Design and evolution of an undergraduate course on web application development

ABSTRACT

Web technologies have become essential in the computing curricula. However, teaching a Web development course to computing students is challenging because of large bodies of knowledge, rapidly changing technologies, demanding support infrastructures and diverse background of audiences. This paper presents the evolution and the experiences we have gained in teaching a Web development course for the past seven years. We incorporate selected leading edge Web technologies as soon as they become mature and stable. The course covers a broad spectrum of Internet technologies to provide a solid conceptual framework. It also includes an in-depth study of a selected technology to provide the necessary depth and knowledge to build realistic Web applications. This paper describes the course design, our choice of topics, programming assignments, course delivery and our experience in coping with the rapidly changing Web technologies.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.11 Software Architectures
            Subjects: Patterns (e.g., client/server, pipeline, blackboard)

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Languages

Keywords:
ASP, C#, CGI, CSS, HTML, HTTP, J2EE, JSP, JavaScript, NET, XHTML, XML, XSL, cold fusion, computer science education, internet technology, java servlets, pedagogy, perl, web architecture, web programming