Purpose

The purpose of this project is to teach you to create effective on-line informational documents. You'll learn how to use HTML, gather and present information on the world wide web, and design key elements of a website so that it is effective from a user's point of view.

Overall Task

Your overall task is to create a multipage website on a topic that interests you. Examples include some subject in your major or a topic you enjoy and know a lot about. You may also choose to create a site about a hobby, sport, or region of the country or world. The idea is to find a topic of interest to you and then create a website that informs others about it.

Definitions

The following paragraphs define some terms that pertain to this assignment.

A webpage is a file that can be opened and viewed using a program such as Netscape. When you made your personal webpage during the last class before Thanksgiving, you did so by working in a single file.

A website contains two or more webpages--that is, two or more files--which are "linked," meaning that a user can click on some element in one file that causes a program such as Netscape to open another file (that is, another webpage). For example, to make a website about yourself, you would create additional files about yourself--for instance one describing your family and another containing your resume--and you would provide links among these files. The website for our course contains approximately 20 files that are linked together.

A homepage is the first page you open when you go to a site. It introduces the site and provides links to other files in the site. The homepage for the website for our course is the one that includes a picture of the earth, the course title, information about the course (syllabus, handouts, assignments) that you can use to learn more about the course. Each item on the menu is a link to a different file. When you click on one of these topics (for example, the Interview Report), you are instructing Netscape to open the file that contains information about your first major homework assignment.

Requirements

These are the required elements for this assignment:

• A homepage and two or more other pages you create that are linked together to construct a website on your topic. The text on these pages is to be text you have written (not text you have downloaded or otherwise appropriated from someone else). It is to be informative, not just entertaining. The homepage must link directly to at least two other pages.
  • One of these pages should be your resume
• One or more links to other websites related to your topic.
• One or more images. Remember that there will a limit to the size of the files you can use. Avoid movies and other things that consume much memory and take a long time to download.

To count as a "page" in this project, a file must fill one window on a computer screen when the window is at its maximum size. The material on the window must include some text, but may also contain one or more images.

Of course, you must present your information in a way that communicates effectively and entices the reader. We'll talk about various ways of achieving these goals as we work on the project.

Grading Criteria

To earn a C: Your site must include at least three well-organized pages with information on your topic. One must be a homepage. At least one page must include a link to another website on your topic and at least one page must include an image (photograph, sketch, etc.). The image may be one you have downloaded from another website, provided that you are not violating anyone's copyright. All text must be accurate, informative, and well written. The pages must be easy to navigate individually and as a group.

To earn a B: Your site must include at least four well-organized pages with information on your topic. One must be a homepage. There must be a total of at least three links to other webpages on your topic, at least one image per page, and a "mail-to" feature that would allow people visiting your site to send you a message. The images may be ones you have downloaded from other websites, provided that you are not violating anyone's copyright. All text must be accurate, informative, and well written. The pages must be easy to navigate individually and as a group.

To earn an A: Your site must contain all the elements required for a B and also be presented in a very high-quality way. This means that it must be designed so that readers find it to be very interesting, richly informative, pleasing to the eye, easy to use, and enjoyable. Note that you do not earn an A by making more pages (though you may do so, if you wish) but by polishing the pages you have.

What to Turn In

Please turn in a diskette that contains the following items:

• A file for the homepage for your site
• Files for each of the other pages for your site (see above for an explanation of what counts as a page).
• The files for the image or images in your site

All these items must be in a single folder on your diskette.

Note that you may make arrangements to create your web site on your filebox account, in which case you must turn in the URL for your site and the site itself must contain all the items listed above.

Be sure your name is on the diskette!

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