come to a screeching
halt, as the course entered the web programming module. Suddenly, it had become very clear that
students were having problems. The number of questions posted to the discussion board tripled. Emails
with the subject line “I am confused” or “I am frustrated” began to fill his inbox. Of even greater concern,
students had not even reached their first really challenging web programming assignment.

In designing and teaching the course, Ritzhaupt had faced three major challenges. First, he was working
on his doctorate at the University of South Florida (USF) and living in Tampa, roughly 200 miles
southeast of UNF and approximately a 4 hour drive. Second, because the course allowed any
undergraduate with basic PC skills to enroll, he knew that the technical challenges related to the course
objectives could easily overwhelm students lacking the necessary prerequisite technical skills. Finally, the
course had not been offered in over four years at UNF. As a result, there had been little or no material to
reference in designing the course. In addition, when previously offered, the course had only been given in
a face-to-face format. The decision to deliver it in a distance learning format represented an experiment
for the department. Like many other information technology-aligned programs across the country, the
UNF Department of Computer and Information Sciences had experienced substantial enrollment drops as
a result of a decline in interest in computing. Gaining additional Full-Time-Enrollment (FTE), by
reaching out to the general university population, was a vital part of the department's strategy for
maintaining its position within the university. Not only was this course supposed to increase the
department’s FTE, it was also intended to serve as a prototype for the use of online delivery to generate
greater interest in computing.
This case was prepared for the purpose of class discussion, and
not to illustrate the effective or ineffective handling of an
Ritzhaupt recognized that if the online course
administrative or classroom situation and is copyrighted by the
Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper was not a success, he would probably not be
copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is invited back to teach for UNF. That was a
granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or bridge that he did not intend to burn so early
distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies in his academic career. But what could he do
1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first
page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is
to extricate himself from his current situation?
given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a
server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and
payment of a fee. Contact Publisher@InformingScience.org to
request redistribution permission.

2006-01-09-1 RITZHAUPT

UNF Department of Computer and Information Sciences

The University of North Florida (UNF) was a regional institution nestled among 1,300 scenic acres of
wildlife in Jacksonville, Florida. UNF, opened in 1972, served approximately 15,000 students by
offering 50 undergraduate degrees in 155 specializations, and 27 graduate degrees with 65 concentrations.
UNF’s primary focus was on instruction, with scholarship and community involvement playing vital
roles.

Within UNF, the department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) was located in the College of
Computing, Engineering, and Construction. CIS offered bachelors degrees in computer science,
information systems, and information science. The department also offered master’s degrees in computer
science, information systems, and software engineering. The department had 21 full-time faculty and
many additional adjunct instructors and teaching assistants. Historically, the department had experienced
high enrollment. Recently, however, information technology-aligned degree programs nation-wide had
suffered declines in enrollment as high as 75%. These were generally attributed to a number of factors,
including the bursting of the stock market "Internet Bubble" during 2000-2001, sluggish IT hiring
following a rapid buildup of staff during the 1990s, and concerns relating to increased offshoring of IT
jobs to locations such as Bangalore, India. The CIS department at UNF had not been immune from this
phenomenon.

CIS students were exposed to an interdisciplinary curriculum in both business and computing. The
computing course work students took for this program was reflective of current computing practices,
whether legacy or state-of-art, as employed to implement solutions to business problems. This included
coursework in applications programming, data and file structures, object-oriented design, system design,
database design, systems implementation, systems maintenance, networks, and computer
communications. Graduates were prepared to embark on careers ranging from software development
specialists to information systems managers.

During the periods of high enrollment, the program flourished and had moved to escalate its status and
academic rigors by adopting a Satisfactory Progress Policy. This policy had received university-wide
attention while it was being integrated into the curriculum. Essentially, the policy had been established to
counter problems with students registering and withdrawing from courses in multiple instances to avoid
the “difficult” teachers. This weakest-link phenomenon created a problem for students trying to get into
courses that would often fill within hours of opening registration. The Satisfactory Progress Policy stated
that:

Students who do not successfully complete a CIS prerequisite or core requirement on the first
attempt (i.e., earn a grade of D, F, W, WP or WF) will be granted one chance to repeat the course.
Students who do not successfully complete a prerequisite or core requirement within two attempts
will not be permitted to register for CIS courses in future semesters. This stipulation applies
whether or not the student has declared a major in a CIS program.

