ISSD 19 XHTML and Design

Aside from a quick intro into the world of Unix, the first major section of the ISSD program is the XHTML and design portion. Like many classes in the program, this section culminates with a fairly sizable final project. In retrospect, I think this section contained the most diverse styles of teaching and learning. Because it is at the start of the program, there are many questions from students and many open discussions about a wide range of topics including design, the industry, and coding methods. I think the pace is generally slower than other parts of the year to allow for this kind of style. It is one of the longer sections of the program and it is one of the only sections where you will have full days.

You will likely be surprised when you find out that you'll have to write a few essays as some of your first homework assignments. I know I certainly wasn't expecting it. It may seem strange to have to write essays in an information technology course, and it is quite possibly not a strong point for some of us computer folk, but I can assure you that it has its purpose.

Firstly, the XHTML final project is quite heavily focused on presentation and creating a professional image. It is an important element in any business and it is what can set you apart from the competition. I think it's excellent that this aspect hadn't been overlooked in this program. I could imagine a similar program which might easily omit this component and simply teach people how to design and code. The graduates, however, would be lost when it came time to package and present their work.

Secondly, these essays will give you a crash course on how to effectively use the web for research. More often than not in this business, the web will be the first place you go for reference, so it important to learn how to get the most accurate results when using Google or any other search engine. You will be encouraged from day one to use Google on a regular basis to seek documentation or to find a solution to a problem you're having which has already been discussed on the web.

Finally, there are a few aspects of this section which are simply in place to help you get used to being back in school again. As I mentioned in my previous post, for some of you it may be upwards of ten years since you've studied anything. So although the pace is relatively slower at the beginning of the year, an immediate dose of structure, homework, and information may seem like a lot, but it will set you on the right track for the rest of the year.

As far as the day to day classes go, you will explore almost all of the XHTML tags and learn how they all fit together. You'll then incorporate CSS styles, which is a lot of fun. The importance of valid XHTML code is heavily stressed. This is another aspect of the program I am very appreciative of. Valid code is very rare to find on the internet, so yours will certainly stand out. The final project I found to be an excellent learning process, as I did with all of the projects throughout the year. One of the most difficult parts is coming up with an idea for a website. Whatever you decide on, I recommend you choose something with the intention of expanding on it in the following sections of the program. This will not only make your life a little easier, but it is also an excellent way to compartmentalize the different sections of the program and be able to apply them separately to the same project. This perhaps isn't realistic to how sites are built in the real world; I just found it to be a good learning tool to see everything as its own entity.

The next section of the program is the online databases section. In my next post, I'll comment on this exciting section of the program and what kind of doors it will open up for you in the industry.

Author: Steve Gomori