Instructor: Larry Trettin
E-Mail: ltrettin@santarosa.edu
Voice mail: 527-4999 mailbox 1007 (message only)
Class Home Page: http://santarosa.edu/~ltrettin/classes/5852/

Text 1: Essential XML for Web Professionals Author: Dan Livingston Publisher: Prentice Hall ISBN: 0-13-066254-2 Paper: $34.99 Download Source Code (Price compare at Fetchbook.com)

Text 2: Learning XSLT Author: Michael Fitzgerald Publisher: O'Reilly ISBN: 0-596-00327-7 Paper: $34.95 Download Source Code (Price compare at Fetchbook.com)

[ Course Description | Lab Information | Policies/Procedures |
| Materials | Homework | Grading & Attendance | Important Dates]

Course Description

A full semester (17 week) class, this course provides an introduction and practical experience with the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and its associated standards including XSLT, XPath, DTD, XML Schema, CSS and others. The central focus will be learning to effectively combine XML, XLST and CSS to create Web Pages. Through practical exercises and a final project and/or Exam that incorporates XML and associated applications, students will have a thorough grounding in this turnkey technology.

Prerequisites

Students should be able to perform the following tasks:

• Create and complex HTML and XHTML documents.
• Validate XHTML documents with Transitional, Strict and Frameset Doctypes
• Understand directory structures on UNIX and Windows or Macintosh operating systems.
• Be able to use basic internet tools including FTP to up and download files, telnet to access and manipulate resources on remote systems.
• Students must be comfortable in Windows (PC) or Macintosh environment.

Completion of CIS 58.51b "Creating Web Pages - HTML 2" or its equivalent is sufficient demonstration of this skill set. Students who do not have these skills may talk to the instructor prior to the beginning of the semester if they need materials to learn these skills. It is expected that they will be able to perform these skills prior to the beginning of class.

This fast paced course will require that students learn several technologies in support of their final projects or to successfully complete the written Final Exam. Students should feel comfortable learning new computer applications. While programming experience is not a formal prerequisite, students who have had some exposure to a programming or scripting language will have an advantage.

Goals

By the end of the semester the students should:

• have a solid understanding of XML syntax.
• understand the relationships between XML and other document formats and structures and the benefits of using XML.
• have explored the potential of structured documents and their delivery via the web for information presentation
• have a basic understanding of the concepts of document analysis
• understand the standards developed by the W3C for XML and related technologies and how those standards are implemented
• have learned practical skills that will allow them to utilize XML and related technologies in the development of information systems.
• be able to follow current discussions on XML, XSLT, XML Schema and related technologies.
• be able to demonstrate the generation of HTML/XHTML documents by combining XML, CSS and XSLT transformations.

Course Requirements:

The course materials will combine reading, demonstration and example formats. Students will be expected to participate in the class mailing list and to stay current in class reading assignments. In addition to active participation in the class mailing list, students will be expected to complete assignments on time, as outlined in the course calendar. Failure to complete these assignments will result in a failing grade in the course. Spelling errors and grammatical mistakes detrimentally affect homework assignment grades. All assignments must be submitted in well-formed and valid XHTML or other encoding as appropriate to the assignment. No late assignments will be accepted without prior written permission. All unexcused late assignments will be marked down a minimum of 20%.

Policies and Procedures

SRJC and the CIS department provide opportunities for a wide range of students with diverse interests. To make things work for all students, certain Policies and Procedures have been developed. The following links will take you to some important SRJC/CIS Web pages:

SRJC Student Code of Conduct Standards
CIS Dept Cell Phone Policy
CIS Dept Printing Policy
[ Pages open in a new browser window ]

All students are expected to read, understand and abide by these policies and procedures.

Lab Information

As an enrolled SRJC student you have full access to the CIS computer labs in Santa Rosa (2nd & 3rd floor Maggini Hall) or in Petaluma. The CIS department provides computers which have browser and supplemental software for using the WWW on Macintosh and IBM clones with Windows. You may use your home computer or the lab computers. If you need assistance with assignments, beyond what you will receive via email, you are encouraged to make an appointment to meet me in the Santa Rosa lab.

Check my Currect Teaching Schedule

Materials

You should have the most recent Browser software (Mozilla 5+, Netscape 6+, Internet Explorer 6+) and ftp software (MSS Secure Shell or MacSFTP) to upload your files to a server. Other software will be required to complete the course, as announced by your instructor. It is your responsibility to obtain and install this software. CIS student Web pages can be hosted on the SRJC server named Student. All student files will be deleted one week after the end of the semester, so it is the student's responsibility to maintain backup files.

Assignments

All assignments, including dates due, are listed on the Course Calendar. It is each student's responsibility to complete the textbook and online readings and assignments indicated on the homework assignment pages. Each homework assignment page contains complete information and examples to help you successfully complete the required work. NOTE: Assignments are time-intensive. You should plan to work from 4-6 hours each week to successfully complete the required work.

Grading & Attendance

A credit/no credit grading option is available and is recommended unless you require a letter grade for some reason. Students taking the course credit/no credit will receive credit if their letter grade would be a score of "C" or better as outlined below. You can elect this option by using the SRJC Web site, TLC phone line, or by visiting SRJC Admissions in person (see link to SRJC calendar at bottom of Syllabus). Instructor signature is not required. Students taking the course as part of a SRJC/CIS Certificate must take the class for a letter grade.

These are the percentages for grades:

Due to the ease/difficulty of tests and assignments, I reserve the right to adjust this scale.

Final grades will be posted and available from our class home page within 2 days of the final class session. To obtain a formal grade report or transcript students must contact SRJC Admissions Department.

Course work will have approximately the following weights towards the final grade:

"Attendance"

I will be available and prepared to help each week and I expect you to stay up to date with your reading and your work. After two consecutive missed assignments I may drop you from the class if I have not heard from you. However, it is your responsibility to formally drop the class if you decide not to continue. If you simply stop working, without notifying me, you will be assigned an "F" (or NC) for the class.

Important Dates

The SRJC Academic Calendar lists important dates for each semester. At the Web site you will find calendar dates for such things as the last date to opt for CR/NC grade, last date to withdraw without a 'W' grade, last date to withdraw from the course with a 'W' grade, and school holidays.

SRJC Academic Calendar of Important Dates
[ Page opens in a new browser window ]