PGTE 5505, Section A, CRN 6007
Fall 2015
- Course Dates and Times and Location: Wednesdays, from 7:00 pm to 9:40 pm
- Location: 6 East 16th Street, Room 1200
- Faculty: Gabriel Gianordoli
- Faculty e-mail: [email protected]
- Teaching Assistant: Shakti Mutchina Bhanuprasad
Applications rarely are comprised of a tangled set of static files. They're dynamic. They update. They remember things. The course will introduce the concepts of a database and Web applications as a set of design problems. The class will investigate server-side applications, third-party data sources and APIs and how applications can become dynamic and highly functional. To approach the design and construction of applications that derive from datasources and databases, this course builds upon an essential knowledge of Web Standards, user interface design, and usability to support the creation of functional and responsive projects for the Web across multiple devices and platforms. Students will incorporate interaction design, visual design, user experience and code to rapidly sculpt data into content. By the end of the course, students should be able to design, build and deploy data-driven Web applications. The course employs a pedagogy suitable for designers, artists and technologists who seek an empowerment achieved by being able to build data-driven applications.
See this spreadsheet for a expanded view of classes and assignments.
For a full description of each class, see the lessons folder.
| class # | date | topic | assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/2/2015 | JavaScript Basics | Word-count app |
| 2 | 9/9/2015 | Web App | Web app |
| 3 | 9/16/2015 | Single-Page Application | Start working on Project #1. |
| 9/23/2015 | Class do not meet | ||
| 4 | 9/30/2015 | Databases | Work on Project #1. |
| 5 | 10/7/2015 | Project 1 Presentations | Project #1 |
| 6 | 10/14/2015 | Server-Side 1 | File System app |
| 7 | 10/21/2015 | Server-Side 2 | - |
| 8 | 10/24/2015 | Office Hours | - |
| 9 | 11/4/2015 | WebSockets 1 | - |
| 10 | 11/11/2015 | Cloud | Set up your EC2 and run a socket.io app. |
| 11 | 11/18/2015 | WebSockets 2 | Final Project proposal due |
| 12 | 11/24/2015 (Tuesday) | Workshop + Proposal Feedback | - |
| 13 | 12/2/2015 | MVC | Final Project 1st prototype due |
| 14 | 12/9/2015 | D3.js | - |
| 15 | 12/16/2015 | Final Presentations | Final Project |
By the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Have a better understanding of how web applications work
- Be comfortable with coding in JavaScript, from server to front-end.
- Develop working prototypes and publish them.
- Select and apply different technologies in order to realize their ideas.
All assignments must be submitted through Github to the class repository.
Please refer to each lesson for a list of weekly assignments.
Build a data-driven web application. Your project must:
- At least READ data from an external source — Parse, a JSON file, or whatever you feel more comfortable with.
- Have no less than 2 different "screens." If you're building a canvas-based game, maybe you have 2 scenes? If it's a dynamic html website, 2 pages. If it's a datavis, 2 charts or 2 ways of visualizing the same data and so on.
- Respond to user interaction.
Team up with another student and build a websockets-based app. Any bi-directional communication is valid here: client <--> server, hardware <--> server. Please notice that bi-directional is a requirement. We're looking for true communication, sending and receiving data/messages/actions/inputs back and forth.
Team up with another student and build a project that interacts with the server-side. NodeJS is a requirement, but an HTML page is not. Feel free to use your technology of choice on the client-side.
- Weekly assignments are intended to assess your development throughout the course.
| Criteria | % |
|---|---|
| Does it meet the requirements outlined in the asignment? | 40% |
| Does it work? | 40% |
| Was it submitted on time? | 20% |
- Projects are intended to assess your capacity of creatively applying your skills.
| Criteria | Details | % |
|---|---|---|
| Does it meet the requirements outlined in the asignment? | 20% | |
| Does it work? | 20% | |
| Is the purpose of the project clear? | Interests may vary enormously among students. The only way for me to evaluate a project is to understand what you were trying to achieve. | 10% |
| Is it functional? | Unless your intention is to confuse people — in which case you should clearly communicate that —, your project should be usable. | 10% |
| Is it creative? | Even if you're inspired by something that already exists, think about how you can develop the idea further. | 10% |
| Does it show development? | If something is not quite right — conceptually or technically — work to improve it. | 10% |
| Was it submitted on time? | 20% |
Some notes:
- Feel free to present with slides if you want, but that is not a requirement.
- I will not grade the cleanliness or organization of your code. But bear in mind that writing things the right way will help you be more efficient — and save a lot of time once you decide to reuse your examples in the future. See coding advice for more.
- I will not check your code line by line looking for bugs. So please submit your assignments as functional as possible. If the page just crashes on loading I will not be able to understand whether or not you have accomplished something. In those cases, comment out the bug and leave a note with details. For instance: "This part should display the data, but I wasn't able to finish it."
DT is great, because you have the chance to do (almost) anything you want for 2 years. And assignments are great for keeping up with the skills you're learning. But this scenario can be distracting too. Think of this opportunity — not only in this class — as a chance to find out or go deeper into what interests you. Try to approach even the smallest of the assignments with that in mind. You don't need to work on a single project for the whole course, but maybe your projects will evolve around:
- A theme — housing issues, China, technology biases, cute bears, etc.