Prior to Fall 2005, the CIS department regularly offered only one course online: CGS 1570
(Microcomputer Applications). CGS 1570 was a prerequisite to CGS 3559 and was one of the only
courses offered by the CIS department that was required by other degree programs.

Although a number of earlier attempts had been made to offer CIS courses online, these had not generally
met with great success. Faculty had found it complicated to teach rigorous software development and
programming skills at a distance, and students found it extremely difficult to learn. As a result, the

2 Informing Faculty, 2006, Vol. 1, No. 9, pp 1-22

2006-01-09-1 COMPUTER TECH DL

decision to offer an online programming course was a risky one. Computer programming courses were
infamous for low retention rates. This fact, coupled with the Satisfactory Progress Policy and the need for
increased FTE outside the department, made for a delicate situation.

CGS 3559 was not a required course in any degree program and would maximally serve as an upper-level
free elective for any major. The CIS department was uncertain whether the course would meet its
enrollment targets and would potentially cancel the section if it did not reach at minimum 25 students.
Thus, Ritzhaupt had reached out to his colleagues in other colleges to advertise the offering as an upper
level free elective that would be fun, challenging, and provide some essential skills in the information
age. Three weeks after registration opened, the course reached its 30 student cap, with 10 additional
students on the waiting list. The course would definitely be offered.

CGS 3559 – Introduction to the Internet

CGS 3559 covered a diverse set of Internet technologies and was intended to serve a diverse body of
students. The course description was as follows:

Prerequisite: CGS 1570 or permission. Introduction to and use of browsers including helpers and
plug-ins; html programming, including forms, image maps, and CGI scripts; production of
graphics for the WEB; design of home pages.

Speaking to the department chair about the course, Ritzhaupt found that he would be given a great deal of
flexibility in selecting the course topics as long as the course required individual work in three specific
areas:

• Hyper-text Mark-Up Language (HTML): HTML is the language used to create and format web
pages. Learning HTML requires students to practice writing HTML in a standard text editor,
such as MS-Notepad. Since it is a mark-up language, students were expected to remember a
number of “tags” to create functional and visually appealing websites.
• Basic client-side and server-side scripting: HTML by itself is static, meaning that once an HTML
page is loaded into a web browser, is does not change or react to user activities. To learn how to
create dynamic, interactive websites, students had to be exposed to both a server-side scripting
language (PHP) and a client-side scripting language (Javascript). The primary difference
between these two is that Javascript executes in the client’s web browser, whereas PHP executes
on the server housing the web pages.
• Basic computer network communications skills: Students were expected to have the skills
necessary to set up a simple web server, meaning they should be able to configure a Linux
account, setting various permissions, and use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services to move files
back and forth.

One of major goals of the course was to provide students with the skill sets necessary to create, manage,
and maintain robust web-sites independently for their future or current employers. Ritzhaupt and his
department chair felt that the course needed to serve as a vehicle for demonstrating a student’s skill set
upon completion. The outcome of the course needed to be a product that students could use to aid in the
employment process—making their skills more marketable.

Student enrollment for the Fall of 2005 semester was approximately 57% CIS students and 43% students
from other colleges. Even among the students coming from the department, exposure to programming
could not be assumed. Since the only prerequisite course was the basic computer applications (Word

Informing Faculty, 2006, Vol. 1, No. 9, pp 1-22 3


Processors, Spreadsheets, etc.) course, some CIS students might not have taken a programming course
prior to enrollment.

Albert Ritzhaupt

Albert Ritzhaupt had been teaching since the summer of 2003 at UNF, Florida Community College at
Jacksonville (FCCJ), and, subsequently, at the University of South Florida. Upon completing his BS in
Computer and Information Sciences (Honors in the Major, Magna Cum Laude) at UNF, he had enrolled
in the MBA program, concurrently working as an adjunct instructor at FCCJ and as a teaching assistant at
UNF. At the same time, Ritzhaupt worked part-time as a contract programmer for Blue Cross Blue
Shield Florida (BCBSFL). While completing his MBA with 18 graduate hours in computer science,
Ritzhaupt decided that teaching technology and pedagogical research were definitely going to be his long-
term career goals.

