Course Number: DIG 3480C-0001
Digital Media: Computer as a Medium
SVAD, University of Central Florida
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-Mail:
Website:
Office Hours:
Anastasia Salter
OTC 500
N/A
anastasia.salter@ucf.edu
Webcourses
OTC 500: Tue 9:00-noon and Wed 10:30-11:30
VAB 105Q: Wed 2:00-4:00
Term:
Class Meeting Days:
Class Meeting Hours:
Class Location:
Lab Location:
Fall 2015
Mon
2:30 – 4:20PM
HEC 0125
Check Section
Course Overview
Fundamentals of client-side scripting with an emphasis on web technologies. Development of interactive web sites using
current scripting languages.
Course Objectives
Students will explore the foundations of interactive media through client-side web design technologies with JavaScript and
HTLM5. Topics include user interface design, games and interactive applications, and multimedia development practices
using scripting.
Students will:
1. Develop their skills with JavaScript
2. Structure browser content for display using HTML5 and the Document Object Model
3. Learn the history of web standards and ECMAScript
4. Understand and apply principles of object-oriented programming
5. Build original interactive applications of digital media, including games
6. Apply and build skills in understanding, reading, and debugging code
7. Implement their projects on live web servers
Course Prerequisites
DIG 2500C, DIG 2000
Required Texts and Materials
Speaking JavaScript. Dr. Axel Rauschmayer. O’Reilly, 2014.
Eloquent JavaScript. Marijn Haverbeke. Free online: http://eloquentjavascript.net/
Supplementary (Optional) Texts and Materials (Recommended Readings)
Recommended texts include:
JavaScript and JQuery. Jon Duckett. Wiley, 2014.
HTML5. Preston Prescott. CreateSpace, 2015.
HTML5 Pocket Reference. Jennifer Niederst Robbins. O’Reilly, 2013.
While these texts are not required, they will be very helpful for completing and building on course exercises. Additional
materials and tutorials will be assigned from online resources and will be listed with each week’s material.
Grading
Assessment
Lab Exercises
Exams
Projects
Attendance
Grading Scale (%)
94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
67-69
64-66
60-63
0 - 59
Percent of Final Grade
30%
20%
40%
10%
100%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Grade Dissemination
Graded tests and materials in this course will be returned individually only by request. You can access your scores at any
time using the Grade Book function of Webcourses. Please note that scores returned mid-semester are unofficial grades.
Course Policies: Grades
No late work will be accepted in this course. You can resubmit through Webcourses at any time up to the deadline, but work
submitted after the deadline will not be graded. When working on a live website through Sulley, please remember that all
interactions with the site are timestamped, and work uploaded or changed after the deadline will not be accepted and may
result in a zero for the project. There is no extra credit work available in this class.
Course Policies: Technology and Media
Email: Students can email at any time. All emails will receive a response within one business day (this does not include
weekends or holidays.) UCF policy requires you to use your UCF email account to communicate. Assistance with code
debugging is not available through email: for help with debugging, please bring your code to office hours or lab.
Webcourses: All assignments will be submitted through webcourses. Plan on checking the site at least twice a week for
updates and assignment information. If you miss a class, a summary of what you missed will be posted in the corresponding
week’s announcements.
Laptop Usage: Bringing your laptop to lab and lecture is strongly encouraged. Headphones and other noise-making devices
are not permitted during lecture, however you are welcome to bring them for distraction-free working during some parts of
lab time.
You will be required to have access to software for all the necessary functions of web development, including:
 A text editor (Sublime or Notepad++ are recommended)
 A PC or Mac

An FTP program (Filezilla is recommended)
Backups: You are required to maintain your own backups. If you lose your project, you will be responsible for completing it
on time: file loss is not an acceptable excuse for missing deadlines in the industry or in this class.
Course Policies: Student Expectations
Disability Access: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons
with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students who need accommodations must be
registered with Student Disability Services, Ferrell Commons Room 185, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone
(407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.
