This course helped me plan out and hand-code a basic website using HTML and CSS. In addition to these technologies, I was able to work with Fastmail’s hosting service and FileZilla for file transfers. I did nearly all of my coding using Bluefish.
I had taken courses in Web development before, but this course stressed the planning aspects, requiring a site plan, a design document, and a wireframe before I started building. I hadn’t been so disciplined about planning when I’ve built websites in the past – and I had sometimes paid the price for lack of planning. This course helped instill some good habits, especially with regard to writing clean and readable code, which I had never thought much about before. It also taught me that a little planning can save a lot of time later. Finally, the course helped me appreciate how different layouts and color schemes affect the end user experience. I know to think more carefully about the most likely end user and what that user will expect from my site.
For the final project, I built a website that provides essential information for new hires in my department. My pilot site was evaluated by administrators in my department, which was a useful process. It is always interesting to hear someone else’s ideas about your work. Also, my ideas might not be practical or useful for every end user -- it’s hard to think like another person, let alone many other people. The surveys and verbal feedback I got were a good way to get other perspectives about my site. Overall, my website evaluators provided useful ideas about how to best help my future end users, and they all helped me improve the site.
This course helped me appreciate web development as a more complex process than I had thought it was. I came away with better skills that I can use and teach in my own classes.