In late 2004, Ritzhaupt decided to leave BCBSFL and work as a full-time instructor, teaching courses
ranging from Object-Oriented programming to Microcomputer Applications. He kept abreast of the local
IT industry by taking small consulting projects and by attending professional organization meetings. This
facilitated finding his “best” students jobs in the local IT market. Upon completing his MBA, Ritzhaupt
joined the University of South Florida (USF) as a doctoral student in their College of Education, pursuing
his PhD in Instructional Technology and Educational Research and Measurement.

Ritzhaupt had an outcome-driven philosophy of teaching and learning. He believes that it was the
responsibility of teacher to provide students an environment that closely resembled what they should
expect in the real-world. He further believed that students should actively engage material, learning how
to solve problems and think critically—not simply remember facts without a complete understanding of
the material. He felt that instructional materials needed to be constructed with these objectives in mind.

Designing the Course

Prior to the fall of 2005, Ritzhaupt had taught only one course online (CGS-1570 at UNF), where he had
experienced some degree of success. For that course, however, Ritzhaupt had used materials created by
another teacher. Ritzhaupt knew the CGS-3559 course, needing to be constructed without a well defined
roadmap, would represent a very different type of challenge.

As a first task, Ritzhaupt searched for an appropriate textbook to cover all the course objectives.
Unsurprisingly, no such text existed. He texts he found were either too advanced or only covered some of
the course topics. Consequently, he was forced to select a text that only covered three of the four major
objectives. For the final objective (server-side scripting), he decided to write an e-book specifically for
the course, a time-consuming choice that—he suspected—would either work very well or crash and burn.
A portion of the e-book can be seen in Exhibit 1. He made this choice mainly because he felt that the
other available options—forcing the students to purchase another textbook or patching together a
collection of resources online—were decidedly inferior. He also had hoped that students would
appreciate the time and money he was saving them.

His next task involved developing a syllabus, and a set of deliverables that would demonstrate student
understanding of concepts. As part of the syllabus, Ritzhaupt required all students to send an enrollment
email detailing previous computer experience and their score on an online self-assessment intended to
help students decide whether a distance learning course suited their learning needs. The online
assessment can be seen in Exhibit 2.



Ritzhaupt chose to have his students develop an ePortfolio over the duration of the semester. The
ePortfolio could be used to demonstrate skills to potential employers and would also meet the objectives
of the course. An ePortfolio, as defined by the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative, is “a collection
of authentic and diverse evidence drawn from a larger archive representing what a person or organization
has learned over time on which the person or organization has reflected, and designed for presentation to
one or more audiences for a particular rhetorical purpose.” An example of a student’s ePortfolio can be
seen in Exhibit 3.

In designing the course, two other major concerns needed to be addressed: (1) development of
instructions and tutorials to aid students in configuring their websites on a Linux server and in using
Secure Shell, a file transfer service, and (2) addressing how he would provide office hours to students
living in Jacksonville when he was living in Tampa, over 200 miles away.

With respect to the first concern, it was critical that students understand how they should upload their
assignments to a web server so they could be graded. Since Ritzhaupt had already invested a tremendous
amount of time in developing the course, he chose not to use any innovative media technologies to
demonstrate how to configure the student’s Linux account or how to use Secure Shell. Instead, he offered
students basic instructions with screen shots in Portable Document Formats (i.e., Adobe Acrobat™ PDF
files). He thought that students would already be familiar with these technologies coming from CGS
1570. An example of the tutorial can be seen in Exhibit 4.

Providing students office hours was especially perplexing. Ritzhaupt wanted to help the students as much
as he could but, at the same time, he did not want to receive cell phone calls throughout the day or fifty
emails the night before an assignment was due. To handle communications from students, he decided he
would post a discussion board thread for each week in the semester. He further required that all course-
related questions be posted to the discussion board—a requirement specifically stated in his syllabus. He
considered this to be a risky approach. Nonetheless, he believed the risk was justified because the
approach would enable students to answer each other’s questions and prevent him from having to answer
the same question multiple times. To provide the equivalent of office hours, he reserved four hours of his
Friday morning to entertain questions via cell phone, email and instant messenger. Key portions of the
course syllabus are provided in Exhibit 5.