Attendance Policy: Lecture attendance is mandatory, and will be included as 10% of your grade.
Professionalism Policy: Per university policy and classroom etiquette; mobile phones, iPods, etc. must be silenced during all
classroom and lab lectures. Those not heeding this rule will be asked to leave the classroom/lab immediately so as to not
disrupt the learning environment. Please arrive on time for all class meetings. Students who habitually disturb the class by
talking, arriving late, etc., and have been warned may suffer a reduction in their final class grade.
Academic Conduct Policy: Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. If you are uncertain as to what constitutes
academic dishonesty, please consult The Golden Rule, the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook
(http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/) for further details. As in all University courses, The Golden Rule Rules of Conduct
will be applied. Violations of these rules will result in a record of the infraction being placed in your file and receiving a zero
on the work in question AT A MINIMUM. At the instructor’s discretion, you may also receive a failing grade for the
course. Confirmation of such incidents can also result in expulsion from the University.
Important Dates to Remember
Skills Survey Due:
Labor Day:
Exam (Online) Due:
Project One Due:
Midterm Exam:
Project Two Due:
Exam (Online) Due:
Project Three Due:
Project Four Due:
Fri, August 28th, 2015
Mon, September 7th, 2015
Sun, September 20th, 2015
Sun, September 27th, 2015
Mon, October 12th, 2015
Sun, October 25th, 2015
Sun, November 15th, 2015
Sun, November 22nd, 2015
Exam Week (TBA)
Religious Observances
Students are expected to notify their instructor in advance if they intend to miss class to observe a holy day of their religious
faith. If the holiday conflicts with a major class assignment, alternate arrangements will be made.
Class Schedule (Important Dates and Times)
Readings for each week should be completed before the week’s lecture and will be referenced during class.
Date Work
(complete before the start of lecture
Monday)
Lecture
Lab
8/24
8/26
Course Plan and Syllabus
Review
Demo: JavaScript Hello World
First Week of Class!
Introducing HTML5 +
JavaScript
Setting up your software: Notepad++,
Sublime, FileZilla
Complete Skills Survey
8/31
9/2
9/7
9/9
Read: Speaking JavaScript Pt. I Basic
Javascript Speaking JavaScript Pt. II
Background
Basic Elements of JavaScript
Lab One: Console Log Scripting
Intro to Project One: Quiz
Game
Set up a basic JavaScript program with
variables, data types, and proper syntax.
No Lecture: Labor Day
No Lecture
Lab Two: Data Types
Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Values,
Types, and Operators,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/01_values.
html;
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 7,
Syntax; Chapter 8, Values; Chapter 9,
Operators
9/14
9/16
Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Program
Structure,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/02_progra
m_structure.html;
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 12,
Strings; Chapter 13, Statements
Complete several JavaScript operations
using data of different types and
displaying the results in the browser
through pop-up windows in a wellstructured HTML document.
Expressions and Loops
Lab Four: Expressions and Loops
Make a simple JavaScript pattern
generator using loops and strings to
build ASCII art objects.
Complete Online: Exam – due 9/20 at
11:59PM!
9/21
9/23
Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Program
Structures,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/02_progra
m_structure.html;
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 15,
Functions; Chapter 16, Variables
Functions, Variables, and Input
Lab Five: Working with Input
Using variables, take input from HTML
form fields, save it, and output feedback
to the user.
Project One Due 9/27 at 11:59PM!
9/28
9/30
10/5
10/7
Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Objects and Arrays and Objects
Arrays,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/04_data.ht Intro to Project Two:
ml;
Platformer
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 17,
Objects; Chapter 18, Arrays
Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Document Working with the DOM
Object Model,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/13_dom.ht
ml;
Lab Six: Handling Arrays
Create a page with several different
buttons that all call functions to
manipulate a set of arrays.
Lab Seven: Document Object Model
Use the DOM to add and remove
content from a page dynamically based
on user input from buttons.
