Welcome to GRC 175!

[Instructor]

**NOTE: I have emailed a copy of this announcement to you as well. If you did not receive it, please email me and let me know what's a good email to reach you.**

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the spring semester's GRC 175, Web Design & Publishing I. In this class we're going to take the basic design skills you've learned from your previous design classes and teach you how to apply them to the web. You'll learn how to design and build websites using a variety of softwares (Dreamweaver and Photoshop) and programming languages (HTML, CSS, and jQuery).

Due to COVID-19 this class has been converted into an asynchronous online class. What's an asynchronous online class, you may ask? Good question! An asynchronous online class is an on-demand online learning experience facilitated by a learning management system. In our case two learning management systems: Canvas, which you're already familiar with and the GRC 175 class website and forum where you will go to get project and class downloads as well as post your projects for critique.

I will also be conducting online lectures and workshops through Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday nights starting at 6:00pm and lasting no later than 8:30pm. Though, because this is an asynchronous online class, no roll will be taken and attendance is purely optional. These will likely be much looser and shorter than normal lectures and be largely technique demonstrations, theory discussions, and other assorted instances of me showing you cool things and dispensing odd facts from within my brain.

Our first lecture will be Tuesday, January 26th at 6:00pm. In that class we will go over the history of the internet and how it came to be, how a web page functions and the various file types involved in that, how I want you to organize your files to ensure your webpage works and you get a good grade, and go over the syllabus and the first project of the class.

Lectures will be recorded and links to the previous weeks' classes will be distributed in weekly announcements put out every Sunday. If you miss a lecture, you can snag the links then, or download them from the class website.

Any leftover time will basically be office hours for you to discuss projects, ask questions, and solicit feedback on your designs. I will also be available via email, Canvas, and the class forum if you need to get a hold of me for any reason.

Zoom
For the spring 2021 semester we will be using Zoom to conduct the online lectures.

Here's a set of instructions on how to set up your Zoom account:
Zoom Initial Setup

I highly recommend going to TMCCs Zoom account page and configuring your Zoom account:
https://tmcc-edu.zoom.us/

If you wish to download the Zoom app before using Zoom for the first time (it will prompt you to if it's the first time you've used it) go here:
Zoom Download Center

If you are new to Zoom, here are some great tutorial videos:
Zoom Video Tutorials
How to Use Zoom - Basics
Zoom Tutorial

And some great web links on getting started if you don't want to sit through videos:
How to Use Zoom
Everything You Need to Know About Using Zoom

I encourage active participation in my online classes, so feel free to unmute yourself and speak up during class if you have a question. I'm always happy to answer questions.

Syllabus
The class syllabus with all relevant information can be found here:
https://www.grc175.com/images/pdf/syllabus.pdf

Class Websites
https://www.grc175.com/
This site makes class materials, along with additional references and resources, available to students at all times. Please use the class web site first if you are missing information.

http://www.grc-resources.com
This website is a collection of resources I have accumulated over the course of my professional and teaching careers. Check this space regularly as I will update it frequently with things I find helpful, educational or just plain cool.

Class Forum
index.php
The class forum is our central point of discussion and critique for the class. This is where you will post your artwork and website builds for preliminary and final critique.

Please register for the forum by the beginning of next week, send me your username so that I may activate your account, and then post to the Introductions subforum so we may all get to know each other.

Projects
Four projects will be assigned and all must be turned in to be eligible to pass the course. Each one builds upon skills learned from the previous projects and my lectures and labs throughout the semester. I've designed them to be fun and challenging and I look forward to seeing your solutions to the problems I've presented you with.

Your preliminary roughs/wireframes must be posted to the class forum and ready for critique at the beginning of class on the project’s preliminary critique due date. Final projects must be uploaded to the class website, posted to the class forum, and ready for critique by 11:59 pm on the project’s final due date.

Note: There is a lot of overlap between the last three projects in the class. This is because websites are large and complex and I wanted to give you plenty of time to work on them. Plus, it simulated the studio experience of having multiple irons in the fire.

Here are links to the project web pages and their subforums:

Project One
Website ~ Subforum

Project Two
Website ~ Subforum

Project Three
Website ~ Subforum

Project Four
Website ~ Subforum

FTP Info
We'll be using FTP to put our projects online, which I will demonstrate at several points throughout the semester.

Here's the classes' FTP info for a few common FTP programs:
FileZilla ~ Fetch ~ Dreamweaver

Critiques
Critiquing is very straightforward in my online classes. All project critiquing, either preliminary or final will take place entirely online in the GRC 175 class forum. When presenting your work online, introduce yourself, describe what you are presenting and define how it solves the project.

Every student is required to post feedback for every other student and must post at least one comment on how another student’s project is successful and one comment on how it could be improved. You will have one week from a critique due date to post your feedback. Keep your comments respectful as I don't want to police flame wars between my students.

I am also available via email, Canvas, or the class forum for one on one feedback anytime you need it.

Student Work
https://www.grc175.com/student-work.html
Once your websites are online you can easily view them by going to the Student Work page and clicking on your name. Assuming your files are set up correctly, your websites will appear and you can preview them and show them off to your friends and family.

Let me know if you would like a different name on this page and to be addressed by during the semester. I simply used the names provided in the roster and they are not always accurate or reflect student wishes.

Adobe CC
Since this class has no physical component and some of you may have difficulty accessing campus, access to Adobe Creative Cloud may be a problem.

I always recommend subscribing to it on your own through Adobe. The student price is $19.99 per month which is an absolute smoking deal. In the long run, this is your best option if you plan to stay in the GAMT program.

If you're unable to purchase your own subscription, TMCC can add you to their license for the semester. This would allow you to access the Adobe CC Suite on your own computer using a TMCC username. If you'd like to do this, please let Ron Marston (rmarston@tmcc.edu) know and he will add you to the list, and (hopefully) someone from TMCC's IT department will contact you with details on how to install it by the second week of the semester.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to ask me. I'm available via email, Canvas, and the class forum.