The course was facilitated online using Blackboard, a well-known and widely used course management
system. The course was organized with minimal menu options to reduce ambiguities. Each week’s tasks
were structured as reading assignments and activities and were outlined in a folder under assignments.
External links to online resources were provided, and each assignment included very explicit instructions
regarding the tasks to be completed and the related course materials. Sample screen shots of the course
Blackboard site can be seen in Exhibit 6.

First Eight Weeks

The first week of class went by with the regular problems associated with an online course—nothing out
of the ordinary. During the second week, students were required to complete their first assignment, which
was contingent upon them correctly configuring their accounts in the previous week. All assignments
were due Sunday night by 11:55pm. By Thursday of the second week, only five questions had been
posted to the discussion board. This concerned Ritzhaupt because he thought students would have more
problems setting up their accounts as part of the previous week’s activities. By Saturday afternoon, the



discussion board had over 60 postings, most of which involved students having technical problems
correctly configuring their accounts or uploading their files to the server.

Spending the next 8-hours answering questions on the discussion board (and violating the course
communication policy by taking phone calls and emails related to student problems), Ritzhaupt finally
had assisted all his students over the first assignment hurdle. Ritzhaupt had been right in his estimation
that students would not have too many problems doing the assignment. Unfortunately, he had grossly
underestimated how many problems students would have configuring their accounts and uploading files
using Secure Shell. For any subsequent semester, Ritzhaupt knew that he would have to find a better way
to teach students how to upload files and configure their accounts—a very important lesson learned.

By the fourth week and second assignment, most of the students only had problems with the course
subject matter being covered, HTML, and no longer reported issues relating to the PDF tutorials. Also,
the communication policy was proving to be quite effective. Students began to answer each others
questions in a professional and cordial manner, and Ritzhaupt did not receive too many emails that
begged for help the day before the deadline of an assignment. It looked like the remainder of the course
would proceed smoothly.

One minor technical problem did surface during this period. Out of the seven quizzes required to be
completed online, four did not permit for multiple attempts. These quizzes were timed (20 minutes) so as
to make it difficult for student to search for answers in the textbook as they proceeded through the quiz.
Ritzhaupt had done this to ensure the students kept up with the reading. Students were warned on the
syllabus to use a reliable Internet connection, and if they were concerned, to complete the quizzes in the
computer lab where a lab assistant could document the incident and send Ritzhaupt an email. This policy
did not work. Students would be locked out of the quizzes while working on their machines, and would
need the instructor to unlock the quiz so they could be completed.

Ritzhaupt recognized that the Blackboard testing utility was not a perfect technology and neither was the
World Wide Web—it was a “best effort” service. To provide a solution for the quiz problem, he chose to
allow students to retake the quiz if they were locked out. However, he uploaded over 50 questions in
each quiz pool, to be chosen randomly for each test. He felt that this would help reduce the likelihood that
students would go through the quiz a first time in order to copy the questions for their next attempt. This
solution appeared to work fairly well, although Ritzhaupt could not be completely sure that students
weren't defeating the system in other ways—such as collaborating on the tests with another student or an
IS professional.

The Ninth Week

At the beginning of the ninth week, the course appeared to be running smoothly. Few problems were
being reported, assignments were being submitted on time, and most technical issues were easily resolved
through the discussion board entries. As the week progressed, students were to begin the next step in
their CGS 3559 journey: client-side scripting using Javascript. This activity was different from previous
course activities in a number of ways. These included: using logic to solve problems, the use of variables
in primary memory, and the implementation of a scripting language as oppose to a mark-up language.

By midweek, it was evident that many of the students were having problems completing the first
Javascript assignment, by far the easier of the two assigned. Through emails and discussion board posts,
Ritzhaupt determined that students were encountering a number of syntax errors related to their programs,
and more importantly, they lacked an understanding of the basic concepts necessary to complete the



assignments successfully. Client-side scripting was thoroughly addressed in the textbook that the
students had purchased for the course, and students hadn’t even started server-side scripting component
(covered in the e-book written by Ritzhaupt). If students were having serious problems already, how
would they react to subsequent assignments that demanded a higher degree of programming skills? An
example of one of the client-side scripting assignments can be seen in Exhibit 7.

