This is now the backup website. It might not be complete. Go to the new website, IFSC7310.net!

Detailed Schedule (will be adjusted as we go along)

Computer, textbooks and help resources:

• Spring 2023 videoconference help and discussion group
• Spring 2023 Slack location (help and discussion forum/bullet board/message board system)
• Please bring your laptop to class for class days when there will be hands-on exercises. There might also a few machines in the back of the classroom.
• There is no textbook that fits the details of this course. Not even an expensive one (and they usually are, aren't they?). Instead, a modern and better alternative is on-line, interactive resources. We will use w3schools.com in this course. There are also lots of other online resources.
  • Just for JavaScript, see
    • Learning websites:
      • The Odin Project
      • Khan Academy (favorably reviewed in an article)
      • tutorialspoint.com
      • udemy.com
      • teamtreehouse.com
      • guru99.com
      • codecademy.com
      • codepen.io
      • jsbin.com
      • codeanywhere.com
      • javascriptkit.com
      • code.visualcode.com
      • There are others as well. They have widely varying usefulness. Many have the added benefit of having some free learning resources (at least for now, though these sites may update their business models at some point by charging).
    • Free textbooks (for JavaScript and many other subjects) are also available, for example from http://www.textbookrevolution.org. They include
      • Eloquent JavaScript, at http://eloquentjavascript.net.
      • Another at javascript.info
      • Still another at https://www.learn-js.org/
    • JavaScript language reference material is available at <
      • https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript
      • https://www.w3schools.com/jsref/default.asp
      • The official specification (as of this writing) is at https://tc39.es/ecma262/
    • True fact - the official name of the language is not JavaScript, but ECMAscript. JavaScript is technically Oracle's brand name, so calling ECMAscript "JavaScript" is like calling cola "Coke" or "Pepsi."
  • For HTML, equally many resources exist. Let me know of any you find useful and they will be included here.
  • For PHP, many resources also exist. Let me know of any you like and they can be included here.
• Instructor: Daniel Berleant, PhD
• Course website: https://ifsc7310.000webhostapp.com/
• Contacting the instructor:
  • Ideal time: after class.
  • By email: jdberleant@ualr.edu. I will respond within 24 hours. If you don't hear back by then your email may have gotten lost, so please send a reminder.
  • By phone: (501) 916-5226. Leave a message if no answer, and the phone will email me the message as an audio file (so we're back to email).
  • By mail: Dept. of Information Science, EIT 562, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204.
  • Office location: EIT Building, Rm. 562.
• Homeworks:
  • Assignments: approximately weekly. Quizzes or tests, if any, will be infrequent.
  • Lateness policy: 10 points off for any assignment handed in up to 1 week late. Two such reductions in grade on any assignment handed in very late. No credit for multiple assignments handed in in a rush at the end of the semester.
  • Grades: will be stored on Blackboard. Most assignments will be scored on a scale of 50-100 points (this is a better algorithm than the typical 0-100 scale because it gives mathematically more sensible results).
• Student learning objectives: At the end of this course students will be able to
  • Specify, design and implement a basic Web-based information system.
  • Use basic HTML in a website.
  • Use basic JavaScript in a website.
  • Use basic PHP in a website.
  • At the end of this course students will be able to engage in independent professional development using online learning websites.
• Catalog description: IFSC 7310 Information Systems Analysis: Methods of problem identification and definition, data collection and measurement, feasibility study methods, work measurement techniques, task analysis, simulation studies, impact analysis, evaluation methods, forms and display design, proposal writing, documentation and programming standards, design strategies, documentation, and evaluation.
• Emergency plans:
  • Inclement weather policy: ualr.edu/policy/home/admin/weather
  • Pandemics: We will follow policies on masks, social distancing, meetings or cancellations thereof, and any other public health recommendations, policies, and procedures provided by the university, governmental entities, and instructor judgment.
    • The university covid website is at https://ualr.edu/health/covid-19-information.
    • Note that if you catch covid, it is required to not come to class. See https://ualr.edu/health/covid-what-to-do for what to do if you catch it.
  • Instructor illness: If the instructor becomes ill, the course will continue using published due dates, assignments, reading material and (if feasible) pre-recorded lectures and/or published lecture notes.
  • Student illness: Please let the instructor know so that allowances can be made in terms of due dates and other appropriate accomodations.
• Attendance policy and instructor presence: The instructor will lead the class as officially scheduled. Students who are neither attending class, nor turning in assignments, nor communicating with the instructor are required by university policy to be administratively withdrawn from the course. There are some arcane financial aid reasons for this, but the policy is the same regardless of any financial aid you might or might not have. IMPORTANT: If you want to drop a course, it is very risky to just assume you can stop attending and the instructor will automatically do it, as some instructors ignore the policy and give an F instead.
• Academic integrity policy: Work turned in must be your own work. You are welcome and indeed encouraged to get or give help to other students but NOT actual code. There is no learning benefit to copying code like that. No credit for assignments containing even a small amount of copying, and you might be referred to the university approved judicial process. Let's suppose someone turns in an assignment with copied code late in the semester. Then they would get no credit for it, and also, we would consider rechecking their earlier assignments for copying and if found changing the score(s) on those assignments to also be "no credit." See Academic Integrity and Grievance Policy and Academic Offences.
• Regular and Substantive Contact:
  • The instructor is available for student-initiated contact during business hours by email (preferred) as well as by phone (leave a message if no answer and I will respond to it), in my office in EIT 562, and after class. I also respond to emails outside of business hours. If you do not get a response to your email within 24 hours, please resend it as it may have fallen through the cracks.
  • The instructor will meet with students at regularly scheduled class sessions. Online students will have their assignments evaluated regularly and the grades provided, and will be sent emailed messages with information, suggestions, hints, or requests to respond with any questions or confusions. Students are encouraged to reach out with any questions or concerns throughout the semester.
• Accomodations: Students with disabilities: Your success in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have a documented disability (or privately as soon as possible so that we can discuss with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accomodations are established through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s) and the DRC. Thus, if you have a disability, please contact me and/or the DRC, at 501-569-3143 (v/TTY) or 501-683-7629 (VP). For more information, please visit the DRC website at ualr.edu/disability. (UA little Rock Policy 404.9)