Web Project New

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Learning Objectives

  • Assess the needs of the client’s purpose and proposed audience and apply that assessment to the design of the Website
  • Demonstrate proficiency in basic web page creation, including X/HTML and CSS, as well as publishing pages properly to a web serve.
  • Use information design, graphics, and cascading style sheets to format and position HTML elements for functional and aesthetic purposes
  • Conceive and carry out a web design projects to include the production of a Website
  • Implement accessibility guidelines
  • Practice working collaboratively to achieve a common goal.

The big portion of your grade will be the successful completion of a web project for a specific client. Successful in this regard will partially be determined by your client. (We will discuss this more in class as the term progresses.)

The new project is creating a website that will house information to help college writing instructors (particularly technical communication instructors) understand accessibility and how to integrate accessibility into their online and hybrid courses.

Background

Scholars and practitioners agree that creating online materials that are accessible
for those with disabilities will make the user experience for all users better.However, accessibility issues for students with disabilities is wrapped up in a number of layers that make it overwhelming for instructors who have been asked to move their courses online to understand.
There are legal issues (ADA and 508 in the US and a number of EU statutes as
well asother country level mandates); technology issues (LMS limitations most notably);and learning level issues (how to design for differing levels and kinds of disabilities).
While many higher education institutions will provide certain services to students with disabilities, research has shown that many students do not declare their disabilities when they get to college. Thus, accessibility for better or worse falls to instructors.Online writing instructors (OWI) have to stop assuming that they only need the basic information. That’s the wrong stance to take. OWI shouldn’t accept the lowest common denominator as our standard. The hope for this project is that it raises the
bar thereby making OWCs more accessible for all students.
Understanding accessibility also means that as a professional writer you will be better positioned to help your organization understand and implement an accessibility plan for their online presence.

Requirements

In small teams or by yourself, you will be tasked with

  • hand coding a design for the home page and interior pages (this means only coding two pages and then you can copy and “save as” for additional interior pages)
  • gathering relevant information about accessibility and annotating that information (a resource or resources page)
  • providing a concise and persuasive rationale as to why accessibility should be integrated into online writing instruction, as well as in other courses
  • including some background information
  • adding any other things that you feel is important based on your own research and discussions with the client

This project intersects with a project in Publishing and New Media. One of those assignments will be housed on this site.

Teams

Going Solo: Carolyn and Hannah B.

Alyssa, Emily, and Dakota

Hannah M., Ben, and Kaitlyn

Peter and Lois

See the project management area for more info on the clients and projects.

Due: October 11, 2016

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