CIS-165PH Syllabus

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Instructor Information
Name Ed Parrish
Email See instructor's homepage.
Office location See instructor's homepage.
Office hours See instructor's homepage.
Phone See instructor's homepage.
Contacting Instructor If you have any questions about the course or need assistance, please contact me during office hours in person or by telephone, or at any time by e-mail. When contacting by e-mail, be sure to include the course number and your name.

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Catalog Information
Course title Intro. to Programming Database-Driven Web Sites With PHP
Course Number CIS 165PH
Section Number 75612
Course description Teaches programming of database-driven, web-based applications (such as an eCommerce website) that require online data storage and retrieval and a high degree of user/website interactivity. The web programming environment used is PHP accessing a MySQL database. May be offered in a Distance-Learning Format
Course dates 02/06/12 through 06/01/12
Location Room 1302 (see the Campus Map links on the instructor's homepage)
Meeting day and time Monday 06:00PM to 09:15 P.M. + 1 hour "Online"
Final Exam Schedule Tuesday, May 29 @ 4:00 pm-6:50 pm
Prerequisite(s) DM-60A or experience in the creation of Web pages;
Any of CS-11, CS-12J, , CS-12GPor CIS-132, or the equivalent in programming education or experience. Note that CS-11 or CS-12J may be taken concurrently.
Recommended Preparation Eligibility for ENGL 100 and READ 100
Eligibility for MATH 154 or ability to work with elementary algebra

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Learner Outcomes
 

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Design and develop server-side web applications.
  2. Design and develop databases for web applications.
  3. Organize and document web applications following the principles of software engineering.

For examples of what you will learn, see:

  • Artzy Art Supplies: instructor-developed site showing many of the techniques you will learn
  • Hall of Fame: samples of student projects from previous courses

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Who Should Take This Course
 

The following people will benefit from this course:

  • IT professionals who wish to learn how to program database-driven server applications.
  • Software developers who need to understand and develop database-driven web solutions.
  • Web designers who wish to understand the capabilities of database-driven web sites and be able to implement solutions themselves.
  • Web developers who want to enhance their sites with database content and server-side scripts.

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Student Preparation
Email All students are requested to have an e-mail account. Please keep your email current in WebAdvisor.

When sending me an email please state your name and course number. Please make sure your emails are professional, that words are spelled correctly and that you use good grammar. If you have not received my reply within a day, then check your spam folder before sending me another email.
Internet Access You need Internet access to view course materials on my web site, to turn in assignments, complete exercises, and to take tests. Internet access is available in the CTC for all students enrolled in this course.
Computer Usage Students need technical skills in the following areas to be successful in this course:
  • Computer operation and program installation
  • File and folder (directory) management
  • E-mail usage
  • Text editing
  • Web browser usage

Note that these skills are taught in CS-1.

HTML and CSS Students need to be able to use basic HTML and CSS, as taught in DM-60A, to pass this course. Specifically, you must be able to:
  1. Create and save HTML files using a text editor
  2. Display web pages in a browser, both from files and from the web
  3. Hand-code commonly-used HTML tags including tables
  4. Use basic CSS including text styles, colors and positioning of elements
Programming Skills Prior programming education or experience, as taught in CS-11, CS-12J, CS-12GP or CIS-132, is important preparation for this course. While this course is taught at the novice-programmer level, we cover a number of concepts quickly and you will get lost in the latter part of the course without prior education or experience. If you have had previous programming courses, but are out of practice, you should be able to refresh your skills during this course with little difficulty.
Patience and Time If you have enough time to sit in class and in lab, but do not have 8-12 hours a week to devote to homework, drop this class. You will need time to experiment with the details of the database and programming languages, develop solutions to assignments, and complete your course project.

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Lecture and Assignment Schedule
  For a listing of the scheduled lectures and assignments see the Course Schedule. Most assignments are electronically uploaded to Blackboard and the dates and times shown in Blackboard supercedes the dates shown on the schedule.

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Textbooks and Other Materials
Required books Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, (3rd Edition), Ben Forta, Sams, ISBN 0672325675 (Book web site)
Sams Teach Yourself PHP in 10 Minutes, Chris Newman, Sams, ISBN 0672327627.
Both are required and available from the Cabrillo College Bookstore. It is important that you have access to these book because there is required reading from the books, I test on material from the book, and it will help you learn the material and get a better grade in the course.
Recommended books Data Modeling, G. Lawrence Sanders, boyd & fraser publishing: database design.

MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide, Larry Ullman, Peachpit Press, ISBN 0321127315: very readable guide to MySQL and SQL.

Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, Williams and Lane, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., ISBN 978059600543: good coverage of PHP and MySQL.

PHP and MySQL Web Development, Luke Welling and Laura Thompson, Sams Publishing, ISBN 0672329166: more advanced book with several interesting Web projects.