In light of the recent problems and questions, and drawing upon his prior experience in teaching face-to-
face computer programming courses, Ritzhaupt was reasonably sure that if he did not modify the
upcoming assignments or offer an alternative path for course completion, many students would not be
able to complete the assignments. He had overestimated the technical skills of the students entering the
course. What bothered Ritzhaupt more was that the students would soon begin using the e-book he had
written. He thought to himself: “What if I did not do a good job writing the text?” At this point in the
semester, it was going to be very difficult to redesign the course. Furthermore, the goal of the course was
to cover both client- and server-side scripting. If he removed the server-side scripting component, he was
concerned that he would not be meeting the departmentally-specified objectives.

Time was of the essence. Ritzhaupt knew he had to find a quick and feasible alternative plan. If he chose
to modify the upcoming assignments, it was still likely that students would encounter many challenging
technical problems that would be extremely difficult to support in a true distance learning environment.
He was also concerned that student dissatisfaction with their client-side activity might color their
perception of his e-book, or that the book itself might not meet the instructional needs of his students. In a
sense, he had painted a target on himself. All these concerns were compounded by the Satisfactory
Progress Policy, which made problems in a CIS course much more serious—from the student's
perspective—than they might be in other courses. What type of administrative complaints might arise
from this situation?

If Ritzhaupt chose to ignore the problem, he knew that doing so would likely place the less technically
astute students in the course at a severe disadvantage, leading to endless phone and email complaints and
a non-normal course grade distribution that might be viewed as unfair. Furthermore, doing so could
undermine the department's initiative to reach out to other students at the university before it even got
started. On the other hand, if Ritzhaupt chose to reduce the difficulty of the upcoming assignments, it
could potentially upset the department chair or more technically inclined students because it would
diminish the rigor of this junior-level course.

Finally, it was late in the semester and a complete course redesign was impractical. Not only would it be
difficult to communicate at a distance, but it could potentially alienate his department chair. Ritzhaupt
did not want lose his opportunity to teach the course in forthcoming semesters—especially after placing
so much time into the design of the course. What Ritzhaupt needed was a plan of action…



Exhibit 1: Screen Shot from PHP for the Novice Programmer
Below is a screen shot from the e-book created for CGS 3559. The full text is available at:
http://www.unf.edu/~rita0001/eresources/php_tutorials.



Exhibit 2: Online Distance Learning Student Assessment
This online self-assessment was used to help students make the right decision about whether or
not to enroll in the course. In the event that a student received a low score, they were provided a
warning by the instructor that distance learning courses require a great deal of self-motivation
and time-management skills. The assessment is available at:
http://www.ccis.edu/online/admissions/selfassessment.asp

Self Assessment Quiz

How well would Web-based courses fit your needs and lifestyle?

Pick one answer for each question and click the "Score Survey" button. You may change your
answers and re-score the survey as many times as you like.

1. My need to take this course now is
high - I need it immediately for degree, job, or other important reason.
moderate - I could take it on campus later or substitute another course.
low - It's a personal interest that could be postponed.

2. Feeling that I am part of a class is
not particularly necessary to me.
somewhat important to me.
very important to me.

3. I would classify myself as someone who
often gets things done ahead of time.
needs reminding to get things done on time.
put things off until the last minute.

4. Classroom discussion is
rarely helpful to me.
sometimes helpful to me.
almost always helpful to me.

5. When an instructor hands out directions for an assignment, I prefer
figuring out the instructions myself.



trying to follow the directions on my own, then asking for help as needed.
having the instructions explained to me.

6. I need faculty comments on my assignments
within a few weeks, so I can review what I did.
within a few days, or I forget what I did.
right away, or I get very frustrated.

7. Considering my professional and personal schedule,
the amount of time I have to work on Web-based courses is
more than enough for a campus class or Web-based course.
the same as for a class on campus.
less than for a class on campus.

8. When I am asked to use VCRs, computers, voice mail,
or other technologies new to me
I look forward to learning new skills.
I feel apprehensive, but try it anyway.
I put it off and try to avoid it.