- An aesthetics — vernacular web, retro-futurism, minimalism, etc.
- An approach/field — games, critical design, net-art, design thinking, etc.
- A technology — physical computing, interactive installations, databases, wearables, etc.
Even if you find out that you're not really interested in what you explored, that'll be a good thing to learn.
- Google Chrome
- Sublime Text 2
- Terminal (Mac) / Command Prompt (PC)
- A Github account and a way to access it. Feel free to either Terminal or a desktop app — Github for Mac, Source Tree or whatever you feel comfortable with.
Other tools will be added along the course. Be sure to check each lesson plan before coming to class.
There are no required readings for this class. There are some recommended ones for each lesson, though. Be sure to check each lesson plan before coming to class.
A full list of resources can be found here.
| Item | % |
|---|---|
| Participation/Attendance | 10% |
| Mini Assignments(Total) | 25% |
| Project #1 | 15% |
| Project #2 (Midterm) | 25% |
| Project #3 (Final) | 25% |
- A Work of exceptional quality
- A- Work of high quality
- B+ Very good work
- B Good work; satisfies course requirements
Satisfactory completion of a course is considered to be a grade of B or higher.
- B- Below-average work
- C+ Less than adequate work
- C Well below average work
- C- Poor work; lowest possible passing grade
- F Failure
- GM Grade missing for an individual
Grades of D are not used in graduate level courses.
The grade of W may be issued by the Office of the Registrar to a student who officially withdraws from a course within the applicable deadline. There is no academic penalty, but the grade will appear on the student transcript. A grade of W may also be issued by an instructor to a graduate student (except at Parsons and Mannes) who has not completed course requirements nor arranged for an Incomplete.
The grade of WF is issued by an instructor to a student (all undergraduates and all graduate students) who has not attended or not completed all required work in a course but did not officially withdraw before the withdrawal deadline. It differs from an “F,” which would indicate that the student technically completed requirements but that the level of work did not qualify for a passing grade. The WF is equivalent to an F in calculating the grade point average (zero grade points), and no credit is awarded.
The grade of I, or temporary incomplete, may be granted to a student under unusual and extenuating circumstances, such as when the student’s academic life is interrupted by a medical or personal emergency. This mark is not given automatically but only upon the student’s request and at the discretion of the instructor. A Request for Incomplete form must be completed and signed by student and instructor. The time allowed for completion of the work and removal of the “I” mark will be set by the instructor with the following limitations:
Graduate students: Work must be completed no later than one year following the end of the class. Grades of “I” not revised in the prescribed time will be recorded as a final grade of “WF” (for Parsons and Mannes graduate students) or “N” (for all other graduate students) by the Office of the Registrar. The grade of “N” does not affect the GPA but does indicate a permanent incomplete.
Students are responsible for all assignments, even if they are absent. Late assignments, failure to complete the assignments for class discussion and/or critique, and lack of preparedness for in class discussions, presentations and/or critiques will jeopardize your successful completion of this course.
Class participation is an essential part of class and includes: keeping up with reading, assignments, projects, contributing meaningfully to class discussions, active participation in group work, and coming to class regularly and on time.
Faculty members may fail any student who is absent for a significant portion of class time. A significant portion of class time is defined as three absences for classes that meet once per week and four absences for classes that meet two or more times per week. During intensive summer sessions a significant portion of class time is defined as two absences. Lateness or early departure from class may also translate into one full absence.
Use of Blackboard may be an important resource for this class. Students should check it for announcements before coming to class each week.
In rare instances, I may be delayed arriving to class. If I have not arrived by the time class is scheduled to start, you must wait a minimum of thirty minutes for my arrival. In the event that I will miss class entirely, a sign will be posted at the classroom indicating your assignment for the next class meeting.
Use of electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops) is permitted when the device is being used in relation to the course's work. All other uses are prohibited in the classroom and devices should be turned off before class starts.
The New School views “academic honesty and integrity” as the duty of every member of an academic community to claim authorship for his or her own work and only for that work, and to recognize the contributions of others accurately and completely. This obligation is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual debate, and creative and academic pursuits. Academic honesty and integrity includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on research findings or any aspect of the work of others (including that of faculty members and other students). Academic dishonesty results from infractions of this “accurate use”. The standards of academic honesty and integrity, and citation of sources, apply to all forms of academic work, including submissions of drafts of final papers or projects. All members of the University community are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty and integrity. Please see the complete policy in the Parsons Catalog. It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their own work from that of others. Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences, including (but not limited to) one or more of the following: failure of the assignment, failure of the course, academic warning, disciplinary probation, suspension from the university, or dismissal from the university.
In keeping with the University’s policy of providing equal access for students with disabilities, any student with a disability who needs academic accommodations is welcome to meet with me privately. All conversations will be kept confidential. Students requesting any accommodations will also need to meet with Jason Luchs in the Office of Student Disability Services, who will conduct an intake, and if appropriate, provide an academic accommodation notification letter to you to bring to me. SDS assists students with disabilities in need of academic and programmatic accommodations as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. More at http://www.newschool.edu/studentservices/disability/..
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D3
Tencent