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Teaching Methods
Assigned reading Each week you have assigned reading, which I expect you to complete before class. I expect you to join in the discussions and answer questions about the reading when called upon during class. For reading strategies see: How To Read A Textbook or How to Read a College Textbook.
Online Discussion Most weeks you will be given one or more topics for discussion related to the reading. You will need to post original comments and respond to the comments of others. Writing and reading these discussion postings comprise the lab hours listed in the Schedule of Classes so I expect you to be thorough.
Lectures Important material from the text and outside sources will be covered in class.You should plan to take careful notes as not all material can be found in the texts or readings. Discussion is encouraged as is outside material relevant to topics being covered.

For online students, the lecture notes are posted online and you are expected to read them. Also, online students may attend a lecture whenever you like. Attending a lecture may be helpful for understanding the material.
Assignments Most weeks you will have an assignment to apply the concepts from the lecture and readings. As much as practical, every assignment is about completing some part of your course project. I specify some requirements for the assignment, based on the lectures and readings, and you create a part of your project that meets the specified requirements.
Assessments Most weeks, you will have the opportunity to take an online quiz covering the previous readings, lessons and homework assignments. You will have about a one-week period to complete a quiz and due dates are posted in Blackboard. Completing the preparation steps and taking the quizzes make up the one hour of online lecture (OL) listed in the Schedule of Classes.
Lab Hours The schedule of classes lists, "4 hr 5 min online lab per week." These online lab hours are there to complete the online discussions in Blackboard.
Project The focus of the course, as much as practical, is to develop your own online database-driven Web site. I specify several requirements but you may choose any project that meets the requirements. For more information see the project page.
Internet All material will be distributed on the Internet. Class notes, instructional material, and student assignments will be posted on the class web site. Assessments and assignments are turned in using Blackboard. Students are encouraged to go to both the web site and Blackboard in order to obtain file downloads, submit completed work and to view items of interest throughout the semester.
Typical Class Session A typical class session is organized like the following:
TimeEvent
Online Post discussion comments based on readings
6:00 PM Announcements, review of assignment and discussion of readings
6:10 PM Lecture, exercises and discussion
7:00 PM Break
7:10 PM Lecture, exercises and discussion
8:00 PM Break
8:10 PM Lecture, exercises and discussion
9:05 PM Exit classroom

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Grading Policies
Assessed areas Your final grade is weighted based on your performance in the following areas:
Programming assignments 35%
Weekly Quizzes 25%
Final Project 35%
Lab/Online Discussion 5%
Homework assignments Homework assignments are usually due at the beginning of class, but the date and time shown on Blackboard is the official due date and time. I will not accept late assignments without a compelling reason because assignment solutions are both discussed in class and posted online. However, it is possible to improve assignment scores by completing extra credit work. Most assignments have some extra-credit options.
Weekly Quizzes Quizzes must be taken during the specified time. No make-ups are given for any reason. However, I will throw out the lowest quiz score in determining the final grade.
Final Project The project counts as the final exam for the course and you must demonstrate your completed project to the instructor during the scheduled final exam time to pass the course.
Online Discussion Each week you will need to create a new discussion posting on one of the assigned topics. Original discussion postings are due before class and must be posted to the correct discussion topic. Responses to other postings are due two days later. I will not give credit for late postings or postings to the wrong area. However, I do throw out the lowest score in determining the final discussion grade.

As in all communications, a professional attitude is expected and a supportive atmosphere is encouraged. Although it is okay to dispute an idea, it is not okay to disparage a fellow student. Unprofessional postings will be deleted and a grade of 0 assigned.
Discussion Rubric The instructor will use the following rubric to score your discussion each week.
  • 0: No postings are made, postings are late or postings are not professional and supportive.
  • 1: Only one original posting or follow up is made on time but not both.
  • 2: The minimum of one original posting and one follow up is made.
  • 3: In addition to meeting minimum requirements, the postings and follow ups are consistently thoughtful and insightful. At least 4 sentences or a reference to an article, book, web page or other relevant material is included in the postings or follow ups. Any reference must be documented with a hyperlink, page number from our textbook, or title, author and page number if it is another article or book.
Grade Interpretation Grading within each area is based on the following scale:
Grade From To Description
A 90% 100% Outstanding work demonstrating mastery of the subject.
B 80% 89.9% Above average work with a solid understanding of the subject.
C 70% 79.9% Satisfactory work meeting all minimum requirements.
D 60% 69.9% Substandard work not meeting expectations in one or more areas.
F 0% 59.9% Unsatisfactory work.
All your scores are posted in Blackboard and you are responsible for reviewing them frequently. If you have questions about any of your scores, please contact me right away. I want to ensure both that you understand the material and that your grades are accurate and fair.