9. As a reader, I would classify myself as
good - I usually understand the text without help.
average - I sometimes need help to understand the text.
slower than average.

10. If I have to go to the campus to take exams or complete work

I can go to campus anytime.
I may miss some lab assignments or exam deadlines if campus labs are not open
evenings and weekends.
I will have difficulty going to the campus, even in the evenings and on weekends.



Exhibit 3: Student Course ePortfolio Example
This is an example of a student’s ePortfolio. Each assignment required students to provide a
brief description in their words, a list of learning objectives, and a link to and from the
assignment and ePortfolio.



Exhibit 4: Portion of PDF Tutorial
This is a portion of one of the tutorials used to aide students in configuring their Linux accounts.
Each task provided a screen shot and simple instructions.



Exhibit 5: Important Portions of the Syllabus
This exhibit includes the elements of the syllabus that are germane to the development of the
case. Some superfluous elements have been omitted.

COURSE SYLLABUS
CGS 3559 – Introduction to the Internet
Distance Learning Course

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Introduction to and use of browsers including helpers and plug-ins; html programming, including
forms, image maps, and CGI scripts; production of graphics for the WEB; design of home pages.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name: Albert Ritzhaupt, MBA, CCP
Email: rita0001@unf.edu
Website: http://www.unf.edu/~rita0001

VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS
I will have virtual office hours on Friday, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. You may contact me via
phone, instant messenger (aritzhaupt80, aol), or email (rita0001@unf.edu) during the specified
time. All other questions should be directed to Black Board.

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
After registering, email the instructor (rita0001@unf.edu) before the start of class for a detailed
syllabus and instructions regarding logging into Black Board, the application that will be used to
deliver the course.

In your email, include the following:
• your full name
• your intended or declared major
• statement of previous computer experience
• statement that you have read and understand the all the information contained within this
document
• your score on the online learning self-assessment quiz

SCHEDULE
All assignments, quizzes, and discussion questions are due on Sunday night at 11:55pm – no
exceptions. There will be no late submissions accepted in this course unless medical
documentation is provided. My advice is to consider Friday of each week to be the deadline for
all submission and save your weekends for pleasure or studying for other classes.

This course is largely deadline-oriented and requires a great deal of self-motivation and self-
confidence. Each week is divided into two parts: weekly reading assignment and weekly
activities. The weekly reading assignment means that you should read and complete the project
material in each chapter of the HTML: Comprehensive Concepts and Techniques and PHP for



the Novice Programmer book. You are to complete the reading before you begin the activities.
At any given point in time after the project chapter is completed, the instructor reserves the right
to request to see your homework assignment (project in chapter). If you cannot produce this
with in 48 hours of the request, points will be deducted from your final grade in the course.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Week 1 Weekly Reading Assignment:
Project 1: Introduction to HTML
Project 2: Creating and Editing Web Pages
Secure Shell Instructions
Weekly Activities:
Project 1 and Project 2 Quiz (quiz 1, multiple attempts)
Download and Install Secure Shell
Project 3: Creating Web Pages with Links, Images, and Formatted
Text
Linux account creation, creating directories, and setting
permissions using Secure Shell Tutorial
Weekly Activities:
Configure Osprey Account
Assignment 1
Project 4: Creating Tables in a Web Site
Weekly Activities:
Project 3 and 4 Quiz (quiz 2, one attempt only)
Project 5: Creating an Image Map
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 2
Project 6: Using Frames in a Web Site
Weekly Activities:
Project 5 and 6 Quiz (quiz 3, multiple attempts)
Project 7: Creating a Form on a Web Page
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 3
Project 8: Creating Style Sheets
Weekly Activities:
Project 9: Integrating Java Script and HTML
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 4



Project 10: Creating Pop-up Windows, Adding Scrolling
Messages, and Validating Forms
Weekly Activities:
Project 11: Using DHTML to Enhance Web Pages
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 5
PHP Chapter 1
PHP Chapter 2
Weekly Activities:
PHP Tutorial Quiz 1 and 2 (quiz 6, multiple attempts)
PHP Chapter 3
PHP Chapter 4
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 6
Final Project Assigned
PHP Chapter 5
PHP Chapter 6
Weekly Activities:
PHP Tutorial Quiz 5 and 6 (quiz 7, one attempt only)
PHP Chapter 7
PHP Chapter 8
Weekly Activities:
Assignment 7
None
Weekly Activities:
Final Project Due
None
Weekly Activities:
Final Project Evaluation Due
ISQ Online

