| This site contains the class schedule and lecture notes from Fall Semester 2000. At this time I am no longer teaching at San Jose City College. But feel free to look through the site!
- Mike Toppa |
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Class topics are subject to change as the semester progresses. Please listen in class for announcements about changes, and note that the schedule as it appears on the class web site is always up to date.
The lab time following the lectures is typically used for creating short scripts or building small applications that allow you to exercise the new knowledge you have gained from that week's readings and lecture.
Choose one of these two final projects. These projects will be the focus of work after the midterm.
CGI - the "Common Gateway Interface" - is the standard method used by web servers to interact with other applications, such as databases. Using CGI, your web server acts as a "gateway" between your web site visitors and applications you want to make available to them. Because of its ease of use and versatility, Perl is one of the most popular languages for creating CGI applications. Perl is an excellent choice for tasks such as processing text input from web forms (such as user feedback forms) and serving as a "glue" between your web server and other applications (such as email servers and databases).
In this class you will not only learn how to create CGI applications yourself, but you will also gain an understanding of how web server software works, and the methods by which data is communicated across the World Wide Web.
This course is intended for the beginner who wants to enter the world of programming interactive applications for the World Wide Web and quickly develop his or her skills. CIS 41 (Introduction to Computers) and CIS 42 (Program Design) are prerequisites for this course. The skills taught in those classes provide the essential foundations for keeping up with the early weeks of this class. Familiarity with HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is helpful but not required.
While successful web programming requires some amount of technical skill, it is just as important to approach programming tasks with creative, problem solving ideas. This course is structured with an emphasis on providing the skills necessary to successfully take on the real-world programming challenges you will face after you leave the classroom.
The site contains an always up-to-date copy of this document, and it is my only means of communicating with all of you in between class meetings. Check the top of this page at least once per week for announcements. The weekly lecture notes and lab assignments are also available on the site. The notes for a class usually will be made available the day of the class, and will be linked from this page. You can access this site from the class lab, during open lab hours, or from anywhere else you may have access to the World Wide Web.
It will be to your advantage to use these applications on the Lab computers during the "Open Lab" hours that are scheduled during the semester. In order to do this, however, you must be registered in CIS 200.
The exams will not emphasize rote learning or memorization - there will be no Scan-Tron tests, and you will not be asked to recite definitions of obscure terms. In fact, you will be allowed to use your notes and books during the tests.
The exams will consist of real-world programming challenges. You will need to draw upon the skills you have learned in the class lectures and in your weekly lab assignments to solve these problems during the time available (1 hour for the Quiz, and 2 hours for the Midterm and Final). In fact, one question in each test will come directly from a weekly lab assignment.
I hereby authorize my Instructor, Michael Toppa, to forward my final course grade for the Fall Semester 2000, CIS 24 course to the following email address: [then legibly print the e-mail address to which you want your grade sent].
If you have any questions about the grades you received, you will need to send me an email no later than January 1, 2001.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9/5 | 16 Week Classes Begin. Previously unenrolled students must obtain "ADD" slips from instructors. |
| 10/6 | Last day to drop with no "W" grade. |
| 11/23-26 | Thanksgiving Holiday - Campus closed. |
| 11/24 | Last day to drop and receive a "W" grade. |
| 12/21 | Official end of Fall 2000 Semester. |
| 1/10 | Grades available by phone: 223-0300. Grades also mailed to students this week. |
© 2000, 2001 Michael Toppa. All Right Reserved.