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DSPS Statement
Equal Opportunity Students needing accommodations should contact the instructor right away. As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations are provided to insure equal opportunity for students with verified disabilities. If you need assistance with an accommodation, please contact Disabled Student Services, Room 810, (479-6379) or Learning Skills Program, Room 1073, (479-6220).

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Cell Phone Use
Cell Phones and Texting No cell phone use is permitted in the clasroom including ringing or texting. The first incident will result in a warning and the second in removal from the class. With any further incidence the student will be dropped from the course or given a failing grade after the last drop time has passed.

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Alternate Grading and Incompletes
Pass/No Pass Option You may request a pass/ no pass grading option. If so, you must complete the course work at a satisfactory (that is a "C") or better level to pass. For more information, see the Cabrillo Academic Policies and Procedures document.
Incompletes You may request an incomplete from the instructor if you are "doing passing work and regularly attending at least 75% of a course, but are unable to take the final exam (or otherwise complete the course) because of illness or other unforeseeable emergency and justifiable reasons." (Quotation from the Academic Policies and Procedures document.)

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Scholastic Honesty Policy
  Scholastic dishonesty is any act designed to give an unfair or undeserved academic advantage. Students who are scholastically dishonest hurt both themselves and other students. They rob themselves of both the knowledge of the course and the experience of learning how to learn. They harm other students as well because nobody can trust that the graduates of a course know the material and because they may unfairly get a higher grade.

Scholastic dishonesty includes:

  • Cheating: Intentionally violating the rules of the course by possessing, communicating, using, or attempting to use materials or to take actions that the instructor has prohibited.
  • Plagiarism: Use of distinctive ideas, words or code belonging to another person, without sufficiently acknowledging that person's contribution.
  • Collusion: Unauthorized collaboration with another person in the preparation of an academic assignment offered for credit.
  • Misrepresenting facts: Providing false information for academic advantage such as for postponing an exam or extending a deadline on an assignment.

For any work submitted in this course, you are not authorized to copy or use work from any source unless it is specifically stated in the assignment documentation. If you use distinctive ideas from another source, such as a book or the Internet, you must credit the source well enough so that it is easy for the instructor to find. Note that the instructor uses various services and tools to detect cheating by comparing your work with other students, books and the web.

Any person caught cheating, colluding, plagiarizing or misrepresenting facts will be given a grade of zero for the assignment or exam. The second offense will result in being dropped from the course or given a failing grade after the last drop time has passed. These offenses will be reported to the Dean of Student Services for inclusion in your academic record.

For a tutorial on avoiding cheating and plagarism see: Avoiding Plagarism.

Assignment Policies
  In this course, you must personally complete all the assignments yourself. This means that you must write all your own SQL, HTML, CSS and PHP code. You may discuss assignments with other people, but ultimately you must write the code yourself. Not writing all the code yourself is cheating.

If the assignment seems too hard to complete without more help, then you should contact me. My job is to help you understand the material. Also, you may discuss your assignment, and show your code to, another Cabrillo College Computer Science Instructor. We all have the knowledge and skills needed to help you understand the material.

You may still help other students, and receive help from other students, and I encourage you to do so. The following situations are intended to help clarify the rules about appropriate assistance for assignments:

Acceptable Help
  1. Showing others how to use, or solve problems with, computer applications such as database management systems, server installations and text-editors
  2. Discussing problems and ideas for solving problems with other students.
  3. Describing your algorithms for solving problems to other students using diagrams or natural-language statements.
  4. Looking at another person's code and pointing out an error, as long as you do not write or type any information for them.
Unacceptable Help
  1. Typing or writing any part of an assignment or project for another person, or allowing someone to type or write any part for you.
  2. Looking at another person's solution while typing or writing your own solution.
  3. Listening to someone else dictate code while typing or writing, or dictating to some else the code to type or write.

These are not all-inclusive lists. If you have questions about what is permissible, please ask me.

Note that these rules do not prohibit you from sharing assignment solutions with other students after an assignment is due and turned in. Blackboard has an option for sharing your assignment with other students, called publishing, that you are welcome to use. Reviewing other people's solutions can help you learn, but only after you complete the assignment on your own.

Assessment Policies
  Online quizzes are, by their very nature, open book and open notes. However, there are still some rules that apply. Cheating on quizzes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  1. Communicating with anyone but the instructor during the quiz
  2. Failing to comply with instructions given by the instructor
  3. Copying from another student
  4. Copying, using, buying, stealing, soliciting for, or transporting some or all of the contents of quiz or quiz answers
  5. Substituting for another person, or permitting another person to substitute for oneself, in taking a quiz

This is not an all-inclusive list. If you have questions about what is permissible, please ask me.

Students automatically consent to re-take a quiz, or a quiz deemed to be equivalent by the instructor, if the instructor has any question about the integrity of the results.

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Last Updated: February 13 2012 @00:38:43