COURSE DELIVERABLES

Assignments
All the assignments will be due Sunday by 11:55pm. The assignments are designed to provide
practice using the software tools. The assignments prove both expertise and knowledge of the
tools you will be learning. The assignments will generally be based off of projects found within



the textbook. All assignments will be delivered to the digital drop box in Blackboard providing a
link to the designated location. The assignments will lead to the final projects, which is one of
the core themes of this course. Special Note: There are seven assignments provided. Only six
of the seven assignments are required in this course. If you complete all seven, you will receive
extra credit points. If you are not a computer information science student or do not have prior
programming experience, I advise you to complete the first six assignments.

Quizzes
All the quizzes will be due Sunday by 11:55pm. The quizzes are designed to ensure you are
reading and understand the material. The quizzes will be online and available under
Assignments in Black Board. Once you have taken the quiz, immediate feedback will be
provided. Three of the seven quizzes will permit multiple attempts, which will allow you to take
the quiz multiple times until you reach the desired score. My advice is to ensure you score a
100% on all the quizzes that allow multiple attempts. The other four quizzes will only allow one
attempt. Complete the online quizzes on a reliable Internet connection. If you are concerned
about taking the quiz on a reliable Internet connection, you should go to the third floor computer
lab in building 15, and take the quiz there. If you are locked out for some strange reason, either a
tutor or lab assistant in the lab must call me or send me an email in order for me to unlock quiz.
If you exceed the time limit, you will not be allowed to take the quiz over. One point will be
deducted for each minute over the time limit.

Final Project
The final project is the primary deliverable in this course. Requirements will be provided. The
final projects will include skills and knowledge gained throughout the semester. All the final
projects will be peer-reviewed by two anonymous reviewers. Their evaluation will be
considered as part of your final score.

INSTRUCTOR STUDENT CONTACT
This course will use Black Board as a means of communication. All questions related to the
course material should be submitted to Black Board. Emails will only be answered regarding
personal matters unless otherwise specified. When emailing the instructor, you must include
your full name, the course you are enrolled in (including the section number), and a clear
description of the matter.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students must log in to the class in Black Board during the first two days of the term in order to
fulfill the department's attendance policy of attending the first class meeting. Students not
logging in to the course during that period may be dropped from the class in order to permit
access to those on the waiting list.

GRADING SCALE Grade Scale
A 90-100
• +Assignments (7) – (30%) B 80-89
• Quizzes (7) – (35%) C 70-79
• Final Project (1) – (30%) D 60-69
• *Quality of Work – (5%) F 0-59



+There are seven assignments provided. Only six of the seven assignments are required in this
course. If you complete all seven, you will receive extra credit points. If you are not a computer
information science student or do not have prior programming experience, I advise you to
complete the first six assignments.
*The plus and minus grades can and will be assigned at the discretion of the instructor. This
assignment will be based on the quality of the work submitted throughout the semester. Students
in this course are expected to meet ALL deadlines and submit college-level work.

TEXTBOOK INFORMATION
Purchase the book before the class commences. All the texts listed here are required. Please do
not wait until later in the term to try to purchase the texts, as they will be sold out, and this will
not be accepted as an excuse for late work.

• Shelly, Cashman, Woods, Dorin, “HTML: Comprehensive Concepts and Techniques”,
Third Edition, ISBN: 0-619-25503-X, 2005.
• Ritzhaupt, Ritzhaupt “PHP for the Novice Programmer,” 1st edition, Available at:
http://www.unf.edu/~rita0001/eresources/php_tutorials/. This text was written by the
instructor to be a resource to students in this course and to save students money. Your
suggestions for improvement are welcome, but keep in mind, the book did not endure a
rigorous editing process.



Exhibit 6: Screen Shots from Blackboard
This screenshot is what a student would typically see upon logging into the Blackboard system
and entering the course.

This screen shot visualizes how the course material is organized.