10/12 Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Handling
Midterm: In-Class Exam
10/14 Events,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/14_event.h
tml
Lab Eight: Events and Interfaces
Hunting Bugs and Errors
10/19 Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Bugs and
10/21 Error Handling,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/08_error.ht
ml
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 14,
Exception Handling
Project Two Lab Time
10/26 Read: Eloquent JavaScript, Drawing on Introducing the Canvas
10/28 the Canvas,
http://eloquentjavascript.net/16_canvas. Intro to Project Three:
html
Generative Art and Animation
Speaking JavaScript, Chapter 11,
Numbers; Chapter 21, Math
Lab Nine: Making Shapes
11/2
11/4
Read: Let’s Call it a Draw(ing) Surface, Canvas Animation
http://diveintohtml5.info/canvas.html
Use the DOM to add and remove
content from a page dynamically based
on user input choices.
Bring your nearly-complete project for
feedback and debugging.
Project Two Due 10/25 at 11:59PM!
Write functions for drawing basic
shapes on a canvas element to generate
basic patterns.
Lab Ten: Animating the Canvas
Use objects and paths to animate the
movements of basic shapes, and scale
the canvas to fit the browser window.
11/9 Read: Designing Fun,
11/11 http://alistapart.com/article/designingfun
Making Games with Canvas
Project Three Lab Time
Bring your nearly-complete project for
feedback and debugging.
Complete Online: Exam – due 11/15
at 11:59PM!
11/16 Read: Web Animation at Work,
11/18 http://alistapart.com/article/webanimation-at-work
Planning your Final Project
Final Project Lab Time
Intro to Final Project:
Interactive Experience
Brainstorming and prototyping
Project Three Due 11/22 at 11:59PM!
11/23 Work on Final Project
11/25
Thinking Responsively
Final Project Lab Time
Bring your in-progress project for
evaluation of the interface and handling
of user input
11/30 Work on Final Project
12/1
Future of Interaction Design
Final Project Lab Time
Bring your nearly-complete project for
feedback and debugging.
12/7
Last Day of Classes
Moving Beyond JavaScript
No lab this week!
12/14 Final Projects Due
* Note: The Schedule is subject to revision
TBA
Assignments Overview
Skills Survey
Due Date: August 28th
As of Fall 2014, all faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. In
order to document that you began this course, please complete the following academic activity by the end of the first week of
classes, or as soon as possible after adding the course, but no later than August 28. Failure to do so will result in a delay in
the disbursement of your financial aid.
For this class, you are required to complete a short skills survey. Access your Webcourses@UCF (Canvas) course site
following the directions below.
 Go to the myUCF portal (https://my.ucf.edu) and select the Webcourses@UCF button on the left side of the screen.
 Log in with your NID and NID password, then access each course by selecting it in the "Courses" dropdown menu
at the top of the page.
 Find the “Skills Survey” under quizzes and complete all questions
Lab Exercises
Due Date: In Class
Each lab exercise will present a short challenge using coding topics from the week. Elements of the exercise will be demoed,
and students will have the rest of the lab time to complete a short challenge. Exercises are evaluated by the lab instructor
before the end of lab time on the day they are assigned.
Lab exercises cannot be made up if missed.
Exams
Due Date: Varies (see breakdown above)
The course consists of several exams, administered both online and in-person. These exams are code-focused and require
interpretation and debugging of code fragments drawn from the topics covered in lectures and labs. Review materials with
topic overviews for each exam will be posted on Webcourses.
Projects
Due Date: Varies (see breakdown above)
For each project, students will create an original interactive experience using a particular modality. The four projects will all
be implemented for the web and submitted through upload to Sulley, the UCF student webhosting server. Each project is
graded on a specific rubric emphasizing:




Successful implementation of the requirements
Clear, well-designed code
Meeting different levels of challenges
Originality and creative thinking