This screen shot displays the typical weekly task a student would expect to complete.



Exhibit 7: Sample Assignment

Assignment 5 – Form Validation and DHTML
October 30, 2005
Fall of 2005

Delivery Instructions
After completing the assignment, you are to submit a text file containing an active link to
the assignment to the digital drop box in Blackboard. Additionally, the text file should
contain links to any resources (backgrounds, images, graphics, etc) that you found on
the Internet that were used in this assignment. The assignment is due October 30, 2005
at 11:55pm – no exceptions.

Directory Structure
1. http://www.unf.edu/~username/cgs3559//index.html - Update the ePortfolio with
description of assignment in your own.
2. http://www.unf.edu/~username/cgs3559/assign5/index.html - Interactive Price
Analysis form built using Java Script with DHTML effects.

Assignment Description
This is your fifth web page assignment. In this assignment, you will be exercising your
skills in Java Script to validate forms and to perform simple calculations. Additionally,
you will implement basic DHTML effects in your web page.

Part 1
In the first part of the assignment, you are to create a Price Analysis calculator. This
calculator should be built using an HTML form and Java Script, similar to the Loan
Payment Calculator found in Project 10. The form should include the following fields:

• Projected Units – The anticipated number of units to be sold.
• Total Fixed Cost – A cost that does not vary with the number of units.
• Variable Unit Cost – A cost varies in direct proportion to the number of units.
• Target Profit – The residual after all costs are deducted from revenue.
• Unit Price – The target price derived from the following equation:
Unit Price = (Total Fixed Cost + Variable Cost * Projected Units + Target Profit) / Projected Units

The form should request the variables from the user as shown above. The form should
validate that all the fields are numeric and are greater than zero. If the criteria are not
met, the user should receive an error message instructing what must be fixed. The user
should only receive ONE error message that describes ALL the errors to be fixed.

Assuming the Java Script program is correct; the program should calculate the unit
price and show the Unit Price in a textbox. The Unit Price should be currency formatted.
Use a table to format the form layout.



Part 2
In the second portion of the assignment, you are to create ScreenTips for each of the
textboxes. When the user hovers over the textbox, a description of the field should
appear as shown in Project 11. The ScreenTip should provide the definition of the field
using the definitions provided above or a similar accounting definition. The ScreenTip
can contain any combination of colors that is conducive to the look-and-feel of the form.

In addition to the ScreenTips, the form should also have a rotating banner of an image
that is of a business or financial nature, such as dollar signs. Place the rotating banner
in a location that does not distract the user. Use a Graphics program, such as Paint, to
create the set of images.

Finally, you should create an HTML file that provides instructions on How to Use the
Price Analysis Calculator. You are welcome to use a combination of images and text to
express your ideas. This page should have a Close Instructions link that closes the
browser window when clicked. Add a link to your Interactive Price Analysis Calculator
form links to this HTML file. It should open the window using a Java Script pop-up
window that does not contain any file menu or toolbar options. Make sure the windows
are large enough to accommodate the information on your How to Use page.

Note: Students found to have copied source code from the Internet will receive a
failing grade for this assignment – no exceptions.

Grading Rubric
This assignment will be evaluated using a 25 point scale. Each of the specifications will
be worth a varying number of points. If you do not understand any of the specifications,
post immediately to the discussion board on Blackboard. As long as you meet all the
specifications, you should receive full credit. Late assignments will not be accepted.



Biography

Ritzhaupt D. Ritzhaupt is an adjunct instructor for the University of North
Florida. He has a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences, Honors in
the Major, Magna Cum Laude and an M.B.A. from the University of North
Florida. He is currently a research assistant and software developer
conducting research in instructional courseware development for information
systems curriculum and is completing his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology,
and Meausrement and Research at the University of South Florida.
Ritzhaupt has published and presented at multiple regional, national, and
international conferences, such as the Association of Computing Machinery, the Journal of
Information Systems Education, and Association of Information Technology Professionals.
Ritzhaupt holds the Certified Computing Professional industry certification, and has taught in the
areas of UNIX and Linux, Object-oriented software development, Internet programming, Visual
Basic .NET, microcomputer applications, Java programming, geographic information systems,
and COBOL Programming.


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